Virginia is bordered by West Virginia , Maryland , and the District of Columbia ( across the Potomac River ) to the north , by Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean to the east , by North Carolina and Tennessee to the south , and by Kentucky and West Virginia to the west . Virginia is bordered by Maryland and Washington , D.C. to the north and east ; by the Atlantic Ocean to the east ; by North Carolina and Tennessee to the south ; by Kentucky to the west ; and by West Virginia to the north and west .