Ozamiz City sits at the southwestern tip of Misamis Occidental, on the narrow channel that separates the province from Lanao del Norte. It is the busiest of the province's cities — a port for ferries to Mukas (about 20 minutes by RoRo, the fastest route to Iligan and Cagayan de Oro), a Catholic university town, and the home of the Cotta Fort, the most-visited heritage site in the province.
The cathedral (the Immaculate Conception, beside the fort) and the long seaside boulevard are the main reference points in the centre. The municipal market is a good place to taste Mindanao seafood; the public beach at Mialen, just south of the city, fills up on weekends.