John 4:3

He left Judaea and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs pass through Samaria.

Samaria lay between Jerusalem and Galilee, the most direct route, therefore, going through Samaria. The boundaries of Samaria varied in history; but in the time of Christ it was a small province about twenty miles wide, north to south, and about thirty miles long, east to west. The eastern boundary was the Jordan River, and the southern line lay about seven miles south of Shechem. The capital was the city of the same name, occupying an impressive butte some six miles northwest of the area where the events of this chapter happened.[1]