google maps travel time api

Predicting future travel times with the Google Maps APIs

Elena kelareva.

Product Manager, Google Maps APIs

• If your application is used for scheduling deliveries, and you want to ensure you’ve allowed enough time between deliveries so your drivers won’t be late, you might want to use the pessimistic travel time estimates.
• On the other hand, if you’re building a thermostat app, and you want the house to be warm by the time your user arrives home from work, you might want to use the optimistic travel time estimate to calculate when the user is likely to arrive.
• If you want to give your user an estimate of the most likely travel time to their destination, the default best_guess traffic model will give you the most likely travel time considering both current traffic conditions and historical averages.

“Taking the guesswork out of knowing how long it will take to drive between homes will help us provide a better customer experience to our users” – Curtis Howell, Product Manager Customer Engagement, Redfin

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Google Distance Matrix API vs. the TravelTime API: Which is Best for You?

9 minute read

By: victoria akinsowon

This post compares the product features of the Google Distance Matrix API and the TravelTime API. If you’re just looking to compare pricing and API limits, read this post instead. It compares prices with Google, Mapbox, Here, Graphhopper and more.

In this post, we’ll compare the differences between Google’s Distance Matrix API and the TravelTime API, including their matrix functionality, map services and support.

What is the Travel Time Matrix API?

The Travel Time Matrix API allows you to calculate travel times to thousands of locations simultaneously, within milliseconds and for any mode of transport.

TravelTime also has two other APIs:

• Isochrone API: Create isochrone maps to visualise where you can reach within a time limit
• Routes API: Generate A to B routes, including turn-by-turn directions
• Consumer-facing websites and apps: You can use the TravelTime API to filter, rank and list location search results by travel time on your website or app. The API can filter thousands of locations in milliseconds and is used in a range of different use cases, including recruitment and property websites.
• Location analysis: You can also use TravelTime for location analysis , including office relocation or retail site selection. Here, the API can be used in a number of GIS software, including ArcGIS, QGIS and Alteryx.

What is the Google Distance Matrix API?

The Google Distance Matrix API allows you to calculate travel distance and time between multiple origins and destinations.

Common use cases for the Distance Matrix API include vehicle routing and analysis of traffic systems.

At a glance: the Google Distance Matrix API vs. TravelTime API

Comparing distance matrix features

In this section, we’ll compare the functionality of Google’s Distance Matrix API with that of the TravelTime API.

The TravelTime API allows you to calculate a matrix of travel times between thousands of origins and destinations. Additionally, you can set a maximum travel time cut-off to automatically filter locations as reachable or unreachable.

Finally, TravelTime currently supports over 100 countries , with public transport data available for the vast majority of them. You can check out our list of supported countries here .

The Google Distance Matrix API lets you calculate the travel times for up to 25 origins or 25 destinations in one request.

‍ Key differences

1. matrix speed & performance.

With TravelTime’s performance and limits, you can calculate large volumes of times in under 100 milliseconds. This means it can be used within consumer-facing location searches without impacting app load times.

In contrast, it would be too slow to do this with Google’s Distance Matrix API if the consumer app has more than 25 locations.

2. Matrix multi-modal transport options

The TravelTime API calculates travel times for all transport modes. For public transport, you can choose one mode of public transport (which includes bus, train, subway, tram, coach and ferry) or you can also combine modes. This includes driving and train combined, driving and ferry combined, and cycling and ferry combined.

The Google Distance Matrix API calculates distances and times for public transport, driving, walking and cycling.

3. Fare data options

TravelTime provides fare data for public transport in the UK only. This includes data for standard, weekly, monthly and annual tickets.

Google provides fare data for public transport where available. This includes data for a standard ticket.

Comparing map services

Both Google and TravelTime also offer map services in addition to their matrix functionality. In this section, we’ll compare the map services of their APIs.

Isochrone API

Isochrones are maps that allow you to visualise all reachable locations within a time limit and by mode of transport.

With the TravelTime API, you can create high-resolution isochrones for any type of public transport, as well as driving, cycling and walking. You can also combine transport modes – for example, to see where you can travel to within 30 minutes by driving and train. 

The API comes with adjustable parameters, which means you can customise your desired maximum walk times, transport connection times and more. What’s more, you have the flexibility to create isochrones through the API or, alternatively, though one of our dedicated GIS plugins .

In contrast, the Google Distance Matrix API doesn’t support the creation of isochrones through its API, nor does Google itself provide a built-in way to generate isochrones. 

You can use the TravelTime Routing API to create A-to-B routes, including turn-by-turn directions, and visualise these routes on a map or as a set of door-to-door instructions.

This can be done for all modes of transport, including all forms of public transport.

If you want to do routing via Google, you will need to use Google’s separate Directions API.

You can use the Directions API to receive directions between locations for different transport modes, including driving, walking, cycling and public transport. Note that this is priced separately.

Geocoding and map tiles

Free unlimited access to geocoding and map tiles is included with every paid TravelTime API plan.

For geocoding, coordinates can be used to display addresses on a map or as inputs for other TravelTime API endpoints.

You will need to use Google’s separate Geocoding API to return geocoding information, and its separate Maps API for map tiles.

How to create a distance matrix with the TravelTime API

To create a distance matrix, you first need to get a TravelTime API key .

Creating a distance matrix requires a single POST request, with a number of required parameters. These include:

• Transportation type (these include ‘driving’, ‘public_transport’ and ‘walking’)
• Departure or Arrival time
• Travel time

To calculate a matrix with multiple origins and multiple destinations , you can simply add multiple searches into the request. Each of these searches can then include up to 2,000 locations. Learn more about creating a distance matrix here.

Alternatively, try our Matrix Developer Playground for free here .

TravelTime  

As standard, TravelTime’s support plans come with documentation, a comprehensive knowledge base and tutorials.

However, there are additional tiers that come with even more support. For example, the Standard tier includes a support portal, email support, onboarding workshop and a dedicated Customer Success Manager.

The Premium tier includes all the above, plus a 12-hour guaranteed first response time and 99.9% service uptime SLA.

• ‍ Discover our support plans here

Google 

Support for the Google Distance Matrix API is comprised of a Stack Overflow Community, where you can ask technical questions, and is monitored by members of the Google Maps Platform team.

Alternatively, you can create support cases directly to the Maps Support Team – although this is restricted to Project Owners, Project Editors and Tech Support Editors only. According to Google, response times can take up to 24 hours on weekdays.

What customers say about the TravelTime API

Comprehensive transport data.

“TravelTime was the tool that stood out: it was the most reliable and the scope of its transport data was broader than any other service we considered.”

- Hugo Michalski, Co-Founder & CTO, Side

$1 See how Side uses TravelTime

Layering travel time data with additional datasets

“It’s been great to analyse the data we get from TravelTime alongside other datasets like census or population data, to tell us how many people we can reach from certain locations.” 

- Tim Hirst, Data Scientist, SEGRO  

Learn how SEGRO uses TravelTime

Better user experience

“TravelTime has enriched our user experience and increased conversions by 10%."

- Christophe De Rassenfosse, Chief Product Officer, Totaljobs

See how Totaljobs uses TravelTime

Reliable and fast

“The TravelTime API is easy to use, reliable and fast - it’s an asset to our search functionality.” 

- Leo Lapworth, Web Operations Director, Foxtons

Learn how Foxton uses TravelTime

TravelTime vs. Google: Which solution is best for me?  

Both the Google’s Distance Matrix API and the Travel Time Matrix API can calculate travel times and distances between locations with different transport modes.

However, the TravelTime API is more cost-effective than the Google Distance Matrix API for calculating large matrices of travel times at once.

And with a dedicated in-house data team , TravelTime offers a comprehensive and broad range of transport data, which includes all forms of public transport. This means that you can easily calculate travel times by the transport mode of your choice without breaking the bank.

TravelTime also comes with additional functionality that you may not have previously considered.

These include the ability to visualise travel times on a map (isochrones), as well as routing, geocoding and map tiles – all of which are included within all paid plans. And unlike Google, you won’t have to pay for separate APIs if you were looking to use these additional map services.

To learn more about what you can do with the TravelTime API,  check out our documentation  or to try TravelTime for yourself,  sign up for a free API key .

Calculate thousands of travel times with the TravelTime API

Read related articles

• Google Maps Platform
• Português – Brasil
• Maps JavaScript API
• Documentation

Travel Modes in Directions

This example demonstrates the use of the DirectionsService object to fetch directions for different travel modes.

Read the documentation .

Clone Sample

Git and Node.js are required to run this sample locally. Follow these instructions to install Node.js and NPM. The following commands clone, install dependencies and start the sample application.

Other samples can be tried by switching to any branch beginning with sample- SAMPLE_NAME .

Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License , and code samples are licensed under the Apache 2.0 License . For details, see the Google Developers Site Policies . Java is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

Last updated 2024-03-14 UTC.

Google Cloud

Predicting future travel times with the Google Maps APIs

Nov 10, 2015

• If your application is used for scheduling deliveries, and you want to ensure you’ve allowed enough time between deliveries so your drivers won’t be late, you might want to use the pessimistic travel time estimates.
• On the other hand, if you’re building a thermostat app, and you want the house to be warm by the time your user arrives home from work, you might want to use the optimistic travel time estimate to calculate when the user is likely to arrive.
• If you want to give your user an estimate of the most likely travel time to their destination, the default best_guess traffic model will give you the most likely travel time considering both current traffic conditions and historical averages.

“Taking the guesswork out of knowing how long it will take to drive between homes will help us provide a better customer experience to our users” – Curtis Howell, Product Manager Customer Engagement, Redfin

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Google Maps Travel Time

The google_travel_time sensor provides travel time from the Google Distance Matrix API .

You need to register for an API key by following the instructions here . You only need to turn on the Distance Matrix API.

Google now requires billing to be enabled (and a valid credit card loaded) to access Google Maps APIs. The Distance Matrix API is billed at US$10 per 1000 requests, however, a US$200 per month credit is applied (20,000 requests). The sensor will update the travel time every 5 minutes, making approximately 288 calls per day. Note that at this rate, more than 2 sensors will likely exceed the free credit amount. While this call frequency can not be decreased, you may have a use case which requires the data to be updated more often, to do this you may update on-demand (see automation example below).

A quota can be set against the API to avoid exceeding the free credit amount. Set the ‘Elements per day’ to a limit of 645 or less. Details on how to configure a quota can be found here

Configuration

To add the Google Maps Travel Time integration to your Home Assistant instance, use this My button:

If the above My button doesn’t work, you can also perform the following steps manually:

Browse to your Home Assistant instance.

Go to Settings > Devices & Services .

In the bottom right corner, select the Add Integration button.

From the list, select Google Maps Travel Time .

Follow the instructions on screen to complete the setup.

• Origin and Destination can be the address or the GPS coordinates of the location (GPS coordinates have to be separated by a comma). You can also enter an entity ID that provides this information in its state, an entity ID with latitude and longitude attributes, or zone friendly name (case sensitive).

Dynamic Configuration

Tracking can be setup to track entities of type device_tracker , zone , sensor and person . If an entity is placed in the Origin or Destination then every 5 minutes when the platform updates it will use the latest location of that entity.

Tracking entity to entity

Origin: device_tracker.mobile_phone Destination: zone.home

Tracking entity to zone friendly name (e.g. “Eddies House”)

Origin: zone.home Destination: Eddies House

Entity Tracking

• If state is a zone then the zone location will be used
• If state is not a zone it will look for the longitude and latitude attributes
• Uses the longitude and latitude attributes
• Can also be referenced by just the zone’s friendly name found in the attributes.
• If state is a zone or zone friendly name then will use the zone location
• This includes all valid locations listed in the Configuration Variables

Updating sensors on-demand using Automation

Using automatic polling can lead to calls that exceed your API limit, especially when you are tracking multiple travel times using the same API key. To use more granular polling, disable automated polling.

You can use the homeassistant.update_entity service to update the sensor on-demand. For example, if you want to update sensor.morning_commute every 2 minutes on weekday mornings, you can use the following automation:

For more detailed steps on how to define a custom polling interval, follow the procedure below.

Defining a custom polling interval

If you want to define a specific interval at which your device is being polled for data, you can disable the default polling interval and create your own polling automation.

To add the automation:

• Go to Settings > Devices & Services , and select your integration.

• Go to Settings > Automations & Scenes and create a new automation.
• Define any trigger and condition you like.

• Save your new automation to poll for data.

Help us to improve our documentation

Syntax Byte

Excel, JavaScript, Android, and other Programming Tutorials

Excel Function to Calculate Travel Time and Distance using Google Maps API with VBA

In this article, we will create an Excel function to calculate the distance between two addresses using the Google Maps directions API. This will allow you to get the travel time between the two locations. The format of the function will be as follows: =TRAVELTIME(origin, destination, api_key) , =TRAVELDISTANCE(origin, destination, apikey) . The origin and destination will be strings, and can be either an exact address or the name of a place. In order to use the function, an API key is required. The “Getting Started” page can help you with this: http://bit.ly/googlemapsgettingstarted . Create a new project and make sure the Directions API is added.

Step 1: Create a new macro file and add VBA-JSON

Because the Google Maps Directions API is a JSON API, we will use VBA-JSON to make it easy to use the results from the web request. You can download the latest version from here: https://github.com/VBA-tools/VBA-JSON/releases . Download and extract the zip file. Then, open your macro file. Open the Visual Basic Editor (Alt + F11).

In order to import the VBA-JSON file, go to File > Import File… (Ctrl + M). Select JsonConverter.bas . A JsonConverter module will appear in the sidebar.

Next, make sure the appropriate references are enabled. Go to Tools > References… In addition to the references already selected, check off “Microsoft Scripting Runtime” (for Dictionary support needed by VBA-JSON) and “Microsoft WinHTTP Services, version 5.1” (to make the HTTP request to the API). If you require support for Excel for Mac, you will need to install VBA-Dictionary from the author of VBA-JSON. More details can be found at the bottom of the project homepage: https://github.com/VBA-tools/VBA-JSON .

Step 2: Create the functions

With the references configured, we can now write the code for the function. The code is relatively simple. It is simply takes the three parameters and formats them into a web request. The response of the web request is then parsed by VBA-JSON and the relevant variable returned. Note that the request may return multiple routes, but then function simply returns the time of the first route. The default mode is driving, but refer to the Directions API documentation for information on other modes and adjust the strURL variable accordingly.

To insert the code, create a new module with Insert > Module. Then paste the following code:

Save the file. You should now be able to use the functions from within Excel. Place your API key in cell A1, then try the following: =TRAVELTIME("24 Sussex Drive Ottawa ON", "Parliament Hill", A1) . This returns a travel time of about 435 seconds. If you would like this to be displayed in minutes and seconds, try this function: =FLOOR.MATH(A8/60)&" minutes "&MOD(A8, 60)&" seconds" where A8 is the cell with the travel time in seconds. This prints a helpful “7 minutes 15 seconds” for the 24 Sussex example. We can also find the distance. Try the following: =TRAVELDISTANCE("24 Sussex Drive Ottawa ON", "Parliament Hill", A1) . It returns a distance of 2667 meters. Convert to kilometers with this: =ROUND(A9/1000, 1)&" km" .

Note: The Google Maps Directions API always returns distances in meters. Convert to KM or Miles as you wish. This can be done in Excel or by modifying the functions in VBA.

That’s it! You should now have a working travel time function. All you need now is a list of addresses to use it with. If you would like to pull a list from the web or local JSON file, check out Import JSON Data in Excel 2016 or 2019 or Office 365 using a Get & Transform Query .

How accurate is Google Maps Journey time?

By: luke stewart tag(s): geolocation published: feb 01, 2021.

I have been doing quite a bit of work with businesses and government organisations on how to use Google Maps in real time and in particular the predictive Journey times and Estimated time of Arrival (ETA) functionality available through the Google Maps APIs .

One question that always comes up is how accurate the journey times are. So, I decided to put Google Maps to the test to find out just how reliable it is.

Testing the accuracy of Google Maps journey times

Google does not provide much documentation on the actual accuracy of their journey times, so it often comes down to the potential user to test this for themselves. Having used Google Maps for my own in-car navigation for a few years, I believe the predicted journey times are indeed very accurate. I would quite often let the person at the other end of my journey know my ETA and — bingo — arrive at that exact time. However, I had not validated the accuracy of the journey times. This is exactly what I have been doing over the last couple of months.

Over the past two months, I have noted the predicted journey time at the start of any car trip and measured this against the actual time. Having completed the analysis, I can confirm that, as expected, the Google Maps journey times are very accurate. Below is a summary of my findings.

Google Maps journey time analysis and findings

To undertake the analysis, I would enter my route into Google Maps, note down the predicted journey and arrival times and compare these to the actual times. I tried my best to stick to good driving behaviour, speed limit etc. to make sure the results were as representative as possible.

I conducted 56 individual trips with an average distance of 18 miles and journey time of 32 minutes. The trips were mainly from my house in Hampshire to locations in the South of England. I spent an average amount of each journey on motorways, A and B roads, with the odd country lane thrown in for good measure. I also recorded the traffic conditions based on the Google Maps navigation app and if the whole route equaled green, orange or red traffic. The majority of my trips were in green or orange, but I did have some with red traffic for comparison.

Considering the number of journeys I undertook and their average time and distance, I think an average of 1.8 min out of predicted journey time is a very good result. This gives me a lot of confidence about the accuracy of Google Maps journey times. It also gives me a lot of confidence that the technology we are offering to our customers is the best and most accurate there is.

One thing to note is that the journey time accuracy went down based on the amount of traffic on the route and the distance travelled. This is expected as those two variables make predicting journey times much harder. However the accuracy does not fall by a significant amount and my confidence in Google’s journey accuracy stays high even when undertaking long trips in traffic.

One further thing to note is I excluded from the results any trip that had an unpredictable incident such as a car crash, although there was only one such incident over my trips.

How does Google Maps work out journey times?

Google calculates journey time by measuring the distances between your two chosen points, and applying any speed limits that are in place on the route to provide a perceived average speed for the journey. This is then used to compute the forecast arrival time at the destination.

Crucially, however, Google Maps also layers over additional live, real-time data to ensure that these trip times are as accurate as possible. Data is sent anonymously to Google from Apple of Android smartphones that have Google Maps open, or from any Android device that shares location information. This data is then used to provide real-time updates on traffic congestion and incidents, which is then taken into account alongside the distance and typical journey time to provide a more reliable and realistic estimate.

The evolution of Google Maps journey time predictions

Google Maps journey time predictions have evolved to the point where they can now give highly accurate real and predictive journey times, even over long distances and in rush hour traffic conditions. These journey times have a wide range of uses, not only in the consumer world to help people navigate and understand when they will arrive at their destination but also in business and government to help improve customer service and plan new infrastructure.

I believe the journey times provided by Google Maps are the most accurate available in the UK and Europe, and most probably in the world. This information can help businesses and government services improve the services they provide and do so in a much more cost effective manner. I will be exploring some of these use cases and how Google predicts its journey times in subsequent posts.

Working with a Google Maps Premier Partner

A Google Cloud Partner like Ancoris can help you apply the power of Google Maps to solve current business challenges and develop new digital models using   location-based services .

We’re not only a Google Maps Premier Partner but have achieved Google’s Location-Based Services Partner Specialisation. This means we’ve demonstrated both technical proficiency and proven success in building and managing applications using the best of Google Maps Platform and Google Cloud Platform in both web and mobile environments.

If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you, why not take a look at some of our customer success stories or   talk to the experts in our Google Maps team .

Article updated June 2022 First published February 2018

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Talk to an Expert

Google Maps Travel Time and the Distance Matrix API - FREE or NOT?

Hello, I was watching the Google Maps Travel Time integration. On the integration page it says that there is a free credit amount but on developer.google.com website I read that it is 0.01 USD per each api call (USD 10.00 per 1000).

Can someone provide clarity about using the Distance Matrix API. I don’t want to be confronted with unexpected costs. Does anyone use this api without having to pay for it? I read in various topics that there are ways to set limits, but these are old topics.

Hopefully someone can clear it up

You have a free amount (150$?). It’s up to you to limit the Homeassistant sensor (scan_interval) so it does not exceed the threshold.

@eifinger thanks. Is 150$ each month, year or once? Cant find that information elsewhere only here on this forum do you have any article or link that complain the free amount? . I then can setup the scan interval en api limit in the google developer page once that clear te me.

It’s $200 actually ( https://cloud.google.com/maps-platform/pricing ) and it’s monthly.

thanks! that is what i was looking for

Just received that info and service stopped working after a months of perfectly running. Does Google changed it?

I guess you only registered for a free trial. You have to register a credit card to continue using it.

I did register credit card and I obtain invoice (0$) every month.

If I understand, for others it do still works?

Edit: Upgrading account (with still free 200$) was needed. Just click, nothing else.

5 Google Maps Tips You Need To Know When Planning Your Next Trip

W hether a brief weekend escape or an extensive expedition across continents, planning a trip can be a daunting task. The challenge of selecting the ideal destinations, navigating through unfamiliar territories, and ensuring that you experience all the essential sights without overlooking anything, can quickly become overwhelming for any traveler. This is where online maps come into play, and one prominent tool that almost everyone has used at some point is Google Maps.

Google Maps goes beyond basic directions . It offers a suite of features designed to make trip planning not just easier, but also more enjoyable. You can map out itineraries, discover new attractions, get insights into local restaurants and services, and even find electric vehicle charging stations . The platform's real-time updates, user reviews, and detailed information on points of interest can help you make informed decisions while exploring new destinations. Moreover, its customization features allow you to create personalized maps that cater specifically to your travel plans, which are also shareable. Here are five essential Google Maps tips that every traveler should know. These tips will not only help you streamline your trip-planning process but also ensure that your travels are as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

Read more: 12 Smart Gadgets You Didn't Know Existed

Utilizing Offline Maps

When you're heading out on a trip, one thing you definitely don't want to worry about is losing access to your maps when your signal drops. That's where offline maps come in handy. Google Maps allows you to download maps for offline use, ensuring you never get lost even when you're off the grid.

Downloading maps for offline use is a straightforward process. Follow these steps:

• Open the Google Maps app on your smartphone or tablet. 
• Tap on your profile icon in the top-right corner.
• Choose Offline maps.
• Tap Select your own map in the following window.
• Drag the map window to your desired area.
• Select Download.

Depending on the size of the area you're downloading and your internet connection speed, this process may take a few moments.

Once the download is complete, you'll be able to access the map even without an internet connection. Offline maps are not only convenient, but they can also save you time and frustration. Imagine hiking in a remote area and losing your cell signal — having the offline map ensures you can still navigate your way back to your starting point without any hassle. This is also one of the many secret Google Maps features that can come in handy.

Customizing Your Route With Multiple Stops

We all have days packed with errands or sightseeing, where we just wish we could plan the routes efficiently. Google Maps allows you to do that by customizing your route with multiple stops. It's a nifty feature that can save you time and make your trips more organized.

Follow these steps:

• Open Google Maps on your device and enter your final destination.
• Click on the three buttons next to your starting point and select Add stop. 
• You can add multiple stops by repeating this step. 
• Rearrange stops by dragging the three lines next to each destination.

Now, Google Maps will calculate the most efficient route for you, taking into account all your stops along the way. This is perfect for those days when you have several places to visit or errands to run, but you want to make sure you're not zigzagging all over town. It can also save you time and fuel. Plus, it's a great way to ensure you don't forget any important stops along the way. 

When customizing your route with multiple stops on Google Maps, keep in mind to arrange your stops in a logical order to minimize backtracking and optimize efficiency. Additionally, consider traffic conditions and estimated travel times between each stop to plan your schedule accordingly. Lastly, ensure that all stops are accurately inputted to avoid any confusion or missed destinations along the way.

Taking Advantage Of Live Traffic Updates

This feature provides real-time information about traffic conditions, allowing you to avoid packed routes and save valuable time.

As you navigate with Google Maps, the app constantly monitors traffic conditions along your route. If there is heavy traffic, accidents, or road closures ahead, Google Maps will highlight the problematic area on the map using yellow or red markers.

To enable live traffic updates, open the Google Maps app and enter your destination. Once your route is set, Google Maps will display real-time traffic information along the way, including any incidents or slowdowns. You can then choose to follow the suggested route or explore alternative options based on the traffic conditions. 

When using live traffic updates on Google Maps, keep in mind to regularly check for updates throughout your journey to stay informed about changing road conditions. You can also report problems on the road yourself on Google Maps . Lastly, be flexible with your travel plans and prepared to follow alternative routes suggested by Google Maps to avoid congestion and minimize travel time.

By taking advantage of live traffic updates, you can make informed decisions about your route and avoid getting stuck in gridlock. Whether you're commuting to work or heading out on a road trip, this feature can help you reach your destination more efficiently.

Exploring Nearby Attractions And Restaurants

When you're in a new area, or even just exploring your own neighborhood, Google Maps can be a great tool for discovering nearby attractions and restaurants. 

To start exploring:

• Open Google Maps and zoom in on the area of your interest. You should see several options below the search bar, including Restaurants, Gas, Coffee, Shopping, ATMs, and more. 
• Click on the option you want to explore. For instance, if you are looking for places to eat nearby, select Restaurants to see a list of dining options in the area. Each restaurant will be marked with its location on the map, along with details such as the establishment's name, its rating, and sometimes photos or reviews. 
• Refine your search further by applying filters for rating and distance. 
• After selecting a restaurant that catches your interest, click on it to view more detailed information, including its address, hours of operation, contact details, and directions on how to get there. 

Google Maps also allows you to call the restaurant directly from the app if you wish to make a reservation or inquire about menu items.

You can explore all these categories by swiping right on the options pane below the search bar. To view the full list, click on the More button (three dots) at the very end.

Create A Custom Map To Share With Friends And Family

You can also easily create a custom map and share it with whoever you want on Google Maps. It's a great way to collaborate on travel plans, recommend must-visit places, or simply share your favorite local hangouts.

• Open Google Maps on your computer and sign into your Google account. 
• Click on the menu icon and choose Saved > Maps > Open My Maps. 
• Start a new map by clicking the Create A New Map button. 
• Give your map a title and a description that encapsulates the essence of your adventure or theme. This could be anything from "Family Road Trip to Yellowstone" to "Best Coffee Shops in New York City." 
• Populate your map with markers. Click on the marker icon, then click on the location on the map you wish to mark. For each marker, you can add a detailed description, upload photos, and even include links for more information. 
• Additionally, Google My Maps allows you to draw paths and shapes, perfect for outlining routes or highlighting areas of interest. 
• Once your map is ready, click on the Share button. Here, you'll be prompted to set the map's privacy settings. You can choose to make it public, share it with specific people, or keep it private with a link.
• Finally, invite your friends via email or simply send them the link.

Read the original article on SlashGear .