Chwilog is a small rural community between Pwllheli and Criccieth, about a mile inland and half a mile north of the A497, improved in 2005 to provide easier access along the peninsula for larger vehicles. The village is strung along the B4354 which runs northwest to Y Ffôr and eventually Nefyn.

The small river that runs through the village, the Afon Wen, travels south of Chwilog through the hamlet of the same name (Afon Wen) and out into Cardigan Bay just west of the Pen-y-Chain headland. The river rises on the southern slopes of Bwlch Mawr on the north coast of the peninsula.

The village has a butcher, post office/shop and pub and has regular bus services to Pwllheli and Criccieth/Porthmadog.