Kiens in the lower Pustertal is situated on either side of the Rienz River. Mountain crests along the valley form the natural border both in the south and in the north. Scattered villages are located on the mountain slopes: Hofern, which reaches up to the Pustertaler Sonnenterrasse Plateau, on the northern slope, and Getzenberg, which is situated on terraces on the southern slope. The central village of Kiens lies on the gentle fan of the Kiener Torrent at the bottom of the valley. St. Sigmund, where the oldest, entirely preserved carved altar in the Tyrol is to be found, is situated west of Kiens on a fan. The pilgrimage site of Castle Ehrenburg lies east of Kiens at the entrance of the Montaler Dry Valley, which was once the river bed of the Gader River.