Centered around Otsu-juku, which is an important port of Lake Biwa and used to be the 53rd posting station of Tokai-do Road, it consists of Zeze, the castle town of the Zeze Domain, Sakamoto, a temple town of Mt. Hiei, and Katata, a hub of lake-borne trade.
琵琶湖の重要港湾かつ東海道53番目の宿場だった大津宿を中心に、膳所藩の城下町だった膳所、比叡山の門前町坂本(大津市)、湖上交易の拠点だった堅田などからなる。