"A Scandal in Bohemia" is set in Victorian London. Early in the story, Watson situates the temporal setting more specifically: "the twentieth of March, 1888." This means that there is only a difference of three years between the stated setting and the time of the story's serialized publication.
Throughout the narrative, Watson mentions several real London landmarks, which reinforces the sense that the story belongs to the period and world that it was published in. Baker Street, which has since become famous for its centrality in the Sherlock Holmes series, is a real street in London. And although Briony Lodge, Irene Adler's home, is fictional, it belongs to the real neighborhood of St. John's Wood and is situated on the existing Serpentine Avenue. Additionally, the so-called "Inner Temple" that is mentioned alongside Godfrey Norton is a professional association for lawyers. Finally, the Church of St. Monica, where Adler and Norton get married, is a real church in Hoxton. It should be noted, however, that when giving the address to a cab driver, Norton notes that St. Monica is on Edgeware Road, which is not the correct address of the real church.
The first part of the story takes place entirely in or just outside of Holmes's apartment in Baker Street. The second part features more movement, first in Watson's narration of Holmes's recounting of the events following his visit to Adler's neighborhood and then in Watson's first-hand narration of their visit to her neighborhood together. The third part takes place between Baker Street and Briony Lodge. The story ends with Holmes, Watson, and the King of Bohemia standing in the drawing room at Briony Lodge. It seems important that the story, with its ambivalent resolution, wraps up in the heart of Adler's domain: her ability to both draw them into her house and escape before they arrive symbolizes her elegant victory over Holmes.
However, the setting that begins the story—namely Baker Street—is also important. The whole reason Watson seeks out Holmes and witnesses the ensuing events in the first place is his sentimentality. Walking past the building he used to live in sparks his emotions and curiosity and thereby sets up the plot. Opening the door also opens the possibility of a story for him to narrate.
The story's characters and events never stray from London, but continental Europe and the world at large help frame the setting and play a part in the plot's unfolding. For example, the context Watson provides in the exposition about what Holmes has been up to since they lived together is very international. Watson has read in the newspapers
of his summons to Odessa in the case of the Trepoff murder, of his clearing up of the singular tragedy of the Atkinson brothers at Trincomalee, and finally of the mission which he had accomplished so delicately and successfully for the reigning family of Holland.
These details about Holmes's work remind readers that the late 19th century was a time when empires dominated in Europe and the rest of the world. Odessa, today a city in Ukraine, was a part of the Russian Empire. Trincomalee is a town in Sri Lanka, which at the time was a British crown colony. And although the Dutch Empire had declined somewhat by the late 19th century, the "reigning family of Holland" also presided over colonial possessions. This final detail is why the King of Bohemia decides to trust Holmes. And, of course, Bohemia is itself a notable international backdrop in the story. Today a region of the Czech Republic, Bohemia was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the late 19th century.
