The official blog for Google Maps
Let Google Maps be your game day guide
February 3, 2016
While you may know which team you’re cheering for this Sunday, chances are you’re undecided on another big question: where you’ll watch the football finale. Google Maps just scored you the perfect guide to the big game, so you can focus on getting your game face on.
Starting today on Google Maps for Android in select cities across the U.S., you can discover the spots near you where you can get a great seat for kickoff. Just open Google Maps, tap on “explore food & drinks in this area” and select “Best Spots for the Big Game - Where to eat, drink & watch.” You’ll see a curated list of bars and restaurants around you where you can go to watch the biggest game (and best commercials) of the season. The experience is available in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas-Ft. Worth, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Denver and Charlotte.
If you’re attending the festivities in person in the Bay Area, explore a My Map highlighting the locations of all the key events. Public transit is the recommended form of transportation, but if you must drive, use the Google Maps app to get around. We covered all the local road closures and transit schedule changes so you can get where you’re going without missing a play.
For those wanting to explore more of what the Bay Area has to offer,
Google Maps Local Guide
and foodie expert
Kristin Rimbach
has used My Maps to put together an insider’s guide for you to experience the best of the East Bay, the South Bay, and the city itself. East Bay highlights include some Latin love at Brazil Cafe and unmissable mac and cheese at Homeroom. If you’re going to stay within SF’s 49 square miles, she recommends stopping by Suppenkuche for hearty German fare and Smitten Ice Cream for a sweet treat.
To access these recommendations on the go, visit
Kristin’s My Map
and tap the star toward the top left of the map. That’ll save the My Map in Your Places in Google Maps so you can pull it up when you’re ready to explore.
Whether you’re sporting orange or blue this Sunday, we’ll help make your big game a touchdown, not a toss up.
Posted by Susan Cadrecha, Google Maps Water Girl
Reach new heights with Street View of Mont Blanc in Google Maps
January 21, 2016
Declared the “monarch of mountains” by Lord Byron, the
Mont Blanc massif
is shrouded in mystery, rolling clouds and imposing snowfields. One of Europe’s highest peaks, the wild terrain of the famed mountain range is reserved for ardent mountaineers and intrepid explorers. Starting today in Google Maps, you can get an up-close, 360-degree look at the breathtaking beauty of Mont Blanc. Following last year’s first-ever vertical imagery collection of El Capitan in California’s
Yosemite National Park
, we partnered with world-renowned alpine photographers, skiers, mountaineers, climbers, and runners to collect Street View of Western Europe’s highest peak.
By working with legendary adventurers, the Street View team was able to capture the spirit of the massif in a way few witness firsthand. Run on the summit with
Kilian Jornet
—he holds the speed record for ascending and descending Mont Blanc in just 4 hours 57 minutes! Ice climb up a serac with record-setting alpine climber
Ueli Steck
, or go knee deep in powder alongside 14-time ski mountaineering champion
Laetitia Roux and famed guide Patrick Gabarrou
.
Ueli Steck ice climbing on Mont Blanc
You can also join French climbing legend
Catherine Destivelle
on the imposing yet beautiful
Aiguille du Midi
, the 3842-meter peak near the Mont Blanc. Or, crouch below innovative filmmaker and free skier
Candide Thovex as he soars through the air
or has fun as only he can—by
taking his skis from the snow to the grass
.
Catherine Destivelle ascending near the Aiguille du Midi
Renan Ozturk
, acclaimed cinematographer and National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, alpine photographer
Jonathan Griffith
, and
Sender Films
joined Google on Mont Blanc as part of the team.
If reaching the top is what you care about, elite guide
Korra Pesce
joined the troupe by carrying the Street View Trekker up and down the
Goûter Route
of Mont Blanc. Click through the Street View to get his first-person perspective of each step to the summit.
Climb the entire Goûter Route of the Mont Blanc massif
Unfortunately, Mont Blanc’s glaciers are receding due to climate change. You can
learn more
about how the rising temperatures are directly affecting the mountain from legendary guide Patrick Gabarrou, who describes the the glacial melt on the
Mer de Glace
. So this Street View imagery also serves as a digital record of Mont Blanc as it appears today, so future outdoor enthusiasts and scientists can look back at this time capsule to see how the mountain has changed.
Kilian Jornet on the summit of Mont Blanc
Whether you choose to run up the Mont Blanc with Kilian Jornet or ski down with Laetitia Roux, we hope you enjoy reaching new heights in Europe’s
beautiful and endangered mountain range
.
Posted by Sandy Russell, Project Lead, Mont Blanc Street View
Do I stay or do I go now? Google Maps has the answer in one tap.
January 13, 2016
It’s almost 5 p.m. Wednesday—time for that daily game of traffic roulette. The likelihood of stop and go traffic looms in front of you, yet at the same time the latest episode of Downton Abbey and the comfort of your couch are calling.
Well, Google Maps has good news for you. Now with just one tap on Android, you can find out whether you should hit the road or put in some gym time while you wait out the gridlock. Get information like ETAs, traffic updates, nearby gas prices and quickest routes to familiar places–like home, work and recently searched destinations–all without entering a destination.
To add a driving shortcut, press on your homescreen until Android widgets appear, then select the Google Maps driving shortcut icon.
You can also access this feature through the sidebar menu in Google Maps. Tap the sidebar menu and select the “Start Driving” option.
If you’ve preset home and work in Google Maps, you’ll see ETAs at times when you’re likely to be heading to these destinations. If you have location history enabled, we base these suggestions on location data, time of day and day of week. And if you’re logged in, we’ll suggest destinations based on recent Google Maps and Google searches when you open driving mode.
Why join the masses in bumper-to-bumper chaos when your time could be spent doing something else? With quick access to traffic info, it's now easier to make the call.
Posted By: Brian Ferris, Google Maps Software Engineer
The best things come in small (Street View!) packages
January 13, 2016
For those looking to relive their childhood dreams of being a conductor of their own railway and playing with dollhouses, we have a Street View surprise for you: Hamburg’s famed
Miniatur Wunderland
, the world’s largest model railway, has come to Google Maps. Boasting 13,000 meters of track and more than 200,000 tiny citizens, the museum includes tiny replicas of a variety of German provinces, famous places in America and even a fully-functioning airport!
Street View cameras have floated on gondolas in
Venice
, ridden on camels in the
Liwa Desert
and soared on snowmobiles on
Canadian slopes
. But to capture the nooks and crannies in Miniatur Wunderland, we worked with our partner at
Ubilabs
to build an entirely new—and much smaller—device. Tiny cameras were mounted on tiny vehicles that were able to drive the roads and over the train tracks, weaving through the Wunderland’s little worlds to capture their hidden treasures.
Google Maps’ miniature Street View devices cruising the railways and streets of Miniatur Wunderland
Touring the marvels of Wunderland, you must first begin in its oldest section: Knuffingen, a fictional town situated squarely between the Alps and Harz. Become one of this tiny city’s 10,000 inhabitants: Stop by the city’s rustic
farmer’s market
, witness the
local fire department
spring into action when a building catches fire and even see a plane lift off from Knuffingen’s
airport
.
Farmers market in Knuffingen, Miniatur Wunderland with the Street View car driving by
You can also see a variety of real places designed with an eye for accuracy: a
soccer match
in Hamburg’s stadium, a
traditional town center
in central Germany, a rowdy
Oktoberfest celebration
and a replica of the famous
Neuschwanstein Castle
in Bavaria, and even the
ski slopes
of Austria. You can also glimpse the everyday lives of thousands of miniature citizens, as they
bike
,
camp
and
dance
their way around the Wunderland.
Wunderland figurines enjoying a parade in Hamburg
Then it’s a (very) short hop over to the U.S., where you can zoom through the valleys of the
Grand Canyon
, gambol down the strip in
Las Vegas
, and even stop by
Mount Rushmore
to salute past U.S. Presidents. Because we captured this imagery at “street level” within the Wunderland itself, you can observe many tiny details in Street View that are not visible even to visitors to the museum --
deep sea divers
at a county fair, farmers
riding a broomstick
, a
newly-married couple
on the steps of the courthouse and the
dancing crowds
at an outdoor concert.
See the bright lights in Las Vegas in Miniatur Wunderland
To see more of Miniatur Wunderland, including a
miniature Street View car
built to commemorate this joint project, explore our
Street View gallery
. As you navigate through this truly wonderful Wunderland, we think you’ll agree: when it comes to great views, size doesn’t matter!
Posted by Sven Tresp, Street View Program Manager
A look back at Google Maps in 2015
December 31, 2015
2016 is just around the corner. Before we pop champagne and ring in the New Year, let’s take a look back at the enhancements we’ve made to Google Maps over the past year. From using Google Maps offline to discovering new places with Explore, we’re proud to not only get you from point A to point B quickly and easily, but to also help you explore the world around you with confidence.
Below is a list of the new features you might’ve missed, along with a handy chart showing you where you’ll find them. If you got a new phone this holiday season, now’s the time to give the
Google Maps app
a go.
2015 Google Maps New Features
2015 is ticking away, but you can take a look back at the places you’ve traveled with
Your Timeline
.
Always know when your favorite stores are open with
up-to-date holiday hours and alerts
.
Whether you’re in a parking garage with no signal or traveling in country with expensive data, search for places, get directions, and turn-by-turn navigation–all
offline
.
Always stay on the fastest route and beat bumper-to-bumper traffic with
real-time traffic updates and dynamic re-routing
.
Never run low on fuel with up-to-date
gas prices
in search results and on the map.
Make quick pit stops without long detours–
search for places along your route
without leaving navigation mode.
Find the
best local spots to eat and drink
with curated recommendations.
Get all your travel options and
compare ETAs across driving, walking, biking and transit
–all on one screen.
Get the scoop on when the lines are shortest and shops least crowded by checking businesses’
most popular times
–by day, by hour.
Get the lay of the land before you arrive by using
Street View thumbnail
.
Never miss a bus or train with
real-time transit information
(schedules, fares, updates) in more than 18,000 cities across 64 countries.
Get directions, turn-by-turn navigation and real-time traffic updates from your wrist with the Google Maps app on
Android Wear
and Apple Watch.
To see these new features in action, take a look back at our
Maps Minutes Holiday Hacks series
.
2015 New Features by iOS and Android Availability
Feature
Android
iOS
Up-to-Date Holiday Business Hours and Warnings
X
X
Location Search and Turn-by-Turn Navigation While Offline
X
X
A Look Back at the Places You’ve Visited through “Your Timeline”
X
Real-time Spoken Traffic Alerts
X
X
Gas Prices on Map
X
X
Location Search Without Leaving Navigation Mode
X
Updated “Explore” Experience with New Curated Content
X
X
Compare ETAs on One Screen
X
X
The Most Popular Times to Visit a Business
X
X
Street View Thumbnails
X
X
Real-time Traffic View of Your Route
X
X
Directions and Turn-by-Turn Navigation on Wearables
X (Android Wear)
X (Apple Watch)
Join us in a virtual toast to a New Year of helping you explore and navigate your far away travels as well as your everyday life.
Posted by the Google Maps team
Maps Minutes Hack #9: Get home quickly and safely on New Year’s Eve
December 29, 2015
Part of our
series
on how to save time this holiday season with Google Maps.
Whether you’re heading to a friend’s house for a cozy gathering, going to watch the ball drop in Times Square or attending an extravagant masquerade ball, the last thing you want to worry about on New Year’s Eve is driving.
With the Google Maps app, you can get where you’re going without ever getting behind the wheel. Earlier this year we launched a
new feature
that allows you to see various transportation options and compare travel times–all on one screen.
Once you enter your destination in the Google Maps app, you’ll see four options to get there: driving, walking, biking or transit (bus/train). You can quickly compare ETAs and switch between the transportation modes for more details and up-to-date information for each option.
If you’re heading to a casual celebration not so far from home, walking or public transit might be your best option. The Google Maps app will give your walk time ETA along with a few transit route options with real-time schedules, updates and fares.
Google Maps can also help you grab an Uber, if arriving by bus or train isn’t your holiday style. You can see the estimated trip duration, pickup time and estimated cost once you scroll down to the bottom of the app's transit option screen.
Stay safe with Maps Minutes Hacks and enjoy your New Year’s celebrations wherever they take you.
Posted by Dai Pham, Head of Geo and Google Maps Marketing
‘Tis the season for Santa Tracker
December 24, 2015
‘Tis the night before Christmas, at our northernmost pole
And all through Santa’s
Village
it’s almost time to roll!
The elves have been working hard for this night
Santa’s village is abuzz—
tonight’s the big flight
!
Google’s
Santa Tracker
launches today—
And it’s time to follow the jolly man's sleigh.
He’s off on his trip ‘round the world
Delivering toys to all good boys and girls.
You’ve got a front-row seat to the show
Just fire up Google Maps to see where he goes.
Thanks to the elves’ precisely
coded route
Santa and his reindeer will fly swiftly—look out!
Now the sleigh tuning’s done,
Tales of global
traditions
spun,
Every gift in the sleigh
gently placed
,
Wrapped with care, without haste.
The reindeer are prancing and eager to fly,
Ready for Santa’s trip through the sky.
With so little time to get their job done—
They may need your help on this gift-giving run.
So keep the
translation tool
handy;
Geography trivia would also be dandy.
There’s no telling what Santa might need
Traveling from Brisbane to Lima to Leeds.
Now Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!
Join in on the fun—find out what you’re missin’!
On
Maps
! On
Android
, Chromecast and Google.com!
There’s something for everyone, from kids to mom.
So watch that sleigh as it takes to the air,
And wherever you are, St. Nick will soon be there.
To borrow a phrase, as Santa takes flight—
"Happy holidays to all, and to all a good-night!"
Posted by Luke Mahé, Chief Excitement Officer
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