The city centre, together with many of its more compelling sights, is encased within the Four Avenues of Moorhouse, Fitzgerald, Bealey and Deans. They define a useful border round the downtown area, in the very centre of which is Cathedral Square . Scattered in the streets around the square are the city's most attractive buildings, while over on the western edge of the four avenues lies Hagley Park , a focal point for leisure activities at weekends. Laid out in a grid pattern, Christchurch is very much a low-rise city, with the cathedral spire serving as a useful landmark. The architecture is predominantly nineteenth-century Gothic, a style which still informs many of the more modern buildings. Beyond the Four Avenues you pass into suburban districts like Riccarton, Fendalton, Merivale and St Albans, each characterized by one- and two-storey residential housing and beautifully kept gardens. Further west lie the coastal suburbs of New Brighton and Sumner, which provide access to the beaches of the Pacific Ocean.

Though very much an urban environment, Christchurch can also make a good base for outdoor activities.