create walking tour google maps

How to create a walking route on Google Maps: A step-by-step guide

Creating a walking route on Google Maps is a breeze. All you need is your smartphone or computer, and you’re good to go. Within minutes, you can have a personalized walking route that takes you wherever you want to go. Whether you’re exploring a new city or planning your daily exercise routine, Google Maps makes it easy and fun.

Step by Step Tutorial for Creating a Walking Route on Google Maps

Before we dive into the steps, let’s talk about what you’ll accomplish. By following these simple instructions, you’ll learn how to create a custom walking route on Google Maps that suits your needs. Whether it’s a short walk around your neighborhood or a more extended hiking trail, these steps will get you there.

Step 1: Open Google Maps

Open the Google Maps app on your smartphone or navigate to maps.google.com on your computer.

When you open Google Maps, you’ll be greeted with a map of your current location. If you’re using a smartphone, make sure your GPS is turned on for accurate directions.

Step 2: Search for your destination

Type your destination into the search bar and press enter.

Once you’ve found your destination, you’ll see it highlighted on the map. You can zoom in and out to get a better view of the area.

Step 3: Choose the ‘Directions’ button

Select the ‘Directions’ button, which is usually represented by an arrow icon.

After clicking the ‘Directions’ button, you’ll see different transportation options, including driving, public transit, and walking.

Step 4: Select the ‘Walking’ icon

Click on the ‘Walking’ icon, which looks like a person walking.

By selecting the walking option, Google Maps will provide you with the best walking route based on sidewalks, pedestrian paths, and other walk-friendly routes.

Step 5: Customize your route

Drag and drop the route line to include specific streets or landmarks you want to pass by.

If you want to add multiple stops along your route, you can click on ‘Add destination’ to include other locations. This feature is excellent for planning a day of sightseeing or running errands on foot.

After completing these steps, Google Maps will display your customized walking route, along with the estimated time it will take to complete the walk. Now you’re ready to lace up your shoes and hit the pavement!

Tips for Creating a Walking Route on Google Maps

Always check the estimated walking time and distance to ensure the route is manageable for you.
Use the ‘Street View’ feature to preview your route and get a sense of the area.
If you’re planning a long walk, consider the weather and wear appropriate clothing.
Save your route by signing into your Google account and clicking ‘Save’ so you can access it later.
Share your route with friends or family by clicking the ‘Share’ button, especially if you’re heading out alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can i create a walking route on google maps with multiple stops.

Yes, you can add multiple destinations to your walking route by clicking ‘Add destination’ during the route customization step.

How accurate is the estimated walking time on Google Maps?

The estimated walking time is generally accurate but can vary based on your walking speed and any stops you make along the way.

Can I use Google Maps offline to follow my walking route?

Absolutely! You can download the map area of your route when connected to Wi-Fi and use it offline.

Is it possible to change the route after I start walking?

Certainly! You can adjust your route on the go by dragging the route line or searching for a new destination.

Does Google Maps account for elevation changes on walking routes?

Google Maps does consider elevation when calculating walking routes, which can affect the estimated time and difficulty of your walk.

Open Google Maps.
Search for your destination.
Choose the ‘Directions’ button.
Select the ‘Walking’ icon.
Customize your route.

So there you have it, folks – creating a walking route on Google Maps is as simple as following a few straightforward steps. Not only does this tool help you get from point A to point B on foot, but it also encourages you to explore your surroundings more intimately than you would by car or public transit. It’s an excellent way for travelers to discover hidden gems in new cities or for locals to get a fresh perspective on their own neighborhoods.

Remember, the key to a successful walking adventure is preparation. Use the tips provided to ensure your walk is enjoyable, safe, and tailored to your interests. And don’t forget to take advantage of Google Maps’ offline feature, so you’re never without directions, even in areas with spotty signal. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start walking your way to new discoveries with Google Maps as your trusty guide.

Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.

He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.

Read his full bio here .

How to Use Google My Maps to Plan a Trip (Ultimate Guide)

Note: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a commission at no additional cost to you. More details are here .

I love a good map. I’ve got maps hanging on my walls. I go to the bookstore to read maps. Whenever I navigate my way home using only a map, I feel like I must have some innate bushcraft skills. And if you’ve read my posts about traveling in Maine , you’re probably sick of me talking about the DeLorme Atlas by now.

But while reading paper maps will always inspire a sense of get-up-and-go adventure for me, I’m not totally opposed to using tech for planning my trips and navigating on the ground.

And one of my favorite techy solutions? A secret little trip planner called Google My Maps, buried inside of everyone’s favorite map tool.

Google My Maps lets you create shareable custom maps with multiple layers, plus location pins with icons and notes. It’s a great way to brainstorm travel plans or create a trip itinerary from a desktop. And since the map can be viewed in the Google Maps app, you can use it to navigate on the go.

To give you an example of what this post will show you how to do, here’s one of the custom Google Maps I’ve created for a trip.

Keep reading for an overview of how to use Google My Maps to plan a trip, plus a video tutorial of how to set it up—all updated in 2023. I’ll also share answers to commonly asked questions and some lesser known tips to help you get the most out of this tool.

A quick note: Creating a custom map in Google My Maps is distinct from Google Lists of saved places. Check out our Google My Maps vs Lists comparison to see all the differences and our full guide to using Google Maps Lists .

8 Top Google My Maps Features

(AKA Why It’s Awesome)

Google My Maps allows you to see your trip itinerary.

This is so helpful, especially if you’re a visual person or enjoy using maps. But even if you’re not, it’s still really useful to see where everything is in relation to each other as you plan your trip, vacation, or holiday because it helps you be realistic about your plans.

It connects with other Google apps.

Setting aside my (ahem, very rational) fear that they may take over the world soon, I love all things Google. My Maps stores a copy of the map in whatever Google Drive account you’re using. (Am I the only one who has six of these?) So if you like to create Google Docs or folders to store trip planning information, documents, photos, or itineraries, it’s nice to have your map easily accessible in the same folder.

You get additional location information since it’s part of Google Maps.

If a location is on Google, you can see their website, phone number, address, reviews, and website when you add it to your custom map. (Note that you can’t see this information when clicking on your saved pin from the Google Maps app, but you can from desktop.)

You can add your own extra notes and photos.

Customize your map even more by adding notes, photos, or videos. Use the notes during planning to add website, hours, or tips. If I hear about the location from a particular website, I usually add that link and what was noted in the article about the location (e.g., it’s a great sunset spot, which dish on the menu is recommended) so I can reference it later.

You can view your route by creating a layer with directions.

When I traveled to Burlington, Vermont, I wanted to see the length of the bike trail on the map, so I used the directions feature to show the whole route. (Check out the Burlington travel guide for an example of the travel map I created that includes the bike path route.) And while I haven’t done this yet, you could also use Google My Maps to plan a road trip itinerary for a longer adventure.

Caveat: As I’ll discuss later, you can’t use directions layers to get turn-by-turn directions (but I mention an alternative below). For this reason, I only use these layers to visualize my route.

It’s highly customizable.

Don’t mind me while I swoon over the color coding and organization options over here. Use custom icons, layers, and colors so it’s easy to see what things are at a glance. For example, you can give different locations individual styles: a coffee cup icon for cafes, a bed icon for hotels, and a swimming icon for beaches. You can also use layers in many different ways, such as one layer for each day of your trip or one layer for each category (like dining, lodging, and things to do).

In-depth planning on your computer. Easy, on-the-go access from your phone.

While you can’t edit the maps from the Google Maps app on iPhone or Android, you (and anyone you’ve shared them with) can view them. You can click on icons and see your notes, as well as navigate to those locations.

Note that there used to be a dedicated My Maps app on Android, but this has been deprecated.

It’s easy to share it with a friend or with the world.

If you’re planning a trip with other people, it’s easy to share the map with others . And if it’s something you want to make available to everyone (like I do on my travel guide posts), just change the privacy setting and share the link or embed it on a website.

3 Ways to Use Google My Maps

Brainstorm and store ideas for future “maybe” trips.

I often come across a really interesting hotel, restaurant, or fun thing to do in destinations I want to travel to in the future, and I want to make sure I don’t forget about them. I have so many bookmarks in so many places (Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram), but Google My Maps is the place I’ve started storing ideas for future trips.

Plan your trip itinerary.

Want to use Google Maps for route planning? When you’re ready to plan an upcoming trip, plot it out visually by using Google My Maps to create your itinerary. If you like structured itineraries, you can easily create a detailed day-to-day plan.

Or, you can use a looser itinerary structure like we usually do by adding all the places you might like to go.

For example, on a day trip to NYC, we added tons of places to eat on the map (thank you, Tiktok). As we were walking around doing other activities and started to get hungry, we were able to easily see which saved restaurants were closest to us.

Navigate on the go.

Whether you’re using your map loosely for ideas or for a structured itinerary, you can pull it up on your phone anytime and get directions to your next location.

Not sure what you want to do today, or want to see what the closest restaurant from your list is for dinner? Pop into your custom map to jog your memory from the notes you made or to get directions to your next location.

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How to Use Google My Maps to Plan a Trip

How to create a new custom map.

Go to Google My Maps from your desktop browser . Check the Google icon in the top right corner to make sure you’re using the Google account you want to. Click “Create A New Map” and a window will open with a blank map. To give your map a name and description , click the map name (“Untitled Map”).

You can also change the color and style of the base map if desired. At the bottom of the layer panel on the left, click the arrow next to “Base Map.” You’ll get a window with nine options, including terrain, light political (a very light version of the standard Google Maps), satellite, and some different colored versions. Note that changing the base map style on desktop won’t change anything when viewing on mobile in Google Maps.

How to Add and Edit Layers

When you create a new map, the first layer will already be created, so you’ll probably want to rename it. To give your first layer a title , click directly on the title name like you did with the map name, or click the 3 dots next to “Untitled Layer” and then click “Rename Layer.” Clicking these 3 dots next to a layer title is also how you can delete a layer if you add one accidentally or change your mind. In this example, I’m changing my first layer to “dining” and will add all restaurants to this layer.

You can use layers any way you want to, or simply stick to one layer if you don’t need multiple. To add new layers , simply click “Add Layer” in the gray section below the map title and description.

To move a pin between layers , click the pin on the layer and hold down the mouse, and then drag it to the desired layer.

How to Add Location Pins

There are various ways to add location pins to a layer. First, make sure the correct layer is chosen by clicking anywhere in the white area on the layer. You’ll see which layer is selected by looking for the blue bar on the left of the layer.

In the map search bar, type either a place name or an address. Click “Add to Map” to add a pin for this location . This is how I add most pins.
If you don’t need an exact location or don’t have an address , you can click the pin marker button below the map search bar (“Add Marker”). It will turn your mouse into a T and you can click anywhere on the map to add a blank pin. You’ll immediately be prompted to add the pin title and description.
If you’re dealing with very remote locations (or you just like geeky map stuff), you can also use latitude and longitude coordinates in the search bar.

To delete a pin , simply click on it and click the trash icon.

A few tips and best practices for adding pins:

If the place you’re searching for does not have a listing on Google, you’ll have to use an address. One thing to note is that sometimes Google Maps listings aren’t correct or don’t take you to the right place, so you may want to double check the location if you’re not using a street address to add the pin (especially if it’s a small business without a website).
I have also found that hiking trail heads are frequently on Google Maps, but they’re not always correct in terms of navigating there by car. I usually add them to my map to get a basic idea of where they are while planning, but I use a paper map or atlas to find them while traveling.

How to Customize Location Pins

To change the title and add notes to your listing, click on the pin on the map, and then click the pencil icon (“Edit”).

To change the color and icon of the pin , click the paint bucket icon (from the pin itself or directly in the layer). Click “More Icons” to view all the icon options. You can color code by type of activity, by layer, or any way that makes sense to you.

To add photos or videos to a pin , click on the pin on the map, and then click the camera icon (“Add Image or Video”). This is another way to make your map interactive, especially after you’ve visited a location and want to share it with others.

How to Add A Directions Layer

I find that directions layers are helpful for showing the route of a walking tour, bike path, or road trip you want to take, but I don’t find them useful for directions while traveling since I can simply use the maps app to navigate.

I use directions layers whenever I want to show an entire route on a map , rather than a specific location. Think of this as the 2024 version of mapping out a trip with AAA paper maps and a highlighter (if you’re old enough to remember).

Click the arrow icon underneath the search bar, which will create a new directions layer. On the legend, click “Driving” if you want to change this to walking or biking directions. Add a location name or address to Points A and B in the legend. If you find that the pins are not exactly where they should be, you can drag the points on the map.

Continue adding points by clicking “Add Destination” on the map. You can either type the information into the legend or hover your mouse to a spot on the map and double click it. (This is especially useful if you’re tracing a route on something like a bike path or hiking trail that won’t have an address.)

Rearrange the order by dragging the items around in the legend. Just like altering directions on Google Maps navigation, you can click on part of the route and drag it to a different road if you want to change part of the route after it is complete.

If you need to access the directions so you can see the distance of your route or the time it will take, click the three dots on the layer and click “Step-by-Step Directions.” Note that you can’t actually use this to get turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.

How to Share A Google My Map

There are several options for sharing your Google Maps trip plan.

Open up your map, then click the share button in the gray bar above your layers. To allow others to view your map (which includes embedding on your website), click “change” under the section “Who has access.” For embedding, you will need to make this setting public.

Otherwise, if you want to allow others to edit your map, add their email address in the “invite people” section.

Google My Maps Trip Planner - Sharing a Map

How to View Your Custom Map in Google Maps (iPhone or Android)

Open Google Maps and go to the Saved icon at the bottom. Scroll to the bottom of this screen and click “Maps.” Choose the My Map you want to view. The layers with your custom icons will now be visible on your Google Map. You can click on any pin to view your details (such as description or photos), as well as to navigate there.

To close a map, click on a pin and then click “View Map Legend.” There, you can click the Close icon.

From the Map Legend, you can also toggle layers on and off, and then backing out to the main map (don’t click Close—just the back arrow or back button).

How to Navigate with a Custom My Map (iPhone or Android)

To navigate to one of your pins, open your map, find the pin for where you want to go, click it, and then click “directions.” When you do this, you won’t see your custom map anymore but will be looking at the regular navigation of Google Maps.

You can’t use a My Maps “directions layer” for navigation. If you’re looking for that functionality, I recommend just creating a route in Google Maps and sending it to your phone (or sharing with others). See here for more details.

How to Import Locations from Google Sheets, CSV, or Excel

Importing locations to a My Maps layer can be helpful in a few scenarios:

You have a significant amount of locations to add to your layer
Your data is already in the form of a spreadsheet
You want additional fields included besides the default Name and Description
You want to create groupings of pins (for example, a list of 50 restaurants could have a column for “Cuisine,” which will give you the option to group and style the pins by cuisine)

The process is simple, and you can import a variety of file types, including CSV, Excel (XLSX), or directly from Google Sheets. There are also special file formats that import map data from other programs, but this section is focused on spreadsheet-type files that you create and format.

Create a spreadsheet with the desired column headers. At a minimum, you need place names and either addresses or latitude-longitude information .

If you want to group your pins by some type of categorization, you should include that as a column. Other columns you could include: website, phone number, description, or notes. While Google Sheets allows you to include photos in a cell, Google My Maps will not import photos in this way (it will include the column as a field, but will be blank).

Once your spreadsheet file is ready, click “Import” on a blank layer (if your map already has layers, you will need to add a new layer to see this option). If uploading a CSV or XLSX, do this from the Upload tab. If using a Google Sheet, click the Google Drive tab and choose your file.

Choose which column has location data (address or latitude-longitude) and click “Continue.” Choose the location name column next and click “Finish.”

To change the icons individually, click “Uniform Style” next to the paintbrush on your layer. Under “Group Places By,” choose “Individual Styles.”

To change styles by a category column (such as Cuisine), click the link next to the paintbrush and choose to group places by the desired column. You can then give each category its own color or icon.

You can manually add new pins to this layer, and they will include all the fields you imported from the spreadsheet columns.

You can also add more items to your spreadsheet, and import this new data. Click the three dots on your layer. Under “Reimport and Merge,” click “Add More Items” and choose your file. It will add the new rows to your layer.

How to Import a Route from Google Maps Timeline History (KML) or GPS Data From a Fitness App (GPX)

Google My Maps can import routes and locations you’ve already traveled to via special file types that are very easy to download from certain apps. This could be useful if you want to share a walking, biking, or driving route that you’ve taken without having to recreate it on a directions layer.

Note that this only works as well as the GPS satellites were able to track your location while you were traveling.

If there are a lot of clouds, dense forest, buildings, or anything else blocking the GPS signal, your tracked route will be much less precise. I’ve noticed that Google Maps sometimes has my route showing somewhere I couldn’t have walked or driven.

If you have your location history turned on in Google Maps, you can download a KML file from a trip, which will include the route traveled and location pins for any stops. Sometimes it misses a location name or adds a pin in the wrong place, but overall it’s pretty good.

Go to your Google Maps Timeline and locate the day you want to export. Click on it, and you should now see your route highlighted along with any stops you made. Now click the gear icon on the bottom of your map, and click “Export this day to KML.” Go to your My Map and on a new layer, click “Import.” Choose the KML file you just downloaded. You can now edit each portion as needed—changing the color and thickness of the route line, changing the location icons, as well as adjusting the route where desired.

If you have other apps that track your location, such as fitness apps, you may be able to download a GPX file that shows the route you took. The instructions for doing this will vary from app to app, but I was able to easily find it in Samsung Health by looking at the detail of a particular workout/walk and clicking the three dots to download a GPX. The import process to Google My Maps is the same as above.

With both methods, you can make adjustments to points/stops along the way or even add more pins. With the Google Maps KML file, you can also adjust your route by moving the small white dots.

Google My Maps Tutorial

Here’s a walk through video to show you how to use Google Maps to plan a trip, along with several of my own Google My Maps itinerary examples. Coming soon: a 2024 update!

Google My Maps Examples

Here are a few more examples of My Maps I’ve created for sharing recommendations, trip ideas, and actual vacation planning.

Screen shot of desktop view of a custom My Map for Hawai'i

Google My Maps FAQs and Tips

As great as Google My Maps is for planning a trip, there are some limitations to using it. Lots of questions have also come up about more specific uses and ways to use its features. Thanks to all the readers who have asked or shared tips in the comments as I’m always looking to make this a more robust guide. I’ve organized the questions and tips here since it makes it easier than scrolling through the comments.

How many layers can you add to a map?

Google My Maps limits you to 10 layers. If you are planning a longer road trip and want to create a layer for each day, this limitation may prove frustrating.

Here are a couple of workaround ideas: You can create 2 maps, and have the entire master route as 1 layer on each (showing the very basic route for all 12 days—say from city to city) as a reference. Then build individual layers for each day. As a second option, you could add multiple days to 1 layer and change the titles to start with the day they correspond to (so it would be “1 – Name of Place” instead of just “Name of Place.”) However, this option may not be ideal since you can’t see the titles until you click when you’re on the phone.

How many location pins can you add to each layer?

You can add up to 2,000 pins per layer, and the entire map cannot exceed 10,000 lines, shapes, or places total. I haven’t tested the limits, and it’s possible adding this amount of items could slow things down. My guess is that most travelers wouldn’t need anything so large, but it is possible according to Google .

Are custom Google My Maps available offline?

No, but keep reading for a workaround and alternative.

One of the biggest complaints about Google My Maps is that you can’t download your custom map and pins to use offline, unlike the rest of Google Maps.

However, I have been able to use it in areas with spotty reception. I pulled the map up when I did have reception, and I left it running in the background. It would stay loaded in the app and I was able to pull it up to look at it later when I was out of reception. I’m not sure I would rely on this as a surefire workaround, but it can work in a pinch.

Another alternative, especially if you’ll be traveling in another country where you’ll be completely offline, is to use Google Maps Lists, which can be edited from desktop or your phone but don’t offer the option for separate layers, unique icons, or adding photos.

Is there an app for Google My Maps?

There is no separate Google My Maps app, but you can view your maps within Google Maps. Just make sure you’re signed into the same account, and all your maps will sync.

(There used to be a dedicated My Maps app on Android, but this was deprecated in 2021.)

Can you create or edit maps from your phone?

No, the maps cannot be edited from the Google Maps app. Google My Maps can only be created or edited from the desktop version of the site. This is another huge advantage Google Lists has over Google My Maps because Lists allow you to add new places or entire lists from any device—iPhone, Android, tablet, laptop, or desktop.

Is there a bridge height filter?

No. For RVers and others who need to plan ahead for height limitations, there is no bridge height filter available in Google Maps. Since I haven’t had to use this feature myself, I am not confident in an alternative to recommend. However, from a bit of digging around, there are some apps and GPS units for truckers that may be a good place to start looking if you have an oversize vehicle.

What is the difference between Google Maps Lists and Google My Maps?

They both allow you to create custom maps with pins, but there are some key differences, such as offline access, layer capabilities, customizable pins, and creating/editing within the app. Check out the details on how Google My Maps compares to Lists (including a features comparison table).

How many stops can you add on a directions layer?

You can only add 10 stops per directions layer. This is also the maximum number of stops you can add for navigation in Google Maps. As some readers have pointed out, this can be limiting when you want to use this feature for a long road trip.

Can you use the directions layers on your phone for navigation purposes?

No, you cannot create a directions layer and then access those turn-by-turn directions for navigation in the Google Maps app.

So…are directions layers totally useless? What’s the point of having a Driving Directions layer in My Maps?

Personally, I still like to use these layers, but only to show a route for my very visual brain, rather than to actually create custom directions.

Can you send a custom created route (layer) to someone else so that the other person will take that specific driving route on google maps?

No, you can’t do this from My Maps, but there’s a workaround I can suggest.

Forget My Maps, and use Google Maps from desktop or mobile to plot a route. You can add up to 10 stops, and then you will be able to share your custom directions.

From desktop, there’s an extra step in first sending the directions to your phone. If you’ve created the directions in the mobile app or once you have them pulled up there, you can share them with anyone by clicking the 3 dots next to your list of locations (sharing must be done before clicking “Start”—if you’re already in the navigation, you need to back out of it to share). When you share, it will list all the steps as well as send a link for the other person to open the directions in Google Maps directly.

An important caveat to sharing custom routes: Google Maps will reroute the directions as it normally does according to current traffic at the time of driving, so this method cannot be relied upon if you’ve mapped a specific route for bridge clearances. As a workaround, you can add “stops” on the desired interstate (zoom in and add this literally on the road itself so navigation doesn’t try to take you off an exit), which will force Google Maps to take the driver that way. This is what I do when driving south from Connecticut to PA because Google Maps always wants me to take its beloved George Washington Bridge and I always don’t want to. I add a stop to force my route across the Tappan Zee Bridge. However, I’m not sure I would rely on this workaround as a sole method for RVs or truckers.

Can you see how much time the directions will take?

Yes, on desktop you can view the details if you want to know the distance or how long a route will take. To view distance and time for a directions layer, click the 3 dots on the laye, then click Step-by-Step Directions.

Of course, this doesn’t really help when you want to get this information on your phone or use the directions for navigation. As mentioned elsewhere, the “directions” layer functions best as a way to visualize a route. If you need turn-by-turn directions, see the steps mentioned above to save and send directions in Google Maps.

This post was originally published on July 27, 2017 and has been updated in May 2023.

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How To Make Tour Route Maps On Google For Customers & Guides

How-to • Operations • February 19, 2018 • Rebecca

One of the must-haves of any tour guide, and indeed, of any tour information you design, is a tour route map. Whether there are multiple destinations to be covered as part of your tour, or whether it is giving turn-by-turn directions to a specific site, tour route maps give your customers a visualization of the route between multiple places and help you devise the most optimised route.

You can use Google Maps to create custom maps for your entire itinerary. It’s a simple process that anyone can use for free.

1. Start by creating a custom map

Open Google Maps and navigate to Your Places > Maps > Create Map. Enter the desired name for your map and a description. Use a naming convention in line with your tour to make it obvious to travellers what the map is about and what it is documenting.

READ: How To Optimize Your Listing On Google Places

2. Get as detailed as you want

With Google Maps, you can get as specific as you want. You can design the map to display only the route between different cities and towns you’ll be visiting with your customers. Scale the map further and you can design routes between popular sites in a particular city or get more specific by displaying restaurants, shopping streets and historical sites in a specific neighbourhood. Use markers for various locations with labels, descriptions and images.

3. Add layers to group locations together

Imagine being able to group locations together – say you want to highlight all the restaurants in a particular part of the city. You can do this by creating a layer. Select a place of interest then add it to the appropriate layer. A pop-up displays information related to the site including the street address, website and phone number.

READ: Destination Marketing For Tour Operators

4. Design routes on the map

You can also use layers to add different paths for walking and driving. You can draw lines to indicate optimum paths between sites and even switch between default map view, terrain or satellite view if you desire to give your map a different feel.

For the step-by-step process click here . To know how to embed it into your tour website, connect with us at Vacation Labs . We make it our business to get to the depth of what makes travel businesses successful. If you’d like to receive more of such insights or experience a trial version of a tour system , get in touch with us right now.

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How to draw a route on Google Maps to create custom directions or plan a trip

To create a route in Google Maps, open "Your places" and then choose "Create Map" in the "Maps" tab.
To draw a route, click "Add directions," choose transportation mode, and enter start and end points.
You can draw lines and shapes on maps by clicking "Draw a line" and selecting "Add line or shape."

Google Maps may be best known for its ability to deliver turn-by-turn directions, but it has another useful purpose: You can use it to create maps on which you can draw routes, lines, and shapes.

You can then save those maps or share them with others. It's a handy way to pre-plan a trip or share driving directions with someone without needing an internet connection.

How to draw a custom route on Google Maps on Windows or macOS

Google Maps includes the tools you need to draw a route on a map and save it for future reference — you can open it anytime you want to or share a link with others.

1. Open Google Maps in a browser and make sure you are signed into your Google account.

2. Click the horizontal lines in the top left corner and then, in the menu, click Your places .

3. Click the Maps tab at the top of the page. You should now see any maps you've already saved. If you've never used Your Places before, this list may be empty.

4. At the bottom of the page, click Create Map .

5. On the Untitled map page, you can now choose the kind of map you want to put the route on top of. Click the dropdown arrow to the left of Base map and choose the map style you prefer.

6. Under the search field at the top of the page, click Add directions (the button looks like a Y-shaped road). You should now see an Untitled layer with fields to enter driving destinations.

7. By default, you'll get driving directions. If you are using a different mode of transportation, such as cycling or walking, click the car-shaped icon and choose how you're going to travel through the route; then click the X to close the flyout window.

8. Click in the A field and enter an address or location name, and choose it when you see it appear in the search results.

9. Repeat that process to select a location for B .

10. If you want to add additional waypoints or destinations, click Add destination and continue to add new places.

11. When you're done, click Untitled map at the top of the page and give it a name.

How to add a custom route on a separate layer on Google Maps desktop

You can add more than one custom route on the map you have created, and it will be on a separate layer.

1. After completing the steps in the previous section, click Add directions to create another route – it will be added on a separate layer.

2. Click the car-shaped icon , choose the transportation mode for that route, then click the X button to close the flyout window.

3. Enter directions for the start point in the text box next to A – like you did in the previous section.

4. Enter the directions for the end point in the text box next to B .

5. If you want to name the layers to make them easily distinguishable, click the Untitled layer heading and give it a name.

How to draw a line or shape on Google Maps desktop

Google Maps has a couple of simple drawing tools you can use to customize a map that you've saved to Your places. Here's how to draw a line or a shape (like a square, triangle or polygon) on a map:

2. Click the three horizontal lines menu in the top left corner and then, in the menu, click Your places .

3. Click the Maps tab at the top of the page.

4. Open an existing map or click Create Map at the bottom of the page to create a new one.

5. Under the search field at the top of the page, click Draw a line (the button looks like three lines and three dots). Click Add line or shape in the dropdown menu.

6. Click the map where you want the shape to begin. Then:

To make a single straight line, drag the mouse to create the line and double-click where you want the line to end.

To make a line with multiple intermediate points, make a series of single clicks wherever you want the line to go, and double-click the last point to end the line.
To make a polygon (any shape with three or more sides), click on the map in each place you want to put a corner. To close the shape, double-click on the starting point.

7. Name the line or shape in the dialog box and click Save .

You can edit the shape after you create it. Position the mouse pointer over the line or shape — when it changes from an open hand (which you can use to drag the map around) to a closed hand with a pointing finger, click. You'll then see the edit window. Use the tools in the lower-right corner to change the color, rename the shape, and upload an image to associate with the shape.

How to draw a line or shape on Google Maps on a mobile device

It's easiest to draw lines and shapes on maps in a browser on your PC or Mac, but if you need to work on a mobile device, you can use Google's My Maps, a web app that you can access from both Android and iOS.

1. Open My Maps in a browser on your mobile device.

2. If necessary, tap Get Started .

3. You can select an existing map to edit it or tap the plus icon in the bottom right corner to create a new map.

4. Under the search field at the top of the page, tap Draw a line (the button looks like three lines and three dots). Tap Add line or shape in the dropdown menu. Then follow the directions in the previous section to add and edit lines and shapes on your map.

Main content

How To Use Google Maps For Hiking Trips (Routes) Planning

How to use Google maps for hiking planning

Google Maps can be very useful for hiking planning. It can show you the path and directions. More importantly, what the altitude information is at the position.

Create Google Maps Hiking Trip
Understand Google Maps Hiking Result
Google Maps Hiking – Nouancies

First, let’s pick some hiking trips, and second, we will explain how to use the resulting data provided by Google Maps.

Create Google Maps Hiking (Route) Trip

1 – Go to Google Maps (opens in new tab)

2 – Click the Directions icon next to the magnifying glass

Click on the directions button on Google Maps For Hiking Trips Planning.

3 – Choose the “Walking” icon on the top bar

Click on the Walking icon - Google Maps For Hiking Trips Planning.

4 – Find on the map location that will be starting point of your hike (for example, we have found the Vindhellavegen parking lot )

Find starting location - Google Maps For Hiking Trips Planning

5 – Pick a starting point (left-click mouse) for your hiking trip or type in the Search Google Maps box. This point will be added to the list on the left-hand side and shown as a dot on the map (notice red arrow below)

Click on the starting location - Google Maps For Hiking Trips Planning

6 – Find on the map destination (for example, we found the Visitor’s Center of Borgund Stave Church )

Find the destination point - Google Maps For Hiking Trips Planning

7 – Pick the destination point (left-click mouse). The destination is added on the left-hand side as you can see in the screenshot below. Optionally, we can add more points by clicking the plus (+) icon and selecting new points. For the sake of example simplicity. we will just use two points.

Click on the destination point -Google Maps For Hiking Trips Planning

8 – We got the result that we will explain in a minute.

Result info - Google Maps For Hiking Trips Planning

9 – We can change Route options by clicking on the Options button . Here we have the option to avoid ferries or change distance units.

Options - Google Maps For Hiking Trips Planning

Now we can explain the results and how to use them for hiking (route) planning.

Understand Google Maps Hiking (Route) Result

We can look at the result on the map first and later the result on the left-hand side infographics.

First, notice that on the map our hiking track has small dots and we can see on the label the distance and walking time (39 minutes and 2.2 km) for our hiking trip. We can hover over each blue dot and see on the left-hand side altitude profile where that dot is regarding the altitude.

Map result - Google Maps For Hiking Trips Planning

On the left-hand side, we have several sections:

On the top bar, we have several icons to change route type results (car, public transport, walking , bicycle, flight)
The next section shows us starting point and destination . We can add more points as well by pressing the plus icon (+).
Below that is the Options button that we have already explained
Below the Options section, we have the possibility to send directions to our phone .
The next section gives us important information about the distance and time for a hiking trip (route). In addition, if we click on the Details link it will reveal a more detailed description of our hiking (we will see the details info in a minute).
The final section gives us so to speak altitude profile for our hike (route). We will explain it in the next screenshot.

Hike (Route) Altitude Profile

Let’s explain the data shown in the screenshot below.

The bottom number (315m) is starting point altitude
The top number (476m) is the peak (the highest altitude on our hike)
Two dots on the blue graph represent starting point and destination respectively.
The blue line is so to speak altitude profile of our hike (route). We will explain shortly where is each altitude on the map (blue dots on the map).
the left number with the arrow point up (161 m) represents ascending. The altitude difference between the highest and lowest point on the way up.
the right number with the arrow point down (75 m) represents. The altitude difference between the highest and lowest point on the way down.

Just by looking at the altitude profile (blue line), we can conclude that hiking up is steeper than hiking down. So we can prepare ourselves for such a profile accordingly.

If we hover over blue dots on the map (look at the screenshot below), we can see where that point is on the altitude profile on the left (red arrows). So we can quickly hover over hiking blue dots to scan the altitude profile.

Hover point result data - Google Maps For Hiking Trips Planning

Finally, if we click on the Details button we get more details data about the route. The details data is also divided into several sections.

The top section allows us to return back to the previous infographics screen.
The next section gives us valuable data about hiking and the possibility to send data to the phone, sharing data, or to print data.
The bottom section gives us the walking direction instructions (head, turn left, turn right, etc.) and the walking distance (m or km) of each instruction.

Detailed result - Google Maps For Hiking Trips Planning

Google Maps Hiking Planning – Nuances

Unfortunately, we cannot use this feature for all the tracks in the world just those which are obvious to Google Maps.

For example, when we planned our Experience Raksætra & Oppheimssætra Hiking – Summer Pasture Farms , we could not find a suitable hiking track on Google Maps.

Summer pasture farms over the fjord and mountains near Stryn in Norway.

However, Google Maps was extremely useful while planning Vindhella Winding Road and Renndølsetra Hiking for our road trip in Norway .

Must read 3-Week Norway Epic Road Trip .

Epic Norway 3-week road trip. Bergen, Oldevatnet lake, Geiranger fjord, and Trollstigen mountain road in the photo.

We wish you an epic trip!

We would like to share with you how to step by step use Google Maps and create your future hiking maps. In addition, you

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How to Plot a Walking Route on Google Maps

Google Maps is an essential planning device for hikers and hill walkers. In seconds, you can get an aerial view of your chosen location showing the terrain, trails, points of interest, accommodation options, and eateries. Each of these markers is user-reviewed and there’s even a street view to give you an idea of what the roads and some of the trails or viewpoints might be like.

In essence, you have a huge quantity of valuable and targeted information right at the tips of your fingers. To aid with navigation, you can also plot a walking route on Google Maps to help guide you along your trail. Here’s how to do it.

Reading the Map

Before you begin plotting a walking route on Google Maps, you need to know what you’re looking at. Briefly, most of the features should be obvious. Blue is an area of water, green is rural land, and grey is an urban area. In terms of roads, a thick yellow line is a motorway, a thinner yellow line is an A-road, and white lines are B-roads or country roads.

Beyond this, there are a few extra tips that may help hillwalkers to navigate . Dark green areas are nature spots such as National Parks and AONBs. Most important of all, dashed green lines are hiking trails, scenic by-ways, and walking paths!

Google Maps has another fantastic feature which will allow you to visualise your walking route more efficiently. In the bottom left of the screen, you can select map layers to shift the screen to a different view.

The “layers” function is particularly beneficial for showing topography and elevation. This valuable information helps you plot your hike by finding where the steep bits of the trail might be. Lastly, the satellite map layer will provide a more realistic view of the hiking area.

Plotting A-B Hikes

Plotting a walking route on Google Maps that simply goes from A to B is relatively straightforward. To begin with, set your starting location on the map by either typing in your desired address or by clicking on your chosen area. A red pin should appear showing your desired trailhead.

Next, you can click the “directions” button on the side tab. This allows you to type in the address of your end destination. Alternatively, right-click on the map and select “Directions to here” from the pop-up menu. In both cases, ensure the walking avatar is selected to give you the appropriate time estimate and route planning tool.

This is a convenient way of plotting a route quickly between two points. However, most of the planning is done for you through the Google Maps programme. There is little space for you to manoeuvre and choose more specified routes.

Creating a Map

To have more flexibility with plotting a walking route on Google Maps, you need to create your own map. To do this, select the menu tab in the top left corner of the screen. Next, select “Your places” from the drop-down menu. Click on “Maps” in the right-hand tab. Then, in the bottom left of the screen, select “Create Map”.

A new window should pop up with a slightly different interface. Begin by giving the map a title and adding some details to the description box. Move the map by dragging your mouse until it hovers over your designated hiking area. Now the interface is prepped, there are a few ways to interactively plot your walking route on Google Maps.

Add Markers

One way to plot a trail is to use markers. In the left pop-up box, you will notice a section called “Untitled layer”. For clarity, rename this to fit your chosen walking route. Next, look beneath the search bar where you will see a small pin. When you select this, your pointer will turn into a cross which allows you to pinpoint a location on the map.

You can then create a marker along your chosen route and label it as such. You can continue to add markers along your desired hiking path until you have plotted out your full route. At this stage, select your start point and click on the arrow symbol in the pop-up window stating, “Directions to here”.

In the side window, a new tab will pop up. This is another layer which can be labelled to match your path. Make sure the mode of transport is set to walking before filling in the rest of the walking route on Google Maps by continuing to press “Add destination”.

Draw a Line

This is perhaps the most simple and freehand way to plot a walking route on Google Maps. Still using the “create map” function, click on the “draw a line” tab that sits below the search bar and alongside the marker pin. Select “Add walking route” from the dropdown menu.

Again, as with the marker, a cross will appear where your mouse was. Use this to click on your chosen starting location. It is then possible to move your cursor along your intended walking trail, clicking whenever you wish to set a marker or change directions.

This is a fantastic way to plot a walking route on Google Maps and it’s the most recommended option. It gives you full flexibility to create a trail that is exactly suited to your needs and follows your specific route.

Final Tips to Plot a Walking Route on Google Maps

Once you have finished creating your walking route, you can save your map and share it with friends. This allows you to print the map, use it alongside a GPS device , or to store it for future reference. As a bonus, the map saves automatically to your Google Drive and is backed up in the cloud.

If you want to plot a walking route on Google Maps and are interested in hiking distances, don’t forget to use the measurement function. By tracing this feature along your chosen trail, it will give you a good estimate of how far you will walk. Just like that, you have a curated walking trail designed using accurate calculations. A feat all completed on Google Maps!

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How to Create a Custom Route on Google Maps

Experiment with new ways to get to your destination

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What to Know

Desktop: Open Google My Maps > Add directions > Transportation mode > Departure point > Destination point . Click and drag route line to customize route.
Add a marker to map : Open Google My Maps and click Add layer > Add marker > click location and select Save .
Android and iOS (view only): In the Google Maps app, tap Saved > Maps . Select the saved custom route you'd like to view.

With the Google My Maps tool, you can build custom routes for any upcoming trip. This lets you plan the route exactly how you want, and you can even share your custom routes with others.

You can only create custom routes with My Maps from a desktop browser. However, you can view the routes you’ve made on both Android and iOS devices.

How Do I Create a Custom Route in Google Maps?

Creating a custom route in Google Maps is a two-step process. First, you'll need to create a new map in My Maps and add a custom route. Below, you'll find instructions for both tasks:

Navigate to Google Maps and make sure you’re signed in to your Google Account.

Click the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) in the top-left corner.

Select Your places from the drop-down menu.

Select Maps in the top row and then click Create Map . Your custom map will open in a new window.

Click Untitled Map in the top-left to enter a name and description for your map.

Click Save to confirm.

One downside to My Maps is it doesn’t let you navigate your custom route in real-time in Google Maps. Instead, it’s more valuable as an offline map tool you can use as a reference while navigating to your destination.

Customize Your Route on Google Maps

Now that you have your map, it’s time to plan a route.

To begin, select Add directions under the search bar. This will create a new directions layer in the menu located on the left side of the screen.

You can add up to 10 layers on a custom map. Having additional layers is useful if you want to create multiple custom routes for a single trip.

Select your transportation mode by clicking the Driving icon under the new map layer.

Google’s custom routes do not support transit. You can only select driving, cycling, or walking.

Enter your departure point in the A text box.

Enter your destination point in the B text box.

You can add multiple stops along your route in Google Maps , up to a maximum of 10.

Google will automatically plot a route. Then, to customize it, click and drag the destination line to the desired point.

Your custom route will be saved to your Google Drive automatically.

How to Access Custom Routes on Mobile

Once you’ve finished a custom route, you’ll be able to access it on the go with your mobile device. While you won't be able to edit your maps, you can still view custom routes on any Android or iOS device using Google Maps.

The screenshots below were taken on an iPhone, but the process is identical on Android.

Open the Google Maps app.

Tap the Saved icon from the menu at the bottom of the screen.

Open the map you’d like to view. You should see your custom route displayed.

Can You Draw a Route on Google Maps?

In addition to directions, you can add markers, lines, and shapes to your custom route in My Maps.

Add a Marker

If you want to plan stops along your route, you can use a custom marker to indicate those points.

Click Add layer .

Click the Add marker icon under the search bar.

Click the location you’d like to pin. Enter a name for the pin and click Save .

The location will now be pinned to your map. From here, you’ll be able to:

Change the font color.
Change the pin icon.
Edit location name.
Add a photo or video to make the location more visible on your map.
Add directions to the location.

Add a Line or Shape (Desktop)

You can use lines and shapes to fine-tune the route you're creating on Google Maps. Here's how to add them.

Click Draw a line under the search bar.

Select Add line or shape .

You can also choose to draw a driving, cycling, or walking route with this tool. This is useful if you want to fine-tune your route, but the Add directions tool is more intuitive for plotting an A to B route.

Click the location on your map where you’d like your line or shape to start.

Drag the cursor to another point and click to pin a line. Once you’re finished, double-click to confirm line or shape placement.

Your line or shape will now appear in your map legend on the left-side of the screen. From here, you can edit the color and width, change the name, add a photo or video, or delete.

After adding a starting point and a destination, select Add Destination on the left, below the destinations. Next, enter the destination for the next stop and repeat for all the stops you need to add. Finally, select a route to get the directions.

After you create a custom route, you can send it to someone by selecting the Share button. Google Maps will provide a link that you can copy and send to others. In addition, you can select Let others search for and find this map on the internet if you wish to share it publicly.

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How to Make a Travel Itinerary with Google Maps

Last Updated: March 14, 2022 Fact Checked

This article was reviewed by Stan Kats and by wikiHow staff writer, Nihal Shetty . Stan Kats is a Professional Technologist and the COO and Chief Technologist for The STG IT Consulting Group in West Hollywood, California. Stan provides comprehensive technology solutions to businesses through managed IT services, and for individuals through his consumer service business, Stan's Tech Garage. Stan holds a BA in International Relations from The University of Southern California. He began his career working in the Fortune 500 IT world. Stan founded his companies to offer an enterprise-level of expertise for small businesses and individuals. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 90,396 times.

If you’re planning a trip, you might be wondering how to figure out where to go and in what order. Luckily, Google has a free tool that you can use in order to get a better sense of your travel plans. We’ll walk you through how to make a travel itinerary with Google Maps through its My Maps feature. In a few easy steps, you can master an excellent organizational tool that’ll help you plan the best trip possible.

Setting Up Your Map

Step 1 Sign in to My Maps on your web browser.

Unfortunately, as of October 2021, Google no longer supports the “My Maps” app on phones. If you’re on mobile, you’ll have to use your phone’s web browser to access the site while on the go. [2] X Research source
If you don’t already have a Google account, setting one up is a quick process. A Google account gives you a number of benefits, including a new gmail address. Check out this link to start the set-up process: https://accounts.google.com/signup/v2/webcreateaccount?flowName=GlifWebSignIn&flowEntry=SignUp

Step 2 Create a new map through the home screen.

For instance, your might name your map something like “California Summer Trip 2022,” and you could enter a description like, “Places to see and eat during two-week California road trip.”

Step 4 Search for places to visit on your trip.

For example, for a California road trip, you might enter “Golden Gate Bridge” into the search box. My Maps will automatically direct you to its location.

Step 5 Add the locations of any places you want to visit to your map.

For instance, if you’ve searched for “Golden Gate Bridge,” there will be a white box that offers some information on the location, and even a rating from other users. Click on the “Add to map” button to send it to your saved locations.

Step 6 Add descriptions to your saved locations.

For example, you might fill in the description to the “Golden Gate Bridge” box with something like, “Spend at least 1 hour here—must-see location.”

Step 7 Color-code your locations for convenience.

You might consider changing the colors of your pins to match how important each location is to your trip. For example, must-see locations could be red pins, your housing spots could be green pins, and optional places to visit could remain as blue pins.

Creating an Itinerary and Planning Routes

Step 1 Organize your selected places with the “layers” function.

For example, you might have a layer titled “Places to see,” one titled “Places to eat,” and one titled “Places to sleep.” You can then put sightseeing destinations, restaurants, and hotels you want to stay at in their respective layers.

Step 2 Plan your travel routes using your Google Map.

You can add more than one location to a single route. For example, if you wanted to plot a route from Big Sur to the Golden Gate Bridge, and then to Palo Alto, you can add all three locations to your route layer and create a multi-stop path. [11] X Research source
By clicking on the three dots next to the layer with your travel route, then selecting “Step-by-step directions,” My Maps will create a set of directions for your travel. Handy!

Step 3 Use your map to create a daily schedule.

For example, by using My Maps, you might notice that seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, walking around San Francisco, and eating at a restaurant in Berkeley are close enough to all be doable in one day, while visiting Big Sur might be better saved for another afternoon. My Maps can help you plan out the most efficient trip possible, so you can enjoy your travels even more.

Step 4 Use the “Share” option to loop your friends in on travel plans.

When sharing your map, you can also choose the option that allows others to edit the map as well. With this option selected, your friends can pick places that they’re interested in as well, so you can have them all on the same document. [13] X Research source

Although My Maps can’t be viewed offline, you can download an offline map of any areas you’re interested in on your phone. Using the Google Maps app, type in a location into the search bar, tap the name of the location, then navigate to the option “Download offline map.” [15] X Research source

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In the coming months, the Location History setting name will change to Timeline. If Location History is turned on for your account, you may find Timeline in your app and account settings.

5 city walking tours you can take right now on Google Maps

May 4, 2020 • 10 min read

The back of a young woman walking and walking along the pedestrian street in the evening in Bangkok, Thailand, travelers and tourists.

It’s undeniably one of travel’s greatest pleasures; wandering the streets of a whole new city, soaking up its character and exploring its hidden wonders on foot. When the pavement-pounding wanderlust cannot be satisfied in reality however, we’ve come up with the next best thing. Below are five of our Lonely Planet city walking routes, specially formatted so that you can enjoy them online. Simply load up Google Maps, switch to Street View, and start your virtual adventure…

Map view : This is the default view of Google Maps. Street view : To activate Street View, grab and drag the orange figure icon in the bottom right hand corner of the screen, and release when it is hovering over your desired map point. From here you will be able to move along streets by moving the cursor and clicking in the direction you wish to travel. Photo sphere : These are indicated by small blue dots that appear when you have clicked the orange figure icon. Drag and release onto the dots to get a 360° on-the-ground view of your surroundings.

Havana, Cuba: Old Havana Walking Tour

This walking tour highlights Havana’s unique historical district, built up around four main squares. Start by dropping onto La Catedral de la Virgen María de la Concepción Inmaculada de La Habana , which anchors the Plaza de la Catedral , a complex square with bags of atmosphere and always awash with interesting characters (or, in this case, static images of them). Drop onto a photo sphere on the cathedral to look inside, return to map view and drop again onto the Plaza de la Catedral to explore.

People sitting on outdoor cafe tables in the Plaza de la Catedra

Return to map view, and then drop onto one of the photo spheres on Plaza de Armas , once used for military exercises. The plaza is still guarded by the Castillo de la Real Fuerza , a beautiful 16th century star-shaped fort. Drop onto the castillo’s photo spheres to take a look around its perimeter. If you turn east, you’ll also be treated to a great view across Havana Port.

Tourists examine a poster at one of the stalls at Plaza de Armas selling books

Just south of the castillo is Palacio de los Capitanes Generales , the former official residence of the city’s governors. Return to map view and drop onto one of the palacio’s photo spheres to take in the building, which is also home to the Museum of the City of Havana . Next, return to map view and drop onto a photo sphere along Calle Obispo , one of the city’s most bustling and lively streets. This is a great street to wander up and down. After returning to map view, drop onto the cluster of photo spheres on Plaza de San Francisco de Asis , a breezy open space watched over by the Iglesia y Monasterio de San Francisco de Asis . Finish your tour by dropping down at the photo sphere just north of the Terminal Sierra Maestra , and gazing out across the port.

Find the map route here

Split, Croatia: Split’s Old Town Walking Tour

Start this virtual tour through Split’s fascinating Old Town by dropping onto the photo sphere at the foot of the Bell Tower and Chapel of the Holy Arnir , once part of St Euphemia’s Church, containing an altar slab and sarcophagus carved by the early renaissance master Juraj Dalmatinac. Using street view, head southeast along Ul. Kralja Tomislava, until you reach the imposing statue of Grgur Ninski , whose toe is said to bring good luck when rubbed (clicked). Return to map view and drop onto the statue’s photo sphere to check it out. Using street view, head south from the statue to the Golden Gate , the grandest portal of Diocletian’s Palace , an ancient palace built for Roman Emperor Diocletian.

Return to map view, and continue south along the palace’s main, bustling street, Dioklecijanova , using street view. At the end, return to map view and drop onto the photo sphere at peristil , the ceremonial court at the approach to the imperial apartments. Spend a second taking in your surroundings. Return to map view, and drop again onto one of the photo spheres next to the imposing St Domnius Cathedral . Return to map view and drop down onto the Ul. Andrije Alješija . Spend a bit of time exploring this area of medieval buildings and narrow alleyways using street view.

Narodni Trg Square in the Old Town of Split

Return to map view and drop down somewhere along Narodni Trg , which has been Split’s main civic square since medieval times. Take some time using street view and its many photo spheres to explore. Although the square was once lined with Venetian Gothic buildings, only one remains, the 15th century Stara Gradska Vijećnica (Old Town Hall). Conclude your virtual tour by dropping onto the hall’s photo sphere and checking it out.

Melbourne, Australia: Arcades and Laneways Walking Tour

Central Melbourne is a warren of 19th-century arcades and gritty-turned-hip cobbled blue- stone laneways featuring street art, basement restaurants, boutiques and bars. Start your tour by dropping onto street view at Degraves Place , an archetypal Melbourne lane lined with interesting shops, cafes and street art. Head north from Degraves Place to Flinders Lane, return to map view and explore the nearby Centre Place , a bustling hub of cafes and bars, using its photo spheres. Return to map and drop back onto Flinders Lane, head west, and then make a right hand turn onto Elizabeth Street. Continue north until you reach the Block Arcade . Built in 1892 and featuring ornate plasterwork and mosaic floors, it’s based on Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade. Return to map view and drop onto one of the arcades photo spheres to take a look.

Return to Elizabeth Street using street view, and navigate north, turning right at Little Collins Street. Navigating east along the street you’ll find the wonderfully ornate Royal Arcade on your left. Return to map view, and drop down onto the arcades photo sphere to look around. Return to Little Collins Street on street view, and continue east until you find a turning on your left to Union Lane Graffiti . Spend some time on its photo spheres to soak in the urban art. Return to Little Collins Street again on street view, continue east, and turn right onto Swanston Street. Move south, until you reach Melbourne Town Hall on your left. Drop onto a photo sphere in front of the hall and admire its impressive facade.

Return to map view, and drop onto Collins Street next to the town hall. Continue east along the street, and then turn right onto Russell Street. Continue south, and then turn left onto Flinders Lane. Continue east along the lane, and you’ll reach Duckboard Place on your right. Wander around using street view, taking in the plentiful urban art. Return to map view, and drop down to end the tour on Hosier Lane ’s photo sphere, one of the city’s most epically decorated alleyways.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Rio Walking Tour

A mélange of historic buildings and skyscrapers, the center of Rio is an intriguing place to discover the essence of the city away from its beaches and mountains. Begin by dropping down onto a street view of the Praça Floriano , a scenic plaza set with several outdoor cafes. Navigate around at street level and take in the views. Proceed north along the Praça Floriano , until you reach the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro , one of the city’s finest buildings, particularly after its $20 million renovation in 2009. Return to map view and drop onto a photo sphere facing the theatre to take in its grandeur.

Return to map view, and drop down onto street view of Largo de Carioca , a bustling area with a small market. Wander around using street view. Facing north, you will be able to see the Igreja São Francisco da Penitência , a 17th‐century church with a jaw‐dropping gilded interior perched up on a hill. Return to map view, and drop onto Rua de Carioca. Navigate west along the road, until you reach a right hand turn onto Praça Tiradentes. Continue north on Av Passos, turning right onto R. Luis de Camores. Along this road on the left you’ll find the Real Gabinete Português de Leitura (Royal Portuguese Reading Room), a historic reading room reminiscent of 19th century Portugal. Return to map view, and drop onto one of its photo spheres to explore the book-lined interior.

Narrow street between buildings in busy commercial district downtown Rio de Janeiro at lunch time

Return to map view, and drop down onto street view by Paço Imperial , once the seat of the Portuguese rulers in Brazil, the building today houses intriguing art exhibitions as well as several cafes. Spend some time exploring using street view. Navigate onto R. Primeiro de Marco, and work your way northwest, until you reach a righthand turn to Largo do Paço. Navigate east until you reach the Arco do Teles . Go through it, and you’ll finish your tour on Travessa do Comercio , one of the centro’s oldest and most charming lanes.

Bangkok, Thailand: Old Bangkok Walking Tour

The bulk of Bangkok ’s ‘must-see’ destinations are in and around the former royal district, Ko Ratanakosin . Start your virtual tour by dropping onto one of the many photo spheres at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha: Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram / Wat Phra Kaew , a vast, fairytale compound that is one of Bangkok’s biggest tourist attractions and a pilgrimage destination for Bhuddists. Have a look around you using the multiple photo spheres on the site. Once you’re done, jump to the Grand Palace , the former resident of the Thai monarch (which is right next door), and do the same.

Return to map view and then drop again at Maha Rat Road. Navigate north until you reach Soi Tha Wang, enjoying the surroundings as you go. Return to map view, and drop down onto the photo sphere spot on Soi Tha Wang, a narrow alleyway holding a hidden classic Bangkok neighbourhood. Return to map view and drop back onto Maha Rat Road. Head north, and find the amulet market on your left, a frenetic handicraft market selling Bhuddist amulets and good luck charms. Return to map view.

Vendor cooking at her stall in Sanam Luang gardens in Ratanakosin

Drop again onto Phra Chan Alley, and head east until you reach the gates of Sanam Luang , the ‘Royal Field’, which is an open public square on the edge of Wat Phra Kaew. Return to map view and drop onto the photo sphere on Sanam Luang for a different perspective of the temple. Return to map view and drop again onto Ratchadamnoen Nai Road.

Continue north until you reach the Royal Hotel. Follow the road’s curve east onto Ratchadamnoen Klang Road , considered the Champs Elysees of Bangkok. Continue along it until you reach the 14 October 73 Memorial , commemorating the civilian demonstrators who were killed on 14 October 1973 by the military during a pro-democracy rally. Drop onto a photo sphere to look around. Continue in the same direction and you’ll reach the Democracy Monument on a roundabout, erected in 1932.

Return to map view and drop onto Dinso Road. Continue south and follow the road curve west onto Bamrung Mueang Road. Follow the road until you reach a left hand turn onto Atsadang Road. Continue until you reach a right hand turn to Charoen Krung Road, and head west, stopping to check out Saranrom Palace Park on your right as you go. Return to map view and drop onto any of the park’s photo spheres to look around. Return to map view and drop onto the photo spheres on the tour’s final stop Wat Phra Chetuphon , home of the giant reclining Buddha.

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Planning Your Vacation Itinerary Has Never Been Easier With This Clever Google Maps Hack

G oogle offers some of the top tools available to travel lovers — and most of them are completely free. Many budget travelers use the Google Flights search engine to find the cheapest flights for any trip , and searching for hotels has never been so easy as it is when you simply type hotels and browse through the options that pop up on Google Maps. You may use Google Sheets to plan out your travel budget and ensure that you stay on track, or easily share a Google Doc with all of your travel arrangements and information with a group of friends and family members.

Due to Google's advanced GPS technology and constant upgrades to photos, the maps allow travelers to take a virtual tour of any city. By selecting the street view and scrolling through real photos, you can even get a feel for a potential neighborhood where you may be considering booking a hotel or Airbnb. There are so many ways to use Google's many functions to plan the perfect vacation, but one clever Google Maps hack takes the cake as the all-time best free trip-planning tool. You can save all of your dream destinations and activities to convenient lists, so that you can pull them up on the go during your vacations. Download the Google Maps app to your device, and get ready for some seriously easy travel planning.

Read more: The Guide To Planning Your Next US Glamping Trip

How To Save Locations And Create Lists Using Google

To use this easy and convenient Google Maps feature , you'll first want to create a Saved List for the country you want to visit. You'll want to ensure that you're logged into your Google account, so that you can access the list from any device you own that shares the same account. Once you've opened the app, click where it says "Saved" at the very bottom of the screen. It should be the middle option between "Go" and "Contribute." Once you click, a list will pop up of options like "Favorites" and "Want To Go." Click the button that says "New List" at the top of the screen. Title your list and give it a description. You can choose to create a list for the entire country or create individual lists for each city you plan on visiting. Whenever you sit down to work on planning your vacation, you can easily add destinations.

Imagine you're planning a trip to Paris, and the Louvre Museum is at the top of your list. Type "Louvre" into your Google Map search. When it pops up, click "Save" and then select the list you've created for Paris. You can add notes about why you wanted to visit, links, and prices. Once you arrive in Paris, you can pull up your list and see every single spot you've saved on the map. It's super helpful and saves tons of time when you're out sightseeing.

Create The Ultimate Travel Bucket-List As You Go

This feature is also a convenient way to bookmark all kinds of places you find interesting for future travel. I love to keep a list on Google of all the destinations I hope to one day visit and add to them every time an activity catches my eye. Next time you're scrolling through Instagram and you see an influencer post pictures of a cute cafe in some faraway land, pause the video, get the name of the cafe, and head to your Google list where you can flag the location. You can also screenshot images and do a reverse Google image search to find out where they're located.

Once you've mastered this travel hack, pre-planning your vacations becomes insanely easy. Keep a list of each country you'd like to visit and simply add pins each time you see something that looks interesting to you, whether it's on Instagram, TikTok, your favorite travel blog, or on television. When you do get around to traveling to any given country, simply pull up your list and then take a peek at the map view. Places with the most flagged locations are areas that you should base yourself during your trip, and then plan day trips to attractions that are a bit further out. This way, you'll be sure not to miss out on any of the places you've found interesting and inspiring, and with very little effort, you've planned the perfect trip.

Read the original article on Explore

Find the right product for the job

Earth Outreach

Creating a narrated tour in google earth desktop, tutorial contents, prerequisites, let's get started, create a kml tour, re-record a tour to add new actions, recording narration, tips & tricks for touring, discussion and feedback, what's next.

Absolutely no programming skills needed!

In April 2017, Google Earth on Web was released, which puts Earth on the browser. However, for this tutorial, you will need Earth for Desktop installed on your computer. Download the latest version here .

Open Google Earth.

Download the sample data to use during this tutorial, and open it in Google Earth.

For this exercise, make the Terrain layer visible. Go to the Layers panel , and scroll to the bottom. Check the box next to Terrain to make it visible.

Now, let's record a tour!

The tour recording tools appear in the lower-left corner of the 3D viewer:

Create your tour by flying, zooming, panning, and rotating the globe. Do what you would do if you were showing your Google Earth project to a user or audience in person. A 3D Space Navigator, like the one created by 3D Connexion , can be extremely helpful for navigating smoothly across the globe.

Double-click on placemarks in the Places panel to move to their unique camera angle or view. In this example, double-click on the placemark 'Flirt', then 'Patti', and so on. You can also pop placemark balloons and turn on and off your placemarks, paths and polygons in the Places panel.

To save your KML Tour, click the Save to File button in the Tour Player, and give your KML Tour a name.

It is then stored in the Places panel.

To save it to a permanent .kmz file, right-click the tour in your Places panel, choose Save Places As… , and save your .kmz file to a location on your computer.

If you used content in your tour (clicked on placemarks, popped balloons, etc), you must put that content along with the tour into a single folder, and save that entire folder as a KMZ. Otherwise the file will have the tour only, and no content.

Want to add more actions to your tour? You can modify and extend a previous tour by re-recording a new tour while playing back the original tour.

Make sure your original tour is in the Places panel.

You can pause the original tour, add some new actions or camera movements, and then un-pause/play the original tour to continue. Note: if you move the earth during the pause of the original tour, when you hit play on the original tour the camera will jump to the where the original tour left off.

Once the original tour is done playing back, since you are still recording a new tour, you can continue to add new actions or even start playing back another tour!

To see what a completed tour looks like, download the finished product here

Audio recorded through your microphone is captured as an .mp3 file that is saved with the tour when you save it as a KMZ file.

Make sure when saving a Tour with audio narration to set the 'Save as Type' option in the Save window to KMZ, otherwise the audio will not be included in your file.

When adding an iteration to an existing tour, you can click and hold on a location on the globe (i.e. building, mountaintop, etc.), and the camera will stay on that location, swiveling around it. When you un-click from that location, the previously recorded tour will continue as before.
Navigation through time is captured in the tour, so if you drag the time slider while recording a tour, any actions that cause changes in the 3D viewer (appearing/disappearing points, animations, etc) will be recorded. For example, if you have Historical Imagery turned on (link), or have a time-animated KML in My Places, try recording a tour and also manipulating the time slider (in the upper left of the 3D map view). This allows you to make tours of time-animated layers, like the Declan Butler Avian Flu map, and also showing historic imagery from different time periods.
KML Touring allows for more advanced actions than can be recorded by the simple Add Tour feature in Google Earth. This includes dynamically moving placemarks, lines and 3D models, adding pauses to the tour, and changing the styles of your features during the tour. However, you will need to hand-edit the KML to create these actions. Please see the Touring in KML documentation on the KML documentation site for more information.

Have questions about this tutorial? Want to give us some feedback? Visit the Google Earth Help Community to discuss it with others.

See all tutorials .

IMAGES

Google Maps Walking Tour
Google Maps walking tours with Street View and Screencastify
Creating a walking tour map with Google Earth
Create walking maps with Google Maps
Create a Virtual Tour-Map in Google Maps
How To Use Google Maps Walking Directions (Updated)

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NEW VS OG Found Alex Maps 🌎 #alexmaps #googlemaps #googleearth

COMMENTS

How to create a walking route on Google Maps: A step-by-step guide
Step 1: Open Google Maps. Open the Google Maps app on your smartphone or navigate to maps.google.com on your computer. When you open Google Maps, you'll be greeted with a map of your current location. If you're using a smartphone, make sure your GPS is turned on for accurate directions.
How to Use Google My Maps to Plan a Trip (Ultimate Guide)
Go to Google My Maps from your desktop browser. Check the Google icon in the top right corner to make sure you're using the Google account you want to. Click "Create A New Map" and a window will open with a blank map. To give your map a name and description, click the map name ("Untitled Map").
How To Make Tour Route Maps On Google For Customers & Guides
1. Start by creating a custom map. Open Google Maps and navigate to Your Places > Maps > Create Map. Enter the desired name for your map and a description. Use a naming convention in line with your tour to make it obvious to travellers what the map is about and what it is documenting. READ: How To Optimize Your Listing On Google Places.
How to Plot a Route on Google Maps on Desktop or Mobile
Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images. To create a route in Google Maps, open "Your places" and then choose "Create Map" in the "Maps" tab. To draw a route, click "Add directions," choose ...
How to Create a Custom Travel Map with Google Maps {New Google My Maps
Hit Enter or click the magnifying glass and a list of your search results will appear on the left. Click the name in the list, or on the pin that appears on the map, and an info box will pop up. Then click Add to map. Repeat this step for as many locations as you want to add to your map. Just search for a location….
Google Maps
Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
Google Maps Walking Route Instructional Video
This video is a tutorial for using google maps to design your own walking/running route.
How to Make a Personalized Google Map
Click + CREATE A NEW MAP. You'll find this red button in the upper-left side of the page. [1] 4. Rename your map. Click Untitled map in the top-left corner of the page, then type in a new name and click Save . 5. Navigate to a location. Click the search bar, type in a place's name or address, and press ↵ Enter .
How To Use Google Maps For Hiking Trips (Routes) Planning
Create Google Maps Hiking (Route) Trip. 1 - Go to Google Maps (opens in new tab) 2 - Click the Directions icon next to the magnifying glass. 3 - Choose the "Walking" icon on the top bar. 4 - Find on the map location that will be starting point of your hike (for example, we have found the Vindhellavegen parking lot)
How to Map Your Custom Route with Google Maps
In this video, you will learn three methods to map a route on Google Maps. Whether you want to map a running route, a walking route, or a route with multiple...
How to Plot a Walking Route on Google Maps 2023
To have more flexibility with plotting a walking route on Google Maps, you need to create your own map. To do this, select the menu tab in the top left corner of the screen. Next, select "Your places" from the drop-down menu. Click on "Maps" in the right-hand tab. Then, in the bottom left of the screen, select "Create Map".
My Maps
Make maps. Easily create custom maps with the places that matter to you. Add points or draw shapes anywhere. Find places and save them to your map. Instantly make maps from spreadsheets. Show your ...
Walking Route Planner
Local Heatmap. X. Free walking route planner for walking, hiking and all other outdoor pursuits. How far did I walk? Map my walk - plan and accurately measure routes. Print, share and download route maps, directions and elevation profiles.
Create walking maps with Google Maps
Google Maps' usefulness is not confined to four wheeled conveyance. The walking directions feature creates routes custom made for pedestrians. A Internet tut...
Create Your Own Self-guided Walking Tour
Create Your Own Self-guided Walking Tour. Create your own self-guided walking tour in 600+ cities worldwide to explore the city of your choice at your own pace. See these samples for London, England and Rome, Italy, or view this introduction video to learn more. Specify Continent:
How to Create a Custom Route on Google Maps
Click and drag route line to customize route. Add a marker to map: Open Google My Maps and click Add layer > Add marker > click location and select Save. Android and iOS (view only): In the Google Maps app, tap Saved > Maps. Select the saved custom route you'd like to view. With the Google My Maps tool, you can build custom routes for any ...
How to Make a Travel Itinerary with Google Maps: 12 Steps
2. Create a new map through the home screen. At the top left of the "My Maps" home screen, you'll see a red box with the text "+Create a New Map.". Click on it to be redirected to a map screen. [3] 3. Give your map a descriptive name. To keep yourself organized, give your map a name to remind you what it contains.
Google Maps Treks
Discover the social side of Maps. Earn rewards by contributing to Maps. Journey beyond the road. See the world from every angle. Integrate your floor plans with Google Maps. Create and share ...
How can I create a walking route on Maps, embed the route ...
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5 city walking tours to take on Google Maps
Below are five of our Lonely Planet city walking routes, specially formatted so that you can enjoy them online. Simply load up Google Maps, switch to Street View, and start your virtual adventure…. Map view: This is the default view of Google Maps. Street view: To activate Street View, grab and drag the orange figure icon in the bottom right ...
Planning Your Vacation Itinerary Has Never Been Easier With This Clever
Due to Google's advanced GPS technology and constant upgrades to photos, the maps allow travelers to take a virtual tour of any city. By selecting the street view and scrolling through real photos ...
Historic Walking Tour
This map was created by a user. Learn how to create your own. ... Historic Walking Tour. Historic Walking Tour. Sign in. Open full screen to view more. This map was created by a user.
Custom Map Tools & Products
Explore how your business can utilize Google Map Platform's products and tools to create custom maps that can transform customer experiences. ... 2-wheel motorized vehicles, or walking between multiple locations. Learn more API Compute Routes Matrix. Calculate travel times and distances for multiple destinations for up to 625 route elements. ...
Barcelona Walking Tour
Open full screen to view more. This map was created by a user. Learn how to create your own. The points of interest on your walking tour are mapped out. Use this as a guide.
Creating a Narrated Tour in Google Earth Desktop
Create a KML Tour. Click the Add Tour button in the toolbar, or go to the Add menu, and select Tour. The tour recording tools appear in the lower-left corner of the 3D viewer: Click the Record ...