tour map offline

The 4 best offline map apps

There are a couple of apps that I use, no matter which country I travel to. They are also very useful in advance, while you’re at home planning your trip. For example, I use them to plan my own walking tours. And the best part: they make organized bus tours obsolete.

With these apps, you don’t have to pay a lot of money for a group tour and you can explore all the best attractions the cities have to offer on your own. Which gives you all the time you need at every location. You don’t have to hurry because you have to be at the bus at a certain time. And if you find a sight to be disappointing, you don’t have to lose time waiting for the rest of the group to move on to the next stop on your day tour. So the advantages of going by yourself, with the help of these offline map apps, are that it will make your travel cheaper and customized to your own desires, interests and pace.

1. CityMaps2Go (by Ulmon)

Citymaps2Go is available for Apple and for Android

Triposo is available for Apple and Android .

3. GPSmyCity (City Walks)

The city maps work offline, so there’s no need for a cellular plan or internet connection. This app is really a must have if you ask me, it really helped me a lot navigating through cities and just walking around on our own, without the fear of getting lost.

This app is available for Apple and Android .

4. Google Maps

When you’re taking a taxi or riksja I use Google Maps while I’m in the hotel on the wifi, to look up how far it is where we want to go. So I at least know the route a little bit and how long the ride will be. This also gives me an idea on how much we have to pay the driver, which price is acceptable. When we have to agree on a price beforehand. If you take a taxi on a meter, I use Google Maps offline while I’m in the taxi. This gives me an idea on where we’re going and if the driver doesn’t take us on a ‘tourist’ route, which means a lot more miles and a higher taxi fare.

Extra tip : take a screenshot of the route (in Google Maps) when you’ve looked it up in your hotel room. And show this to the driver. He will understand where you want to go and also knows that you know how far it is. So he’s more likely not to scam you and take a longer route.

When you’re walking around Google Maps works offline, so when you’re walking around, I always use it to figure out where I am. In advance, I’ve planned out different places I want to go to and how to get there. So when we’re walking around, Google Maps is very useful to see where you are exactly and which way you have to go. I’ve used it in a lot of major cities and I’ve always been able to find my way on my own.

Google Maps is available for Apple and Android .

Most big cities have their own apps

The major cities around the world, and sometimes also smaller ones, often have their own apps. These contain information about sightseeing, historical sights, museums, public transportation, hotels, restaurants, nightlife venues etc. Just go to the App Store or Play Store and type in the name of the country or city. You’ll find a lot of interesting and useful apps. A lot of these apps also allow you to save interesting places you want to see and create your own itinerary.

Especially apps about navigation and public transportation are really helpful and I recommend to download these in advance.

For example, when we were in Hong Kong, I used this app to move around in the city: Hong Kong Metro MTRC. This app is really useful when you want to explore Hong Kong on your own. And the metro system is really well organized in Hong Kong and will get you to all the interesting places. No need to book an organized tour, just go by yourself!

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Bianca van den Bos

Traveling is the best there is and what I enjoy the most in my life. And I don’t have children, so it’s OK for me to say that ;-) With my blog I hope to inspire people to plan their own travels. Not only those who love to do everything on their own, but also people who have a chronic pain or fatigue disorder (like me, I have fibromyalgia). Know that there is still a lot you can see of the world. Just take your limitations into consideration and plan accordingly. So go out into the world and explore!

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Thank you for this super useful information. I think there are many people who will follow your advice.

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11 Useful Travel Apps That Work Just Fine Offline

No Internet? No Problem.

Hinterhaus Productions/Getty Images

Having access to cell data while traveling overseas is often complicated, slow, limited, and expensive . Even in the United States, fast, reliable coverage everywhere is far from certain once you get outside major metro areas.

Fortunately, there are many travel apps that don’t need a real-time data connection at all. Instead, they can be synced via WiFi in advance then used in offline mode while on the move, saving money and frustration during your travels.

Here are 11 of the most useful examples, and there are many others depending on your needs. All are available on at least iOS and Android.

Google Maps

Courtesy of Google Maps 

Google Maps has a checkered history when it comes to its offline abilities, but 2018 and 2019 versions brought back support for unlimited saved areas and added offline turn-by-turn navigation.

It's easy to pick towns, cities, or regions, sync them to your phone, then get driving directions even in flight mode. However, you won't get cycling, public transport, or walking directions without a connection, unfortunately, but can still see where you are on the map in real-time.

Courtesy of Here WeGo 

Originally developed by Nokia, Here WeGo is likely the best offline navigation app out there. Unlike Google Maps, it can give directions for walking, cycling, and public transit even while offline, and downloading map data for entire regions or countries is very straightforward.

Directions are generally accurate. However, when you're offline, it helps to have the exact address of the place you're going, not just a name. Also, pay attention to the storage requirements for this app since you'll need plenty of space on your phone if you want to download maps for several countries.

Courtesy of Tripit 

Tripit has been around for years and is still the best way to manage your itinerary with or without a data connection. It can monitor your email for travel bookings and updates—or you can manually forward confirmations if you’d prefer—and the app will continue to sync the latest updates whenever it has an Internet connection.

Hotels, flights, car rentals, and more are all stored in one place, and the service automatically builds a detailed itinerary for you. The basic Tripit app is free, but there is also a Pro version available that has a few extra features.

XE Currency

Courtesy of XE Currency 

XE Currency is a long-time favorite for making currency conversions quickly and easily. Before you head out, add the currencies you'll likely use to the app's database; then you use the free app offline anywhere you want.

It’ll instantly convert from a selected currency to all the others you've saved, taking a few seconds at most. This makes it ideal when out shopping, or standing at the  bureau de change  to ensure you’re being offered a reasonable exchange rate.

However, it's important to keep in mind that the XE Currency app only updates when connected to the internet, and currency rates may change while you're traveling. Be sure to update the app when you get a chance to get online to avoid confusion.

Courtesy of Triposo 

If you're looking for a travel guide, check out Triposo. It bundles information from Wikipedia, Wikitravel, and elsewhere all together into an easy-to-use offline guide.

Download the data pack for your destination(s) before leaving home, since they can be pretty large, and you’ll have activities, hotels, and restaurants, maps, and basic directions all at your fingertips.

Additionally, the app includes background information about destinations around the world, phrasebooks, currency conversion, and more for free, all of which can be used while offline.

Courtesy of Pocket

Whenever you're planning a trip, you'll inevitably end up saving a lot of information about your intended destination—restaurant recommendations, places to go, navigation information, and more. To ensure you can access it all offline, install the Pocket browser extension and app.

One click or tap saves your current web page, and the app then automatically syncs everything whenever it has a WiFi connection. All that saved information stays available on your phone, wherever and whenever you need it.

The Pocket app is also a great tool for storing entertainment from Youtube, news articles from Vox and the New York Times, and even funny gifs from Twitter and Reddit.

Google Translate

Courtesy of Google Translate 

When it comes to translation, Google Translate is the stand-out performer. Both the iOS and Android versions let you download over 50 different language packs, allowing for quick translation of words and phrases when on the move.

While offline, you can either type in the words you'd like to translate, or just point your phone camera at a menu, sign, or other printed material. If you're traveling somewhere you don't speak the language, it's an absolute lifesaver in many situations—especially when you feel lost.

Courtesy of  WifiMap

There’s even an offline app to help you get online. The paid version of Wifi Map lets you download its database of WiFi locations for entire cities ahead of time so that you can fire up the app when you’re away from home and find the nearest WiFi hotspot.

Information, including location and password, is entered by the app's users, and there are over one hundred million networks currently listed around the world.

As mentioned, the version with offline support isn't free—but at five dollars, it's a small price to pay to have Internet access when you need it.

American Red Cross First Aid

Courtesy of American Red Cross First Aid 

The American Red Cross has developed a small range of health-based apps, and the most useful for travelers are based around first aid.

Covering things like anaphylaxis, burns, bleeding, and much more, the American Red Cross First Aid app helps teach appropriate techniques in advance via video training and provides step-by-step guidance on what to do in an emergency. There's also a quiz section, to make sure you've retained what you learned.

TripAdvisor

Courtesy of TripAdvisor

It's pretty hard to avoid TripAdvisor when planning a vacation—it is the leading website for restaurant, accommodation, and attraction reviews. You'll usually come across it from a Google search, but if you want offline access, it's worth downloading the company's app as well.

It works much the same as the website, but also lets you download reviews, maps, and your saved locations for over 300 popular cities around the world.

Courtesy of Spotify 

Streaming music services are now the main way most of us listen to our favorite tunes, but they've got a couple of disadvantages for travelers: they don't work offline, and use quite a bit of data if you listen for hours.

Spotify gets around that problem by letting you download songs, podcasts, albums, and playlists to your device. Once that's done, the songs will play normally even when you don't have a connection—just switch into Offline mode, and you'll only see the tracks you've saved.

Note that you'll need a paid subscription to Spotify to enable the offline feature.

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Best Offline Maps App for Travel that Isn’t Google – How to Import My Maps into Maps.me

Last Updated March 7, 2023 William Tang

You are here: Home » Travel Gear & Tech » Best Offline Maps App for Travel that Isn’t Google – How to Import My Maps into Maps.me

When it comes to travel, map apps are an indispensable part of our toolkit that sits loaded on our smartphone.  We use it to find read reviews of nearby restaurants, find pins on a pre-planned route, browse custom maps, and maybe even the best closest emergency bathroom.  It’s one of the single reasons I don’t get as lost as I do before (I still do) and why I think we’re all more comfortable with travelling off the cuff.

The thing is, as much as Google Maps has become synonymous with mapping, it isn’t the only game in town.  I hope I’m not the only one but offline functionality is incredibly important to me.  That may be because I’m sometimes too cheap to pay for roaming or maybe I’m in a blackout area but I’ve learned that I should always be “offline ready”.  I’m here to share with you an alternative to Google Maps that offers the best offline maps app solution – Maps.me and from there, I’ll also show you how I migrate maps that I plan with Google’s My Maps and import them via KML files.

Read more travel tips

• Pocket-sized currency conversion cheat sheet
• 12 of the best apps for Japan travel
• Best Hilton Honors Category 1 hotels that only cost 5,000 points
• Learn about Skyroam and why I use it when I travel
• All travel hacking articles

How to get the best deals in travel

• Hottest deals  – Bookmark the  travel deals page .
• Car rentals  – stop getting ripped off and  learn about car rental coupon codes .
• Hotels  – Use  corporate codes  or get  Genius 2 tier  with Booking.
• Flights  – Have you ever heard of the  “Everywhere” feature ?
• Insurance  – Make sure you’re covered and learn more about  where to buy the best travel insurance .
• Table of Contents

Looking for something specific in this itinerary?  Jump to what you want to read.

In This Article

Why offline Google Maps kind of suck

Enter maps.me, why maps.me is awesome for travel, what could be improved with maps.me, how i use maps.me, step 1: you need a custom google map, step 2:  export the google map, step 3: email the file to yourself, step 4:  open the file with maps.me, step 5: automatically imported to bookmark list, step 6:  edit the bookmarks if needed, best offline maps app solution that isn’t google maps, best offline maps app for travellers.

As much as I love love LOVE Google Maps, there are things to be desired and for me that really comes down to offline capabilities.  Tell me if you can relate.

For years, the offline feature was a bit of a secret.  You had to use “Ok Maps” in the search bar and based on what you have in the app’s field of view, it’ll save that offline.  Today, they’ve made it a bit more obvious with the “Offline” part of the menu where you can see all of your saved maps but it largely works the same and you can still “Ok Maps” as you please.

So here’s why it’s a bit of a letdown.  I loved being able to pin places or more specifically, add “Save” places in Google Maps as either “Favorites”, “Starred places”, “Want to go”, or even your own custom list.  It’s super convenient because I can plan on the computer and it’ll show up on my phone or vice versa. 

When I’m at home, it’s great but when I don’t have data, you pull up the app and while you can see the topography of the map, those pins disappear.  

Those pins disappear

Over the years, I’ve learned to hack it by making sure I pull up my map while I have wifi/data and just keep Google Maps open the whole time so it doesn’t have to reload.  

Even then, need to find a point of interest on the fly without data or want to zoom in the map to see detailed places, forget about it!

I could’ve probably created this guide by listing out ALL of the other possible mapping apps that are out there but I wanted to keep it simple and just focus on the flat out best one that travellers use.

Maps.me started off a a small startup based in Zurich and won a startup competition in 2012 to propel them forward.  Fast-forward to today and they’ve since then been acquired by a Russian internet company and continues to use OpenStreetMap as its foundation for their maps.

The key behind their success is that they continue to use OpenStreetMap as its foundation for their maps.  This is open-source software that is made free for the public to use.  So instead of propriety tech by giants like Google, most of what you see through OpenStreetMap is created through entries by enthusiasts, professionals, engineers, and anyone else passionate about building better maps.  To give you an idea of how involved the community is, 9 months after Maps.me allowed app users to make changes, over 1 million edits were recorded.

What it comes down to is really offline usage.  All of those problems offline with Google are essentially solved with Maps.me.

• You can actually search offline – you can search by name, address, categories, or coordinates.
• Goes beyond just travel in the city – for those that hike or spend time in the wilderness, Maps.me has a ton of detail including trail names.
• Metro overlay is available – If you don’t have a transit map in a separate app, you can use this to help figure out how to get around in a city.
• Travel guides – You can download user generated guides that are self-guided walking tours.
• Bookmarks – Similar to those custom pins on Google Maps, you can also create your own pins in Maps.me and they do show up when you use the app offline.
• Turn-by-turn navigation available – now I normally wouldn’t use this feature it’s just not going to be as good as Google Maps, it’s there in a pinch when offline.
• Bonus features – You can search hotels with their partnership with Booking.com and even book an Uber.  You can also share your location with friends.
• Local guides feature – I’ve never used this but the app has a “Discover” feature and they’ll show you locals that run their own tours that you can book.
• Ability to import KML files – We’ll get into this soon but it’s a super handy feature for those that plan trips with Google My Maps or if you’re a serious hiker and want to pull in something like the entire Milford Track trail in New Zealand from AllTrails.

As with all apps, there are things that I’m not completely in love with when it comes to Maps.me.  Here’s what annoy me about Maps.me

• Not super slick – If you’re used to Google Maps, Maps.me just won’t look or feel very polished.  Polished might not be the right word but it’s just not as good of a user interface and the maps can often feel a little overcrowded.
• Takes getting used to – Part of this is that you get used to using Google Maps and when you go to Maps.me, the interface is jarringly different.  You have to figure out what these new icons mean and how to use the menu.  
• Ads – It’s a free app and so they’ve had to add banner ads in a number of places which can get quite annoying because of the limited screen space on your phone.

I pretty much use Maps.me exclusively for its offline functionality.  It’s my lifeline when I’m on the road and as someone that’s an OCD planner like myself, I like to be ready.

If you’ve read  the art of trip planning , you’ll know that maps are a big part of the process.  I plan out my itinerary on with my Google spreadsheet template and then I plot all of the places onto a map. 

This map usually ends up being on Google’s My Maps tool .  Now this is honestly just part of the Google Maps product but they had to have another name for it.  I create a custom map and it was a great idea because I learned that I could pull up custom maps from Google Maps on my phone ( Menu > Your Places > Maps tab) and it’d have all of my planning details in there.

Great idea until you don’t have cellular data and then it completely crumbles and fails .  

That’s when I started using Maps.me and added another step (annoying I know) where I simply export my map into something called a KML file and import it into Maps.me as a bookmark list and voila it’s all in there.

Now when I travel, I know I can reliably pull up Maps.me with the local maps downloaded offline and pins loaded to figure out where I need to go and how I can get to the next spot.

How to migrate your Google My Maps to Maps.me

The Maps.me app has gone through a significant overhaul since this was originally written in 2019. As a result, we’re refreshing the screenshots with what you would do today. It’s pretty similar but the user interface is different.

UPDATE: For a tad little while, Maps.me stopped supporting KML files completely but it looks like they’ve brought it back. Phew right!

Alright so I’m going to go through a very specific scenario of mine to provide you step-by-step instructions for how you can import your custom Google Map pins into Maps.me.

This is the obvious step but I want to make sure I’m clear that this really only works if you used the My Maps tool with Google to create your own custom maps.

I created one for our 14 day Greece island hopping itinerary .

The option to export is pretty easy but you’ll need to make sure you have the checkbox selected to save it as a KML fi le which Maps.me can read.  This KML file won’t include any map tiles but will contain all of those pins you’ve created and notes if any.

There’ll also be a dropdown that will allow you to choose what layers of the map you want exported but most likely you’ll want all of it to be exported.

NOTE: You need to do this on a desktop/laptop computer and not on your phone.

I’m sure there are a number of different ways you can do this but this is the simplest.  Drop the file you just saved from Google into an e-mail and send it to yourself.

With your favourite e-mail app, open the e-mail you just sent to yourself and tap on the attachment to open it.  It might open up a page of gibberish code. 

From here, tap the share icon.

If you are on iOS, with the share prompt open, look for the Maps.me app in the list. If it’s not there, scroll all the way to the right and tap on “More” to be able to find Maps.me from the list.

Android should be similar.

Maps.me will automatically open on your phone and you’ll get a prompt saying that the bookmarks were loaded.

From the bottom menu of the app, you’ll see that your map will be imported when you go to “Favorites”.

I know, don’t get me started on why the menu doesn’t say Bookmarks.

Within bookmarks are all of the other maps you may have imported in the past, bookmarks you’ve created within the app, and of course the KML map that you just imported.

To edit the bookmark, it’s not the most obvious. You have to double tap on the bookmark group (in this example, it’s “Greek Island Hopping – 14 Day Greece Itinerary”. Tap on one of the locations and the map will jump to that location.

If the local map isn’t downloaded, it’ll prompt you to download it.

At this point, you’ll be able to edit and improve the map within the app by taping the 3 dots (…). Things you can do include changing the icon color and being able to add a description

NOTE: One thing that doesn’t get translated over are the custom icons that Google Maps has and that’s simply because Maps.me doesn’t have any of those.  All the pins are the same but you can change the colour afterwards if you want.

So that’s my pitch for Maps.me and why I think it’s a super handy tool to have for any traveller. 

Is it the perfect solution? Not really but until Google Maps allows you to use custom maps offline including pin location data, this might be the best way to go.

The beauty of Maps.me is that it’s built with offline maps in mind. By default it’s in offline mode.

I’d love to hear from your experiences though.  Love it or hate it, what are your thoughts on Maps.me as a mapping tool, how do you use it, and how do you wish it could be improved?

What you should read next

• Travel Hacking – Caching Your Google Maps For When You Have No Data
• 12 of the Best Apps for Japan Travel
• Google Flights Explore
• Best World Map with Pins for Travellers at Home
• Trip Planning is a Pain in the Ass!

About William Tang

William Tang is the Chief of Awesome behind the award-winning Going Awesome Places which is focused on outdoor adventure, and experiential travel. His true passion lies in telling stories, inspiring photography and videos, and writing detailed itineraries and travel guides. He is a member of Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC), Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), and Travel Massive. He has also been featured in publications such as Reader's Digest, Entrepreneur, Men's Journal, and Haute Living. Make sure to learn more about William Tang to find out his story and how Going Awesome Places started.

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MapOut in Action

Tilt your device in any direction and experience how the landscape will move under your fingers.

Interested in how it looks like in real life? Take a look at our MapOut video.

Interested how it looks like in real life? Take a look at our MapOut video.

MapOut in Detail

Find all answers to your questions in our user manual. Available online or as convenient PDF download.

Beautiful Map

Mountain Shading

Country Side

Detailed Map

Worldwide Map Coverage

OpenStreetMap

Uses map data from the “Wikipedia of maps” – help improving it by adding streets or fixing errors directly on OpenStreetMap.org .

Download the map region of interest. Full access to your map when your travel, even when no internet connection is available – the perfect hiking/cycling app.

The map is not just beautiful, but fast too. Utilizes the same OpenGL acceleration found in games.

Always with you

Because you take your phone with you on all adventures anyway: MapOut adds zero weight to your biking or hiking equipment.

Offline Map

Search Anywhere & Anytime

Search for place-marks, streets, mountains, etc. No internet connection required. All results in your neighborhood are displayed and can be selected.

Download Maps

Download any map area you like – they are stored on your mobile device and you always have access to your map even if you have no internet connection traveling abroad or outdoors.

Map Overlays

Hike & Bike Overlays

National and regional cycling tracks and some hiking trails are already included, all with altitude profiles.

Tourism Overlay

Emphasizes tourism related points-of-interest like landmarks, hotels and restaurants.

Wintersport Overlay

Many mountain ski resorts are included, inclusive piste-difficulty grades.

Public Transport Overlay

Most public transport lines are included and are of great help finding your bus-stop after a long hike.

Create Tours

With your finger draw your own tours and waypoints directly on the map. Touch-up existing tours and imported GPX tracks and snap them to the road network. Route planning on the go - without internet connection.

Record Tours

Create your own routes and share them with friends. All recorded tours automatically get enhanced with an altitude profile and a list of villages or important landmarks you traveled by.

Import Tours

Either directly import tours or apply for a free "MapOut.me" account and you can send tours directly via email (as attachment) into the app - GPX or KML routes you found on the internet, e.g. from GPS-Tour.info – SchweizMobil .

Tour Management

Organize your Tours

All tours (recorded and imported) are easily accessible and can be organized in subfolders.

Tour Details

Get a quick overview of your available tours – distance, ascent, descent or an elevation profile.

Manage and Share Tours

Share, export, edit or get details of each tour.

How to keep using Google Maps even when your phone is offline

Mar 20, 2023

[[read-time]] min read

Follow these steps to navigate safely even when you don’t have an internet connection.

You can’t always count on a strong internet connection when you most need Google Maps.

Thankfully, Maps has an offline feature to help you navigate safely even when your phone might be showing zero bars. Offline maps can be an especially useful tool for people who frequently travel abroad or visit remote areas with spotty cell service. All that’s required on your part is a little bit of planning.

The next time you might be faced with the potential of a poor signal, try downloading a map of your future whereabouts in advance. The process is simple and works on both Android and iOS.

No connection? Maps can keep you moving.

How to use Google Maps offline

• Open the Google Maps app.
• Tap on your profile picture in the top right corner.
• Tap “Offline Maps.”
• Tap “Select Your Own Map.”
• Move the rectangle over the area you plan to visit.
• Click “Download.”

And if you’re staying in a specific location — such as a city or a town — there’s an even simpler way:

• Search for your destination in Google Maps. (For example: “Philadelphia.”)
• Tap the three dots in the top right corner of the information panel.
• Tap “Download offline map.”

Maps will still give you the option to make adjustments to the range of the area. And that’s it.

In both cases, Maps will show you an estimate of how much space the file will take up on your phone before you download. Generally speaking, the more precise you can be with your location, the smaller the file size. If you turn on “auto-update” in the settings menu, your maps will refresh about once every two weeks to include the latest data.

When offline, keep in mind that you won’t have real-time traffic data until you have connectivity again. Any travel time between destinations before then will be an estimate calculated as if there is no traffic congestion.

About the author

Mike Darling

Contributor, the keyword.

Mike Darling is an audience development editor at Google where he focuses on content strategy for the Keyword blog and Google's social channels. Previously he was the executive editor of Men's Health and a managing editor at Vice.

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How to download offline Google Maps

Here’s how to download offline Google Maps for when an internet connection isn't available

Knowing how to download offline Google Maps is an important skill to know, especially if you're heading off into the great unknown. you don't want to get lost, simply because there's no cell signal, after all.

Fortunately accessing Google Maps offline is easier than ever, and in most cases won't require you to actually do anything. Considering how valuable a navigational tool it is, those offline maps can come in handy. Especially if you plan on doing some traveling over the holidays.

Here's our easy-to-follow guide on how you can download offline Google Maps, and ensure you're always able to find your way.

How to download offline Google Maps manually

It's understandable if you'd rather download your maps manually, rather than rely on Google Maps functioning correctly all the time. Fortunately this is incredibly easy to accomplish, and can be done in two different ways. The most effective way is as follows:

1. Search for a large area or city , specifically the general area you need directions for.

2. Pull up the bottom menu until it covers the map.

3. Tap the three button menu in the top right and select Download offline map .

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4. Zoom in or out to select your area , and make sure the locations you want are within the rectangular boundaries. The amount of data your map will require is displayed at the bottom of the screen.

5. Hit Download .

A slightly more long-winded route is available via the following steps:

1. Hit your profile picture to open the Google Maps menu.

2. Select Offline Maps .

3. Tap Select your own map

4. Find the area you want an offline copy of, and hit Download as before.

The Offline Maps menu also shows what areas you've downloaded and other recommended areas, letting you manage and update your existing offline maps.

How to download offline Google Maps automatically

The best way to ensure you have access to Google Maps navigation when offline is to make sure your app is configured to automatically download them when you start your journey. 

This method is reliant on you having cell or Wi-Fi signal when you set off, but it also ensures Google Maps doesn't lose your position midway through your trip. 

1. Open Google Maps and search for your destination .

3. Tap Directions and then Start, or hit the Start icon at the bottom of the screen.

4. Get driving. Google Maps will download the entire route and store it safely for the duration of the trip.

Google Maps also has the ability to download maps for areas you friend or places it knows you're heading to — assuming, of course, it's connected to your calendar and email account.

Google Maps can prompt you to do this manually, but there is a way to let the app do things automatically. That way you will always have access to directions, even if you didn't think to download a map of the area beforehand.

1. Open the Google Maps menu by tapping your profile icon in the top right corner.

2. Select the Offline Maps option and hit the gear icon in the top right.

3. Make sure Auto-download recommended maps is toggled on.

4. Toggle on Auto-update offline maps — this will also ensure that your phone's storage doesn't get bogged down with old and unnecessary maps that have been saved.

5. Download preferences will also let you set those downloads to Wi-Fi only or if you're happy for it to come out of your cellular data plan.

And that's it. But we have other useful guides for Google Maps, including essential tips and tricks for using Google Maps , how to measure distance with Google Maps , how to drop a pin in Google Maps , how to share location in Google Maps , how to use Street View on Google Maps and how to turn on Google Maps dark mode . Check them out if you want more out of Google's service and app. 

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.

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Guide to Using Google Maps Offline for Travel

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Using Google Maps offline is really a lifesaver when traveling, because it allows you to navigate without wifi or data.

I’ll be honest, I think I would be very lost traveling without my smartphone. I am not naturally gifted at navigation (though I’m getting better!), so remembering where things are or relying on a physical map aren’t great options for me.

Enter: The   Google Maps app . It has saved me SO much time and hassle, and I’m sure countless occasions of getting lost. In order to optimize your use of Google Maps while traveling, you need to read my guide to using Google Maps offline.

Guide to Using Google Maps Offline

1. download any map area for offline use:.

To download any map area for offline use, search for a location, then press download . You can move the map or zoom in and out to adjust how much area you want to download.

If you want to save a more random area that you don’t know how to search for, select the three horizontal bars in the upper left. Then select Offline areas, then Custom area. Finally, navigate to the map area you want to download.

Removing downloaded maps:

Keep in mind, map downloads take a considerable amount of phone space.

Maps expire 29 days after downloading and can be updated at any time.

Here is how to remove a downloaded area when you’re finished with it. Press the three horizontal lines in the upper left, then select Offline areas, select the city or area you want to delete, and press delete. (This is also where you go to update the map.)

Saving Locations

While I lived in Rotterdam I downloaded the city’s map, then found and saved locations (saving them as “Starred” or “Want to go”) while I had wifi. Then they still showed up on the downloaded map when I didn’t have service or wifi.

I also like to use this app to track places I’ve been or want to go all over the world, saving them as “Starred,” “Favorites,” or “Want to go.”

Using Google Maps for Navigation

Google Maps is awesome for step-by-step navigation whether you’re driving, walking, biking, or taking public transportation.

Unless you load the navigation before you lose wifi/data, this part will not work offline. In Rotterdam, I rode bike around the city often, which was very intimidating at first. Thankfully, Google Maps had all the city’s bike routes available on the map. I would load my navigation before leaving the apartment, then had no problem finding my way!

Now that you’ve learned how using Google Maps offline will make your next trip easier, let us know where you’re headed!

Also check out our post on the  top 5 travel apps that will make your next trip way easier!

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How to download maps to use offline on your iPhone

With Maps in iOS 17 or later, use offline maps to access information like hours and ratings for places, turn-by-turn directions, and estimated arrival times.

Three ways to download offline maps in iOS 17

With offline maps in iOS 17 and later, you can use Maps for information and navigation even when you don't have a Wi-Fi or cellular connection. Offline maps include details like hours and ratings on places, turn-by-turn directions for driving, walking, cycling, or riding transit, and estimated arrival times.

Offline maps take up storage space on your device, and Maps will show the file size for a potential offline map before you download it. Learn about your device's storage .

You can also view offline maps with your Apple Watch   when your iPhone is on and within Bluetooth range (about 33 feet or 10 meters).

Offline maps do not sync across your devices.  Offline maps are only available in select areas. An offline map for a specific region is not intended for use in all regions.  Features vary by country and region .

Use search in Maps

• In the Maps app, search for a location, then tap the place in your search results.
• Tap the Download button if it's available, or tap More then tap Download Map. 
• If necessary, adjust the area that you want included in your offline map. Then tap Download.

• In Maps, tap an unmarked area to drop a pin.
• Tap Download.
• If necessary, adjust the area that you want included in your offline map. Then tap Download once more.

Use the offline maps settings

• In the Maps app, tap your picture or initials next to the search field.
• Tap Offline Maps.
• Tap Download New Map, or select a map that you previously used or that Maps suggests.
• Enter a location or select Current Location.
• Adjust the size of the map area, then tap Download.

Edit or delete your downloaded maps

• Tap the offline map you want to edit or delete. You can rename your map, resize the area included, or view the file size.
• When ready, tap Delete Map or Done.

You can delete offline maps only in the Maps app. 

Adjust your offline maps settings

• Under Settings, turn on the setting that you want to use.

Tap Downloads and choose whether to download offline maps only when you're connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Automatic Updates is on by default. Your offline map will automatically be kept up to date if things like a business or street name change.

Turn on Optimize Storage and any unused offline maps will be automatically deleted after a period of time.

Turn on Only Use Offline Maps to rely on your downloaded maps even when you have an internet connection.

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Download areas and navigate offline

If you're going somewhere where the Internet is slow, mobile data is expensive or you can't get online, you can save an area from Google Maps to your phone or tablet and use it when you're offline.

Note : Download of offline maps isn't available in some regions because of contractual limitations, language support, address formats or other reasons.

Step 1: Download a map to use offline

Tip: You can save maps on your device or a SD card. If you change the way that you save maps, you'll have to download the map again.

• Make sure that you're connected to the Internet and signed in to Google Maps .
• Search for a place, like Southampton .

Save offline maps on an SD card

• On your Android phone or tablet, insert an SD card.

Step 2 (optional): Save battery and mobile data

You can set up offline maps and still use other apps with mobile data.

Select your own map

• Tap  Select your own map .
• Adjust the map according to the area that you want to download
• Tap  Download.

Use offline maps

After you've downloaded an area, use the Google Maps app just as you normally would. If your Internet connection is slow or absent, your offline maps will guide you to your destination as long as the entire route is within the offline map.

• Get directions and show routes
• Use navigation
• Search for locations

Tip: Public transport, cycling or walking directions are unavailable offline. In your offline driving directions, you can’t get traffic info, alternative routes or lane guidance.

Manage offline maps

You can select your own map to download or view maps that you've already downloaded.

• Tap the Map that you want to delete.
• Tap Delete .
• Select a Map.

• Update the Map name and tap Save .

Offline maps that you downloaded on your phone or tablet must be updated before they expire. When your offline maps expire in 15 days or less, Google Maps tries to update the area automatically when you're connected to Wi-Fi.

If your offline maps aren’t automatically updated, you can update them by following the steps below.

From the notification

• In the 'Update offline maps' notification, tap Update now.
• Tap the expired or expiring area on the list.
• Tap Update .

From anywhere else

• On the list, tap the expired or expiring area.

Turn on automatic updates

• Turn on  Auto-update offline maps .

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Discover the best apps and sites for self-guided tours and enjoy an interactive way to navigate through an attraction or a location while also getting the benefits of a traditional tour guide.

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Best Apps & Websites for Self Guided Tours

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The Best Offline Mapping Apps for Cycle Touring (Updated 2019)

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( Updated: April 2019. After completing our South America tour and touring in the PNW of the USA and moving to Spain, we felt it was important to update this post with new apps. We often get questions about specific apps and our intention is to cover applications that are useful for offline mapping tools for cycle touring , not tracking distances, or social features. 

For 2019, we’ve got a new #1 app!

Note:  we have also included user recommended offline apps at the bottom that come highly preferred.)

As we’ve traversed Europe, South America, and the USA during our cycle tours, we have become quite familiar with the various offline navigation mapping apps. Given that we have used an Apple iPhone, an Android tablet, Samsung Galaxy phone, Dell and a Mac laptop, we are no strangers to the variety of tools available.

While some old school riders prefer paper maps, we’re all digital. 

Below, we provide a review of some of the best offline mapping tools for cycle touring.

Need a way to view your map apps while riding? Here’s some gear to get you started ⟶

Phone and Tablet

1. komoot – new #1 for 2019.

Android and iOS | $3.99 – $19.99 | https://www.komoot.com

Pros:   For a while, I’ve heard, “you have to check out Komoot” and it wasn’t until Dakota and Chelsea Gale of TraipsingAbout.com paid us a visit in Granada, Spain that I was able to get my hands on the application.

They’re touring the Iberian peninsula and have been using the app for their planning and riding.

I’m so blown away by this app that I immediately went to my computer and updated it as #1 on the list.

Offline maps? Check. Hiking, mountain biking, road riding, and bike touring maps? Check. Elevation profile? Yup.

The very first question I have when using an app for cycling touring is can it be used offline. Unequivocally, yes, you can save routes offline easily and without headache.

Who wants to burn and pay for data while touring?

Next up, how’s the route planning ? Oh man, this is where Komoot excels. You get an overview of the route surfaces by distance with a map overlay and by type of road.

You can scroll across your route inch by inch and compare the surface, way path, and elevation profiles.  This is unparalleled for a mapping app to give you so much information on a single screen.

You can also choose Cycle Touring vs Road Riding and get different routes. This the first time I’ve seen a mapping app do this. The cycle touring option will also give you dirt and non-pavement paths. Also, there turn by turn voice navigation built into the application.

The Difficulty section is a welcomed addition of information, especially when planning routes for riders of various skills. When planning a route from Granada to Sevilla, I can easily see that there isn’t any experience needed, but that the fitness level is the highest.

Why do I need fitness? Oh, Spain is a giant country of hills and steep climbs. No joke, there is serious climbing here. The Elevation Profile gives me direct access to how much uphill and downhill we are facing. Plus, an estimated average speed.

Obviously this is dependent on skill and load, but still helpful information.

Cons: My only complaint about Komoot is that the Bike Touring option includes dirt routes and depending on the weather, these can be a bear. Biking with a loaded rig over heavy wet clay does not make for a fun day. I’d like to be able to turn off certain way path types.

Keep in mind, Komoot is fantastic at route planning, but is not a repository for points of interest. You’ll want to partner the app with another that taps into openstreetmap data.

Cost: Free region to download.  $3.99 for a single region. $8.99 for a regional bundle. $19.99 for the wold world up unlimited updates.

Bottom line: This is the app I’ve been waiting for when cycling and hiking. It has it everything for touring and getting from point A to point B. Couple this app with Maps.Me for finding POIs, hotels, and places you need to go, and you’ll be all set for adventure.

2. OsmAnd  

Android and iOS | $6.99 |  www.osmand.net

OsAndm night mode turn-by-turn directions.

Pros:  It has several must have features for cycle touring like cycle route overlays, turn-by-turn directions, contour lines and hill shading, GPS navigation coordinate mapping, and point-of-interest searching for things like camp sites and grocery stores.

We are huge fans of the offline Wikipedia articles based on geo-location. When you cycle into a town and see an interesting monument, you have the ability to immediately and easily pull-up the article without an Internet connection.

We also love the “more details” and “road quality” features. This has been useful when touring in Albania where the roads can be suspect and can easily ruin your day. No other app offers this amount of detail and information with such ease.

Another feature that has been invaluable is the contour lines package. We often encounter multiple route options when planning. The contour lines feature gives us the ability to compare the hills and climbs on different routes.

This has saved our legs and quads many times.

Cons:  The user interface takes a little getting used to and you have to manually enable the cycle maps overlay. It can be slow to load when you add several map overlays like contour lines, hill-shades, and cycling routes. It’s initially free, though, you’re limited to only a few offline downloads.

If you’re cycle touring, it’s easy to burn through a few free maps.

The iOS version is not nearly as powerful as the Android version. This app has to be considered one of if not the best navigation apps for android. When we tested the iOS version it lacked turn-by-turn directions and was incredibly slow on our older iPhone 4.

With an updated iPhone 6s, the app ran much faster and without issue. On our Samsung S8, the app ran smooth and seems the Android version is vastly improved.

Cost: Free for a few map downloads. $6.99 for unlimited map downloading. $1.99 for contour lines.

Bottom line: From our experience, this is an excellent offline-mapping tool, especially in Europe or well-developed countries.  It’s worth the money to get the contour lines if you want to size up a hill while being offline.

The interface takes a little getting used to, however, anyone can pick it up after a little experimenting. As of 2018, they’ve added elevation profiles and I suspect in our upcoming new review the app map take the cake as our favorite.

(2018 update) In South America we found ourselves not using OsmAnd, as it wasn’t very accurate with road qualities and didn’t have nearly the same amount of Points of Interest as other applications. We actually stopped using it all together and saved the download space on our phones.

Back in Europe in 2018, we’ve started using OsmAnd  again. Why? We  l ove the built in Wiki by geo-location. As mentioned as a Pro, this feature is alone the reason to use the app.

Sure, there are better apps for one size fits all approach, h int hint, it ends in .Me, however, having access to information offline makes our touring experience that much more enjoyable.

Android and iOS | $3.99 |  www.galileo-app.com

Galileo showing local street map including saved favorites points of interest.

Pros : We first heard about Galileo from our friend Pablo of  Bike Canine . He suggested we give it a try as it has an easy to use interface and it includes bike maps. In Europe, we used Galileo daily and couldn’t agree more! The interface is simple, elegant, and downloading maps is very simple.

The different types of maps available including the cycle routes via www.opencyclemap.org are helpful when cycle touring, especially finding a bike shop, which are automatically labeled in the cycle route map. It was our go to tool in Europe when needing to quickly check our directions.

We’d simply whip out our phone, enable GPS, and know exactly where we were located.

Galileo also has a very basic search tool for points-of-interest. Not as powerful as OsmAnd POI locater, but good enough depending on where you’re traveling.

It’s also not a resource drag on our iPhones. It loads fast and rarely crashes.

Cons : Bike maps or terrain maps need to be manually downloaded offline. This encompasses scrolling over the area you want to view while the tile downloads. The tile pieces are then cached in memory. Each night we’d review the planned route and scroll over the bike map tiles to make sure we got what we wanted, if WiFi is available.

This included the various zoom levels that require individual tile downloads. We’ve been stuck on a number occasions where we don’t have the tile downloaded at the zoom level needed.

Cost : Free for a trial. $3.99 for unlimited downloading.

Bottom line : Galileo was our go to offline mapping tool in Europe, especially mid-ride for quickly checking our location and confirming we are on the right path. It’s not the de facto planning tool for us and lacks turn-by-turn directions, but it can get you from point A to point B.

We found that Galileo can be a useful addition to a more detailed route planning offline navigation tool.

(2018 update)  We have continued to use Galileo on a regular basis, though our usage dropped considerably in South America. The manual need to download tiles while being connected to the Internet proved to a pain, as WiFi access can be sparse in Patagonia and throughout South America.

Plus, we found the routes to be so straight forward and the lack of Points of Interest data meant that Galileo was more helpful when finding off-road hiking trails than actually planning a cycling route.

In more populated areas of Europe, we’ve found Galileo to be more helpful as the maps are more accurate. Ultimately, it’s a solid plus 1 app in that it shouldn’t be the sole provider of navigation and data, but an additional source.

4. Maps.Me (aka Maps Me)

Android and iOS | Free |  www.maps.me

Pros : We heard so many good things about Maps.Me and for good reason. It’s as solid of an app out there. It’s open source, has a ton of data including cycle routes, integrated Uber options, walking, and cycling.

We like the turn-by-turn directions and user-friendly search functions that make it easy to find locations for accommodations or restaurants.

The user interface is well-designed and a quick study for the non-techies.

A recent release includes real time traffic for when you’re connected to the Internet. Plus, cycle directions from point A to point B include a visual elevation profile.

This is HUGE when planning and comparing cycle routes. You can save Points of Interest, and even add new places you’ve found that will be synced with the master database for the whole application when you get back online.

Another fantastic feature is the integration of hotels with Booking.com. You can book directly from the app if online, however, if you’re offline you can only see the rating (1-10) and cost estimate ($- $$$).

This proved to be incredibly valuable for us when rolling into a town late at night and wanting to see if the nearby accommodations fit our budget and had a decent rating.

Lastly, you can import KML files downloaded from other sources. This lets you follow a route that someone else has created and tracked. 

Cons : The turn by turn navigation from point A to point B are laughable at best. The directions are so bad that it became a joke between us. Why would I want to climb over a 1,000M mountain than ride the flat road?

I cannot stress enough poor how the point A to point B route directions for cycling are. Further, there is no option to drag the route to a preferred one. This poor functionality occurs for driving a faster vehicle as well.

Jen mapped a biking route in Portland, OR and discovered to her shock that the suggested route took her down one of the busiest roads in the city, which has no bike infrastructure, despite having Greenways on two sides of where we are staying.

Cost : Free. Maps.Me was bought in 2014 and made all content free of charge.

Bottom line : We love Maps.Me and there is a reason it has won a bunch of awards. The interface is modest and anyone can pick it up and use it immediately. The integration with Uber and Booking.com is a complete bonus and something that separates itself from other apps.

The main drawback is the route directions for cycling are horrible and generally unsafe. The 2018 update included the ability to add a review of a business.

While this feature doesn’t seem to be used much yet, it has the potential to save people a lot of bad decisions.

(2018 update) In South America, everyone is using Maps.Me for backpacking, hiking, and cycle touring. And with good reason, in the last two years, the application has undergone extensive updates. So, we updated the content below provide a new overview.

Back in Europe, we use it everywhere in Spain. It’s our jack of all trades application and we use the turn by turn directions when driving a car as well.

(2019 update) We use this app so much that we wrote our own detailed review of Maps Me. 

5. Google Maps

Android and iOS | Free | www.google.com/maps

Pros : Everyone uses Google Maps and the interface is about as simple as it gets. We love the directions, real time traffic, turn by turn navigation, integration with other Google features, and street views.

The Terrain view is super helpful when wanting to gauge how difficult a potential route will be with respect to hills and mountains.

There is offline functionality as of recent releases, though still limited by region. I do appreciate the steps with Google Street Views of the turn by turn directions.

Cons : Believe it or not, Google has not mapped the entire world. We ran into many occasions, like Italy, where Google has no cycling option in that country. Likewise, most of South America outside of big cities is little mapped.

Open source mapping data is much more consistent when outside of the highly-developed world.  

We’ve also discovered that offline caching of maps can be clumsy at best. We have had maps disappear, or no longer work once offline, despite using the Save feature. Google Maps also lacks a road quality feature.

Cost : Free.

Bottom Line: Google Maps makes sense when you’re online and in countries with well-developed roads and infrastructure. It also helps when Google has mapped the country with their vehicles, as the catalogue of information is going to be accurate.

With so many other apps specifically designed for offline navigation that include more features, Google Maps is a dinosaur.

(2018 update)  Despite being one of the largest tech companies in the world, Google simply has not mapped large swaths of South America.

We rarely used it outside of cities as it wouldn’t even show the road we were currently on. It also struggles with using addresses outside of Europe and the US. It sent us to so many wrong locations that we stopped using it outside the US.

6. RideWithGPS.com

Android and iOS | Free – online. $-$$ offline |  https://ridewithgps.com

Ride with GPS gets a lot of fanfare online and has so many features that it packs a punch. You can find routes that others have completed and really dial in to what you’re going to be expecting when riding. It also offers a nice route planning tool on their website. You can also share rides with friends, and track all your stats.

Cons : RideWithGPS.com is first and foremost a tracking app. It’s primary function is follow your route, give you speed, distance, climbs, and all the data you want to know.

This comes at a price though, as a) you have to have GPS enabled on your device which is a no-no when doing long tour cycle touring as electricity can be sparse, and b) it’s expensive at $6/month for the basic upgrade or $10/month for the premium package.

You can’t download routes offline without paying. For us, this is a deal breaker. Why pay nearly 12x more with a reoccurring expense to get offline elevation charts?

Cost : Free for online. $6/month and $10/month for upgraded versions that allow offline usage.

Bottom Line:  I can imagine RideWithGPS.com being the go-to app for road riders out for the weekend jaunt. However, for long distance tourers, the app really only offers elevation profiles offline, and at a premium price.

If elevation profiles are important and all you care about, there are plenty of other apps that are significantly cheaper and offer more information about upcoming climbs.

(2018 update)  We used RideWithGPS.com during our ride through Ecuador. The application was helpful in planning distances and climbs, but the price point coupled with battery drainage meant usage was short-lived. After that, we deleted the app and decided it wasn’t worth the cost.

If were just doing day trips and being roadies, I could see the potential, otherwise, save the money.

User Suggested Apps

Naviki .

Android and iOS | Free – $ |  https://www.naviki.org

Quick Review : Tailored towards cyclists. Includes height profile, turn by turn navigation, POIs, and routes based on the type of cycling you’re doing like mountain, leisure, racing, etc.

Android and iOS | Free | https://www.here.com/en/products-services/here-wego-app

Quick Review : Features include public transportation, voice navigation, bike routes, and offline downloads. As one of our followers John pointed out, the collections feature that will sync across all devices is a bonus when cycling with multiple devices and/or riders.

Android and iOS | Free – $7.49 |  https://vector.city/how-to/

Quick Review : Offline app that allows you download individual maps of specific regions. Allows you import and export KML, KMZ, GPX and other files. Reviews via Google Play store says the app has loads of features, but the paid version is a must as the free version only allows 3 maps and runs slow.

Desktop – Online Planning

Link:  https://www.komoot.com

Pros : Like the app for your phone, the desktop version of Komoot gives you full access to point A to point B details including time, distance, elevation change (including uphill and downhill). Including the way-types like cycleways vs road and surfaces like unpaved and paved is very helpful.

The desktop version also gives you a great overview of the elevation profile and which surface and way-type you’ll be riding. There is so much information. Plus, you can search for POIs like swimming holes and add them to your route. Finally, the Send the Tour to my Phone feature for each reference for later is a nice bonus.

One nice feature I discovered is you can change the recommended route by modifying your Fitness level . The range is Couch Potato to Pro and depending on what you select, your suggested route will change.

When finding a hotel, the site will display links to TripAdvisor Traveler Rating and Yelp Reviews. While Yelp isn’t really used in Europe, TripAdvisor certainly is with tourists.

Cons : Not integrated with Open Street Map data so there isn’t the abundance of crowd sourced data available.

Bottom Line: This will be a our new favorite for planning routes going forward. It’s just got so much information that you can’t go wrong.

2. OpenStreetMap

Link:  www.openstreetmap.org

OpenStreetMap showing turn-by-turn directions.

Pros : OpenStreetMap is like Google Maps but way better. It includes several map overlays like the cycling maps from www.opencyclemap.org or transportation map (in case you want to see the route trucks might travel). It has turn-by-turn directions for cycling in places like Italy, which Google Maps does not have.

Its user interface makes for a quick learn and the minimalist approach offers just enough features to make it worth your time.

All of the data on the site is crowdsourced, which yields far better information than what Google can offer. We’ve found roads in Bosnia only labeled on OpenStreetMap.

Cons : The lack of a terrain view makes it challenging to gauge the level of difficulty of a proposed route. The auto-locate feature doesn’t work 100% of the time, and the lack of map details can be a bit annoying.

Bottom Line: We used OpenStreetMap.org on a daily basis for route planning in Europe. The cycle map overlay is a fantastic feature and can add value when planning longer routes that span over multiple countries and cities.

The lack of terrain still makes use rely on Google Maps; however, 90% of our planning was done in OpenStreetMaps.org

(2018 update)  There is very little cycle infrastructure in South America, so we didn’t use OpenStreetMaps. We instead used the same open source data through Maps.Me on our phones and offline. In Europe and areas were there is plenty of route choices, it’s incredibly helpful.

3. Mapmyride

Link:  www.mapmyride.com

Mapmyride showing the elevation charts for a planned route. 10% grades. Ouch.

Pros : Elevation charts with a grading scale. That’s it. We only use mapmyride.com for this feature. It’s great (and often daunting) to see how steep those hills are going to be and how many kilometers of pain awaits you. Plus, you can save those routes to review later.

Cons : Owned by Under Armor this site is really dedicated to the gamification of active lifestyles. It’s filled with so many additional features it can be overwhelming and a bit of a turn off. The user interface is way too crowded and be challenging to grasp.

Bottom Line: We wish other sites, like OpenStreetMaps.org included elevation charts and grading scales, but they don’t, so we use Mapmyride.com. On the positive side, it does have a nice visual of the elevation gains.

(2018 update)  When planning big climbs or really needing to compare different routes, we still used MapMyRide. We’re not big fans of Under Armor due to their political lobbying, however, their site is super helpful for seeing elevation profiles.

Unfortunately, you can only create and plan routes on your phone with the paid version. This is a major bummer and kept us from using the tool all the time.

4. BikeRoll

Link:  https://bikeroll.net/

Pros : Elevation charts with a grading scale and forecasted weather and winds! The tool works in many languages and you can save your routes. I also appreciate seeing total ascent, descent, and length of the route.

Cons : It’s a bit cumbersome to use the elevation feature to see the exact grade changes. If you zoom in enough, you can see a colored elevation profile for your specific route. Appears to not pick up local cycle paths in Spain when testing the tool. 

Bottom Line: A solid tool that we will use in our arsenal for planning in the future. Especially the weather feature.

(2018 update)  Added while we are in Spain and will be used for summer 2018 route planning.

5. Cycle.Travel

Link:  http://cycle.travel/map

Pros : Elevation charts that are 3D! Holy smokes this is amazing for visualizing a route. Route guides for the UK and some of Europe as well as City Guides. You can save your routes to PDF and find local accommodations.

Cons : Tailored to the UK and an outdated user interface. Didn’t accurately find local bike paths in Spain that are on other apps. 

Bottom Line:  The 3D mapping of the elevation profile is enough reason to use this tool.

(2018 update)  We are using this as a regular route planning app. Whether day trips, bikepacking, or cycle touring.

If you like this article, you may enjoy our  10 Items You MUST Bring on Cycle Tour that includes some gear pro tips and our favorite items to bring with us when touring. 

What are your favorite offline mapping tools for cycle touring? Which countries did you use them in?

Pin for later.

Tuesday 29th of March 2022

The Cyclope bike app is great too. It allows, in addition to the classic functions of a cycle computer, to connect the cyclists in them. You can know the position of the other runners, have the time difference, communicate by voice like the professionals with their headset.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Illusion.Cyclope&hl=fr https://www.cyclope.dev/

Jen Sotolongo

Thanks for the tip! I'll be curious to check it out.

Md tariqul Islam

Friday 1st of May 2020

I would like to read more insight from you! Also I am going to share this blog immediately. Awesome!

Thursday 27th of February 2020

You have a great website full of great information for us once-in-a-while cycle tourers. I have a question about route planning. I will be using an Android phone for navigation. Having used Bikemap previously with a Teasi One2 navigation device, I thought of continuing using this app with my smartphone. However, I was interested in your review of Komoot. What is stopping me? I think you said it lacks the ability to plan a route when offline. Is this still correct as of Feb-2020?

Monday 2nd of March 2020

Great question and it's something I have wondered as well. Here is what Komoot says: https://support.komoot.com/hc/en-us/articles/360023078891-Offline-Tours-use-komoot-without-internet-and-abroad

Let us know how it works out for you.

Wednesday 25th of September 2019

Guru maps (was Galileo) lets you down load maps by selecting regions from a list as well as downloading maps through the map screen.

It also can use vector maps, which avoids the zoom-level issue.

You can download the maps before you go to places with poor wifi. It doesn't even use that much memory.

This app has always provided this feature (you might need the paid version).

I consider this a required feature (downloading through the map is kind of annoying).

It's not the only app that lets you do this.

Thursday 13th of June 2019

Hi there! Thank you for this post, very informative.

I am putting up a website for my friend, he is preparing to travel by bike across the globe next year. I am looking specifically for a way to track his movement where ever he is, on the website, for whoever wants to see his current location. Would Komoot still be the best choice? I will also be somewhat of a road manager. What I have in mind is a box on the webpage that would load his current location. Any suggestions?

Thank you, Dan

Friday 14th of June 2019

Wow. I have no idea to accomplish this in real time. I do know that WhatsApp offers this information in real time, but it can be a battery burner for sure. Let me know what you find out.

Home > General Travel > Google Maps Tips

Using Google Maps and My Maps Offline: 9 Advanced Tips Made Easy

Hidden a Tap or Two Away

My friends frequently say "Whoa! I wish I'd known this sooner" when I share these Google Maps tips and tricks with them.

Too frequently.

These tricks aren't buried deep within Google Maps or anything. They're only a tap or two away. The problem is Google doesn't make them obvious and not everyone has the time I do to mess around with the app to find them.

So let me share with you what I've found, my favorite not-so-secret Google Maps tips and tricks.

Maybe one or two will make you say, "I wish I'd known this sooner."

9 Google Maps Tips

• Save Google Maps for Offline Use
• Use Google My Maps Offline
• Make Your Own Google My Map
• The Best Way to Find Stops Along the Way
• Know When NOT to Use Google Maps
• Share Live Locations
• Zoom In and Out With One Finger
• Make a Custom Route
• Our Favorite: Never Miss a Highlight With Saved Places

Google Maps Tip 1 of 9: Download and Use Google Maps Offline

Just Say "No" to Screenshots

Instead of relying on the screenshots you take before leaving WiFi behind, download the map of the area you're traveling to and use Google Maps offline.

Even when you're not traveling it makes sense to download the offline map of your home city too. It loads faster and saves you data.

There are a couple of ways to download Google Maps for offline use now. I prefer this one:

• When connected to the internet, open Google Maps and zoom in/out to the area you wish to save online.
• Type "ok maps" in the search bar and click Search.
• Confirm the area and download.
• When you no longer need the offline map, click the three horizontal lines on the top left -> Offline maps -> Select the map to delete -> Press delete.

Video Walkthrough

Google maps tip 2 of 9: save google my maps to your phone, save others' google my maps to your phone.

"Google My Maps" are maps like this example:

Helpful bloggers like Kim and I make them to show our readers the exact locations of points of interest we recommend with custom locations and symbols.

But we don't want you to just look at them…

Take them with you!

Save these Google My Maps to your phone so that you can still see and access all their info on your Google Maps.

How to Save a Google My Map

Any time you see a Google My Map you'd like to refer to later on your phone, click the rectangle icon on the top right corner. This will open the map up in Google Maps on your phone and automatically save it on your Google account.

How to Use Google My Maps Offline

Annoyingly, we need a workaround to use Google My Maps offline because there is no built-in way.

Here are the steps:

• On your phone's Google Maps, click the three horizontal lines on the top left.
• Tap "Your Places."
• In "Your Places" tap "Maps" on the upper right of your screen.
• Locate the Google My Map you want to see and use offline and tap it to open it up on your screen. The map will then be accessible for offline use
• Don't exit Google Maps! You can switch to other apps, but don't close Google Maps entirely or else the cache will be wiped out and you will no longer be able to see your desired Google My Map offline.

Note: You can only have up to 5 Google My Maps visible on your Google Maps at a time.

Google Maps Tip 3 of 9: Make Your Own Customized Google My Map

Not Recommended …

I don't recommend creating Google My Maps for travel planning unless it's for a blog or to otherwise share with many others.

Instead, I recommend everyone use Saved Places, which we'll cover below. Saved Places is less customizable, but much easier to edit on the fly on your phone than Google MyMaps.

…Unless You Really Want These Functionalities

Google My Maps has some functionalities that Saved Places doesn't have that might make it useful for specific needs:

• More customizable. Custom icons, lines, and directions.
• Collaborative . You can work with others on the same map.

How to Make Your Own Google My Map

If you really want the functionalities or are just curious to see for yourself:

• On your desktop, log in to your Google account.
• Open the Google My Maps page.
• Click "+ Create a New Map."
• Type in the search box to begin adding locations.
• Play around with all the mostly self-explanatory functionalities or follow Google's My Maps instructions .

Google Maps Tip 4 of 9: The Best Way to Find Stops Along the Way

If you're using Google Maps for directions and need to stop for a bathroom, coffee, food, or whatever break along the way, here's the best way to do so.

Add a Pit Stop

• When you're in the step-by-step direction mode of Google Maps, click the magnifying glass search icon on the top right of your screen
• Choose from one of the options that appear there, Gas Stations, Restaurants, Grocery Stores, and Coffee shops, or tap Search and type in whatever category of the location you're looking for
• Google Maps will show you on the map all the potential places along the way and how many minutes of a detour each is.
• Tap whichever location you want to stop at along the way and the app will automatically add it to your route.

Remove a Pit Stop

• Tap the bottom part of the screen where it says the time and distance to your destination.
• Select "Remove stop."
• Choose which stop to remove from your route.

Google Maps Tip 5 of 9: When NOT to Use Google Maps

For hiking trails, use maps.me.

If you want to go hiking, don't count on Google Maps to have the trail you're looking for.

Do count on Maps.Me to have it, though. It's a free, easy-to-use, and lightweight alternative.

How to Use Maps.Me

• Before you go offline, locate the hiking trail you want to follow on Maps.Me.
• Download the map of the area Maps.Me will ask you to download. These are generally less than 30 Mb.
• You're set! The map's ready to be used offline.

Google Maps Tip 6 of 9: Share Live Locations

Google Maps makes it easy for you to share your location and see the location of others who've shared their location with you. You can share permanently or for a predetermined amount of time, from 1 hour to 3 days.

Other apps like WhatsApp and Find My Friends have the same functionality, but I find it to be more convenient when it's right on Google Maps.

How to Share Your Location

• On Google Maps, tap the menu icon on the top left (the three horizontal lines beside the search box).
• Select "Location sharing."
• Tap "Get Started."
• Choose how long you want to share your location for, from 1 hour to 3 days.
• Share your location. Google Maps creates a link that you can share with specific people or even share publicly.

How to Stop Sharing Your Location

You can stop sharing your location at any time.

Simply go to your "Location sharing" settings and tap the "x" beside the people or link you want to stop sharing with.

Google Maps Tip 7 of 9: Zoom in and Out With One Finger

Ditch the pinch.

We were taught as children not to pinch and it's a lesson we should continue to abide by when it comes to zooming in and out on Google Maps.

Instead of pinching:

• Double-tap the Google Maps screen with your finger of choice
• On the second tap, hold your finger on the screen
• Keeping your finger on the screen, swipe up to zoom out and swipe down to zoom in.

Give it a try and you'll immediately realize it's a much easier, smoother, and faster way to zoom in and out.

Ditch the pinch and start swiping!

Google Maps Tip 8 of 9: Make a Custom Route with Google Maps

Here's how to make a custom route on Google Maps, save it for future use, and share it with others.

It's not as easy as it should be because, for whatever reason, you can't send a custom route with directions from your computer to your phone.

This leaves you with two options:

Option 1: Step-by-Step Directions With Less Control

With this option, you cannot drag the route to be exactly what you like. You have to play with stops along the way to get Google's directions to match your exact desired route.

• Open Google Maps on your phone or computer
• Enter two locations along your desired route.
• Add stops. Do it on your phone by tapping the three dots to the top right of your screen and tapping "Add Stop" in the options menu that opens up. On your computer, click "Add Destination" on the top left of your screen, just below the two locations you already input.
• Arrange your stops in their desired order.
• Fine-tune your route by adding more intermediary stops if the route Google Maps gives you isn't exactly what you'd like.
• Share or save the route. On mobile, do it by tapping the three dots in the top right and selecting "Share Directions" in the options menu. On a computer, click "Details" to get the detailed step-by-step directions and click the share icon that appears to the left of the print icon.

Handy Tool: Google Maps limits you to 10 locations on a single route, but you can get around that limit by using More Than 10 .

Option 2: Exact Route Without Step-by-Step Directions

Using this approach, you can make the route exactly as you wish, but you won't get Google's step-by-step directions when you follow it:

• Open Google My Maps on your computer and make a new map, naming it however you wish.
• Click the "Add directions" icon underneath the search bar. This will open up a new Untitled Layer.
• Type in the locations —your starting point, destination, and points in between—in this new layer.
• Fine-tune your route any time by clicking and dragging the blue route line.
• Open this route on your phone by following the steps in Google Maps Trick #2 above . The line you made will show up, but Google Maps will not provide you the step-by-step directions.

Google Maps Tip 9 of 9: Never Miss a Highlight With Google Maps Saved Places

Our Favorite Google Maps Tip

If there's only one thing you take from this Google Maps tips and tricks post, let it be this.

Google Maps' Saved Places functionality is one of Kim and my top travel tips and our go-to way of keeping track of places we want to see, visit, and dine at when traveling and at home.

Unlike Google My Maps locations, your saved places stay on your offline map even if you restart your phone or Google Maps app.

How to Save Places on Google Maps

How to Use Saved Places On the Road

• Open Google Maps on your phone. (Remember to follow Tip #1 to save if for offline use!)
• Go to the area you'll be traveling to.
• Look at the icons to see what nearby locations you'd previously saved and decide which, if any, to check out.

Unleash Saved Places' Potential

Because Saved Places is such an important Google Map functionality, we've put together a separate post that explains why we use it so heavily, how to get started, how to get the most out of it, and answers to frequently asked questions.

Check it out: How to Unleash the Full Potential of Google Maps Saved Places .

Read This Next:

How to Unleash the Full Potential of Google Maps Saved Places Lists

Travel Tips and Tricks: At Least One Will Enhance Your Trip

Why Travel Guidebooks Are Better than Blogs

Disclosure: Whenever possible, we use links that earn us a cut if you pay for stuff we recommend. It costs you nothing, so we'd be crazy not to. Read our affiliate policy .

71 thoughts on “Using Google Maps and My Maps Offline: 9 Advanced Tips Made Easy”

Hey there! We tried to do save a map offline then turn off the wifi and data. Unfortunately, the map disappears from the google maps app once we do that. Any suggestions?

Hey Aarthi, thanks for reaching out with your question. If it's Google offline maps you're referring to, click the three horizontal lines on the top left corner of Google Maps to open the menu, then select Offline Maps. If you don't see the map you saved there, a mistake was made saving the map for offline use. Try saving it again. If it's a Google My Map whose locations keep disappearing, here are a couple points that might help: 1) You can only have one "Google My Map" displayed on your Google Maps at at time, so if you look at one then the other, the locations from first one are removed. 2) If you close the app or restart your phone, the map will disappear when you reopen it, so keep Google Maps open as long as you need the offline Google My Map. You can go to other apps. Just don't shut down Google Maps. 2) The safest bet is to double check the map and the locations are there just before you leave a wifi zone. That way they certain not to disappear until you close the app or restart your phone. Hopefully one of these things helps!

In the case of "How to Save a Google My Map", when you no longer have internet access (either wifi or mobile data) you will often get a message "unable to load one of your maps" or something similar, even without having closed and re-opened the app. Then you can't get the My Map to display until you have an internet connection again.

So this feature can be handy, but it isn't reliable and people should be warned not to depend on it. The "My Map" does not get saved to your phone for offline use.

You are completely right and the post is not accurate.

Hi Chris! Thanks for the quick reply! It looks like the map will stay on the screen offline as long as I don't close the app. However, I can't zoom in or else the pins disappear. I also can't click on any of the save locations for any information. Do you notice those same limitations? I tried on an iphone and ipad. I wonder if that's as good as it gets with google my maps offline.

Next best option I can find is downloading the map data as kml and uploading that to the maps.me app. Unfortunately, any color coding saved in google my maps is gone but all of the data is available offline. If you notice the same problem with google my maps as me, this might be worth checking out!

Hey Aarthi. With Google My Maps even if you're online if you click any of the pins it won't show any other information other than whatever the creator of the map input. You don't see the Google Maps info. I've never come across the zooming issue, though.

Thanks for recommending maps.me. The problem with maps.me is making maps with it only helps those who have the app. Which is better: an imperfect Google Maps map that just about everyone can use easily, or an much better maps.me map that only a fraction of the same people would actually use?

Chris. Your way works great! After searching the web for ages, I found your suggestion. Many thanks. Les

Glad to have helped, Les. Hopefully now that you know how to use Google Maps offline you won't be getting lost searching around cities for ages like you were searching the web for these tips!

What is the app to download? Maps.me or Google Maps for offline info

Google Maps. Maps.me is definitely a worthy alternative. I keep both on my phone. Google Maps has better info on businesses and is better for saving locations; Maps.me has better hiking trail info.

Hi there, Are you aware of an issue with Google My Maps no longer working on iPhones? I have multiple My maps that have worked in the past but now when I try to open any of the maps, it takes me to the city but doesn't show any of the placemarkers.

Hey Hannah. Yeah, as of this week I've been having the same problem with my iPhone 6S. Kim, who has an 8, can still see the maps though. It seems to be a problem with older, 7 and below, models. I updated the post accordingly. Google says they're working on it, but I wouldn't hold my hopes up for a speedy solution.

Hi Chris, Thanks for the update. I actually have an iPhone XS Max, and I deleted and re-downloaded Google Maps so I definitely have the most recent version. Seems like its not just older models sadly! Any suggestions for a workaround? Hopefully they won't take too long to fix it!

Hi Hannah. Good news: Google fixed the problem. As soon as you update Google Maps on your phone you should be able to see My Maps data again!

If I save a custom google map then reopen it years later will google update the map for any street additions/deletions/changes or will the map remain exactly how it was when I first made and stored it?

That's a really good question, Virginny! I don't know the answer. I'm almost positive that the base map with the streets will change but I doubt that if, for example, a restaurant you saved on your My Map changes location, that Google will move it for you.

It looks like I might have a similar problem as the folks with the iphones. I've used google maps offline for over a year that I've been living in my car. I love the saved places that show up on the map. Suddenly, I can only get lists of places. So I can't get an idea of where things ARE. I've got an asus Zenphone 3. Yesterday I updated to the latest version of maps. No difference. (The same thing happens if I try "library near me". It gives a list instead of showing me nearby libraries. I'm panicking. I can't find things unless I know where they are! Which I obviously don't.)

Hey Irene. I'm sorry to hear you're now having similar problems as us iPhoners were having back in Feb (which were subsequently fixed by Google). Have you checked the Google Maps help forum to see if anyone else is having similar issues? Here's the link. p.s. Your comment, "I can’t find things unless I know where they are! Which I obviously don’t." made me chuckle. Thanks for that.

Thanks for the response! I was having trouble finding (irony) the forum; thanks for the link. You ifolks are addressed, but I'm still searching for us androids. Back to the search, thanks again.^

Hi Chris, thanks a lot for your helpful website here! One question i didn't find yet on the net: When riding with multiple stops, how can i tell or configure google map to continue his road automatically when reaching the "stop"? without asking to click manually on "continue" each time? You would understand i am a biker … thanks for your precious help!

Hey Ben. Here's an option: 1. On Google Maps on your computer, get the directions to wherever your ultimate destination is. 2. On the route that Google gives you, drag the little white dots to the waypoints you want to go by. 3. Once you have the route you want, click "Send directions to your phone." It may be a bit more time-consuming to drag to the waypoints yourself, but that should do the trick.

Will try!! Thanks si Mich for your answer and your help! Nice day

Awesome tips Chris!!!

We will use it a lot in our adventure in Colombia 🙂

Thanks for all the great tips. I’m wondering if it’s possible to create a custom route and save it so that I can continue following it later on.

Specifically, I’d like to follow the Blue Ridge Parkway which winds through the US Appalachians for hundreds of miles. It travels along many different roads, so I can’t just ask Maps to compute a route because my preferred route would not be anywhere near optimal.

Therefore, I think I’d need to create a custom route by starting with one that Maps suggests and then adjusting it by dragging at various points to cover my Saved Places. This would be time-consuming, so I’d like to do it just once, save it, and then bring it back each day to continue from my most recent nightly stopping point.

Maybe I could do this with Google My Maps but that would have the disadvantages that you point out in your article. I’d greatly appreciate any advice on doing this with the methods that you suggest.

Hi Dave – Good question. I think you can do it! Ben asked a similar question in an earlier comment above. Make the route on Google Maps, not Google My Maps, by adding all the waypoints you'd like along and dragging the white dots along the exact path you want. Google limits you to 10 waypoints (but unlimited white dots). If you have more than 10, there are a few workarounds like the one here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlmUJ8-KQ5o . Once you have your desired route, save the URL for future use.

Hope that helps. I'm going to add this one to this guide when I get the chance.

All the best

I think you’re outlining some clear functionality gaps in Google Maps. All of these are really annoying. Have you tried reaching out to Google?

I agree with you, Sean. I and many others have raised these complaints with Google on their forums and through feedback buttons, but I guess they have other priorities than make Google Maps and Google My Maps more functional for us. Until then, we're stuck with making the best we can with what we have. It's still a million times better than no maps at all!

Hi there, How can I copy a saved map I did on google maps, into Maps.me?

Hi Shicko, Not sure what you mean by "a saved map on Google maps."

If you mean saved places on Google Maps, look here for how to export Google Maps data: Click here .

If you mean a saved Google My Map, follow these steps: Click here

Hi Chris!! How can I use an offline custom map with the possibility to open icon description and photos?

Hi Carlos. For offline maps, the best you can do is add your own notes to each place you save on Google My Maps or with Saved Places on Google Maps. With Saved Places, Google will also save the overall average review, address, hours, and phone number for you too, but no photos and individual reviews.

Hello Chris Thank you so much for this guide. I have a cycling route saved and I’ve added points if interest, eg stars for hotels, hearts for taxis etc. I’ve saved the map for use offline but when I try to click on my pins/points of interest I can’t see any details such as the hotel name or the taxi phone number which I’d added in as text. Any suggestions for viewing points of interest you added when offline? Thanks!

Hello Kirsten. Your best bet would be to use the brand-new functionality Google Maps just added to its Saved Places that allows you to add notes to each location. For example, if you have a list, "Cycling Route," and add a hotel to it, the hotel and its name will be saved. Underneath that you'll see an option to add a note. Add whatever additional info you need—phone number, etc—to that note.

You CAN edit your maps on a phone. Actually, there are two ways to do it: 1. On Chrome, go to google.com/mymaps. You have to be logged in to Chrome. 2. Just install the Google My Maps application from Google Play.

You're right, and what I'd previously written was wrong. I've corrected it. Thanks Gabriel!

Hello, I don't understand why people try to keep on using my maps off line while there is a very usefull navigation apication full of features called OSMAND (for Android ONLY). I have been using it for years with great satisfaction. Just try it. It's free.

Hello Dov. Thanks for sharing about OsmAnd. I could see how for some Android users it would be super helpful. Some of us still keep trying to use Google My Maps offline because we have iPhones, because My Maps are commonly shared by bloggers online, and because for many of us we'd rather be able to do everything on one map app than have to deal with many of them. Just too bad Google Maps can't make it easier for us!

I want to use custom lists to organize my saved places. For example: I have created a "Family" list that contains the location of numerous family members. When I try to use this list to get directions to a family member's house, there are never more than two items in the list. The title of the list indicates there are numerous entries, but when I open the list only two saved locations are shown. I'm using iOS 13 on iPhone 6s. Google Maps 5.27.8

Hey CJK. I have sometimes noticed that Google Maps saved places doesn't synch perfectly between the lists on desktop and on your phone's app. Maybe this is the reason? It's definitely frustrating. Because of this, I manage my Saved Places lists almost entirely on mobile.

Good stuff – big thanks!

You're welcome Peter. Thanks for the thanks!

Over the last couple of years, I have saved and labeled numerous places I would like to visit. Now I see I can save these places to Lists. Since I know which places I will be visiting on each of several days, I would like to have a List for each day. Can I moved each saved place to an appropriate new List?

Never mind. I found that if I just clicked on Saved, I was given an option.

I'm glad you found a solution, Jane. Making a separate list for each days a creative approach. Maybe I'll try it on a future trip. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Chris, Thanks for your very informative webpage on how to use Google maps. Often all of my stops are not recorded when I travel day by day. One time by accident I hit some button and a list of the places I visited came out….even some of the ones that did not show on the map. Do you know what button or how I found my list of places visited?? Thanks so much. Gratefully, Dianne

Hi Dianne. I believe you asked the same question on our Google Maps saved places post and that I answered as best I could there. Here it is again:

I believe you’re referring to your Google Maps Timeline. That’s a separate functionality from saved places lists. Here are Google’s instructions for seeing them .

Hi, thanks for the great tips. I am trying to use a My Maps on my phone. I have the My Map open on my computer browser but can't see a rectangular icon per your step…click the rectangle icon on the top right corner. thanks

Hi Michael. You're right. Google Maps has changed the mobile layout. Click Saved on the bottom middle of your phone, then the maps on the top right and you should find your My Maps. Happy mapping!

Hi, a couple questions; What is the expiration for offline maps, especially if I don't open the app for a few months at a time? It seems to be just 30 days—meh. GM seems very slow in areas without Wi-Fi and with poor 4G, maybe because my offline region is VERY large and dense (Maine to Richmond, Nantucket to Pittsburgh). Would performance improve if I broke this into 4-5 maps? But again, frustrating if I have to recreate each time I travel, often last minute. 256 so no space issue. Thanks. (and when will GM include a trucker option so they are not put on NY region parkways with low bridges—seems simple)

Hi, Offline maps expire in a year (at least on my phone). Tap your profile photo on the top right, then "Offline maps" on the drop-down menu to see them and when each expires, or delete those you don't need. I don't know if breaking down big maps into smaller ones would help. I don't see how it would, though. Maybe your phone is slowing down a bit because it's constantly searching for network? So maybe see if it's faster in airplane mode? Good point on the trucker option. Is there no dedicated maps app for truckers, then? Seems like a business opportunity.

Hi Kim and Chris, Thanks for writing your blog. It's the most thorough I have found. Although some of the videos you shared are no longer relevant because of Google's updates and changes, I found your info to be of utmost value. I'm going to do the Catedral-Arenales hike here in Medellin tomorrow. And I plan to check out your blog some more as I continue to explore the natural beauty of Medellin now that things are reopen. It's been a tough 6 months without access to nature. Also I downloaded Wikiloc app. Looks solid. I normally use All Trails, but this app seems to be way more comprehensive for Colombia. I haven't explored the app fully, but do you find it to be a better alternative to All Trails? Or are they both good depending on the region? I'd love to know your thoughts.

Thanks, Cynthia

Hi Cynthia. We only used Wikiloc in Colombia, not All Trails, so I can't compare them. As you pointed out, Wikiloc seems to be preferred among the local hikers, so it may be more useful there. It's only a few bucks, anyway. Well worth it to not get lost. And even possibly find some new trails in the area. Enjoy Antioquia's natural beauty! Check out the paramo if you can.

Hello, Thanks so much for the helpful article! One seemingly basic question that is baffling me on Google My Maps on my iphone. If I create a map with map legend, how do I then search for specific locations within that map from my phone to then share with others via whatsapp or similar? I can see the places all in a long list on map legends but you can't actually click on them? You can of course search by looking on the map itself but it would be ideal for my purposes to be able to type in specific places to find them in the same way that you can on the desktop version. Yet the issue on my desktop version is that it's not easy to then share from there to people's phones. Any ideas? Emma

Hi Emma. I checked quickly to see if I could find something you missed and… nope. Sorry.

Hi. I am traveling and use my offline maps and saved pins/places extensively in remote areas with no cell signal. I am finding that, although not expired, I have to update them at least once a week or they are unusable. Also, there are times when I am able to use the offline maps but all my saved places do not appear (which I rely on heavily to get us to our next destination and places we'd like to see). It seems to happen randomly, or at least I haven't figured out why, and it has happened often enough that I can not rely solely on them being available when needed. A little frustrating. Any similar problems on your end?

Hi Sandy. I don't know. Maybe the saved places are stored in the cache of our phones' memories, not in the actual memory, like the offline maps are? So before going offline, open the saved places you want to be able to use, then be sure not to turn off your phone or otherwise exit the Google Maps app on your phone. (You can switch to other apps, but just keep the app open in the background.) Let me know if that might work.

Enjoyed your Maps tips. Thanks for the info. For tip 8 above, one route trick I use is to copy the URL of the Maps page after I have created a route. Google Maps places all the information in the URL box as you modify the route. I can store/share the link like any other. When I click on the link or paste in the URL, I get the entire route with detail steps. I usually set up my routes on my PC, then email them to myself so I can bookmark them in my phone.

Thanks GB. If you create a custom route on your PC by dragging points and send that URL to your phone, the route doesn't include the drags, though, right? At least it doesn't when I try. Hence the workarounds I mentioned in #8.

Well… When my husband started a list for our Utah Trip and shared it with me, I can see the list but it doesn't seem like I can collaborate and add to the list. Is that correct?

Does it matter if he makes it public when he shares it? (Doesn't seem so.) Is there a way to create a group list so we both can edit, add notes, etc?

I just found a work around if your answers to my questions is "no". We have created a joint google email address and if we both log in to that google account when working in maps on the list, we both can create, edit and make notes. While clumsy to have to log in and out of different google accounts, it does work…

Hey AmyR. Clever workaround. I think it shouldn't be necessary, though. At least based on my experience. When you open a list and tap "share", does the slider toggle thing that says "Let others edit this list" appear? When I do so and share a list with Kim, she can edit and add notes.

Very good article!!! I love using this app. But after all, I also like to be independent of applications and to be able to move my luggage easily. That's why I have a preference for Maps.me which allows me to export these infos in CSV, so I can use them on any other system. Another application that I find very practical is WikiLoc, great for treks! Thanks again & Cheers !

Thanks, Tristan, for the recommendations. Isn't it funny how Google Maps, with its refusal to make it easy to export your data, is a bit like Apple in that way? Not very Android of them.

What a wonderful article! These tips definitely going to help people who are going to develop gps navigation apps.

Output your Google My Maps in KML or KMZ format, the latter saves all the cool little icons that you added, and import to Maps Plus using Open Street or Open Bike Maps as your base. It's a brilliant app that never fails offline. It used to work well as a free app, not sure about now as I bought the full monty since I never travel with a phone. I use it with an iPad and have done so all over the world. Maps.me will also import KML/KMZ but changes all the icons to stars. For me the icons are important info that I can access with a glance on the fly whether walking or riding. As a back up I save Google maps for offline usage but they don't always work.

Thanks for a great article, covering so many things!

I have a My Maps problem that is driving me crazy. I created one for a city, and when I open it again, the whole state is on my screen. I have to keep zooming in to view the details of the city.

Is there a way to control the zoom level when a My Maps is opened?

Thanks in advance.

My experience is that MyMaps zooms out as needed to fit all the locations you've saved on it. By any chance have you saved a place in a far-off corner of your state? That's the only idea I can think of.

Thanks. Upon closer examination, that's indeed the cause. Once I removed that far off pin (made by mistake), the zoom works correctly. I'll be back to read through your lengthy article in more detail.

Another problem. All of a sudden, all the pins' direction option is missing. How to get them back?

Problem solved! The direction option is grayed out when there are more than ten layers. Once the number of layers are reduced to ten, the direction option reappears.

Good to know! Thanks, MT, for the update. And glad you managed to solve your problem.

Hi Chris, I'm back looking for help again.

I just replaced my old phone (Android 8 Oreo) with a new one (Android 13). When I tried to open a My Maps file from Google Drive, I got a message saying: "Open with Google My Maps (grayed out) Open in web browser"

I can no longer open My Maps from Google Drive on my phone. OTOH, I can do so on my Win10 PC with Chrome.

From Google Maps, Maps will show the list of My Maps files. I can open one, but its not My Maps and I can't edit it.

How can I fix this? Thanks in advance.

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Five Boro Bike Tour is pedaling back to NYC this weekend. Here’s what to know.

The TD Five Boro Bike Tour, the nation’s biggest communal bike ride, is returning to the Big Apple this weekend for its 46th iteration through the streets of all five New York City boroughs.

Forecasters are predicting a wet and rainy day on Sunday, May 5, but that won’t stop about 30,000 cyclists from getting on two wheels and pedaling along the 40-mile course, which begins in Manhattan, grazes the Bronx, returns to Manhattan, then travels through Queens and Brooklyn before ending on Staten Island.

The tour, which is organized by Bike New York and supports bicycle education programming, has run every year since 1977 except for 1991, when it lost its original sponsor, and 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first wave of cyclists will begin the tour at 7:30 a.m. in Lower Manhattan, while the sixth and final wave will depart at 10:25 a.m.

Numerous streets will be closed to auto traffic for the tour. Those include Sixth Avenue in Manhattan between Franklin and West 59th streets, the FDR Drive between the Third Avenue Bridge and 63rd Street, the Queensboro Bridge upper level, the Brooklyn-bound span of the Pulaski Bridge, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway from Downtown Brooklyn to Bay Ridge, and the lower level of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

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Five Boro Bike Tour is Sunday in NYC. See the map and list of street closures.

By Mark Prussin

May 3, 2024 / 4:21 PM EDT / CBS New York

NEW YORK -- The Five Boro Bike Tour returns to New York City on Sunday, May 5, which means street, bridge and tunnel closures citywide. 

The Five Boro Bike Tour map shows the route of the 40-mile event, which starts at 7:30 a.m. in Manhattan. 

Plan ahead if you'll be on the road. 

Here are the bridge and tunnel closures announced by the MTA: 

Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge  

The Staten Island-bound lower level of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge will be closed from 2 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, according to the MTA. The upper level will remain open in both directions, but drivers heading to Staten Island must use the Belt Parkway. 

Other closures include:

• One Brooklyn-bound lane on the lower level from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.  
• The Bay St exit from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.  
• The 92nd St entrance ramp to the Staten Island-bound lower level from approximately 12:01 a.m. to 7 p.m.  
• The Belt Parkway entrance ramp to the Staten Island-bound lower level from approximately 12:01 a.m. to 7 p.m.  
• The Lily Pond Av exit from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.  

Robert F. Kennedy Bridge

The Robert F. Kennedy Bridge exit ramp to the southbound FDR Drive will be closed from approximately 7:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. All southbound traffic must exit via the 2nd Avenue-East 125th Street ramp.  

Hugh Carey Tunnel

The approach from the Hugh Carey Tunnel to the westbound Gowanus/BQE will be closed from approximately 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Due to this off-property closure, all traffic exiting the tunnel in Brooklyn will be diverted to Hamilton Avenue during this time, and the Trinity Place exit in Manhattan will also be closed from approximately 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.   

Here's the full list of streets that will be closed at NYPD's discretion during the bike tour:

• Greenwich Street between Battery Place and Morris Street
• Trinity Place between Morris Street and Liberty Street
• Church Street between Liberty Street and Canal Street
• Chambers Street between Broadway and West Broadway
• Worth Street between Broadway and West Broadway
• Canal Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue
• 6th Avenue between Franklin Street and West 59th Street
• West 59th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• Grand Army Plaza between West 59th Street and East Drive
• East Drive between Grand Army Plaza and Center Drive
• Center Drive between 5th Avenue and East Drive
• East Drive between Center Drive and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard
• Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard between West 110th Street and West 135th Street
• East / West 135th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Madison Avenue
• Madison Avenue between East 135th Street and East 138th Street
• Madison Avenue Bridge (Bronx-bound)
• Harlem River Drive / FDR Drive (Southbound) between 3rd Avenue Bridge and East 116th Street
• East 116th Street between FDR Drive and Pleasant Avenue
• Pleasant Avenue between East 116th Street and East 114th Street
• Harlem River Drive / FDR Drive (Southbound) between 116th Street and 63rd Street Exit
• East 63rd Street between FDR Drive (Southbound) and Queensboro Bridge Exit
• Queensboro Bridge Exit between East 63rd Street and East 60th Street
• Queensboro Bridge Upper Level (Manhattan-bound)
• Peter Minuit Plaza between State Street and South Street
• Whitehall Street between South Street and Water Street
• State Street between Whitehall Street and Battery Place
• Battery Place between State Street and West Street
• Morris Street between Broadway and Greenwich Street
• Albany Street between West Street and Greenwich Street
• Greenwich Street between Rector Street and Cedar Street
• West Broadway between Vesey Street and Barclay Street
• West Broadway between Murray Street and Warren Street
• Rector Street between Broadway and Greenwich Street
• Cedar Street between Broadway and Greenwich Street
• Liberty Street between Broadway and Greenwich Street
• Dey Street between Broadway and Church Street
• Vesey Street between West Street and West Broadway
• Murray Street between Broadway and West Broadway
• Warren Street between West Street and Broadway
• Duane Street between Broadway and West Broadway
• Thomas Street between Broadway and West Broadway
• Leonard Street between Broadway and West Broadway
• Franklin Street between Broadway and West Broadway
• White Street between Broadway and West Broadway
• Walker Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue
• Lispenard Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue
• Broad Street between Pearl Street and South Street
• Broadway between Morris Street and Battery Place
• South Street between Broad Street and Whitehall Street
• Water Street between Whitehall Street and Broad Street
• 138th Street between Madison Avenue Bridge and 3rd Avenue
• 3rd Avenue between 138th Street and 3rd Avenue Bridge
• Rider Avenue between 138th Street and 137th Street
• 137th Street between Rider Avenue and 3rd Avenue
• 3rd Avenue Bridge (Manhattan-bound)
• 21st Street between Queens Plaza South and Hoyt Avenue North
• Queens Plaza South between 21st Street and Vernon Boulevard / Alternate Route
• Hoyt Avenue North between 21st Street and 19th Street
• 19th Street between Hoyt Avenue North and Ditmars Boulevard
• Ditmars Boulevard between 19th Street and Shore Boulevard
• Shore Boulevard between Ditmars Boulevard and Astoria Park South
• Astoria Park South between Shore Boulevard and 14th Street
• 14th Street between Astoria Park South and 31st Avenue
• 31st Avenue between 14th Street and Vernon Boulevard
• Vernon Boulevard between 31st Avenue and 44th Drive
• 44th Drive between Vernon Boulevard and 11th Street
• 11th Street between 44th Drive and Pulaski Bridge
• Pulaski Bridge (Brooklyn-bound)
• McGuiness Boulevard between Pulaski Bridge and Greenpoint Avenue
• Java Street between McGuinness Boulevard and Franklin Street
• Greenpoint Avenue between McGuinness Boulevard and Franklin Street
• Franklin Street between Java Street and North 14th Street
• Kent Avenue between North 14th Street and Williamsburg Street West
• Williamsburg Street West between Kent Avenue and Flushing Avenue
• Flushing Avenue between Williamsburg Street West and Navy Street
• North Elliot Place between Flushing Avenue and Park Avenue
• Navy Street between Flushing Avenue and York Street
• York Street between Navy Street and Gold Street
• Gold Street between York Street and Front Street
• Front Street between Gold Street and Old Fulton Street
• Old Fulton between Furman Street and Prospect Street
• Cadman Plaza West between Prospect Street and Tillary Street
• Tillary Street between Cadman Plaza West and Adams Street
• Brooklyn Bridge Promenade between Tillary Street and Centre Street
• Furman Street between Old Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue
• Atlantic Avenue between Furman Street and Columbia Street
• Columbia Street between Atlantic Avenue and BQE West Entrance Columbia Street
• BQE / Gowanus Expressway between BQE West Entrance Columbia Street and Verrazano
• Verrazano Bridge Lower Level (Staten Island-bound)
• Staten Island
• Bay Street between New York Avenue and Hylan Boulevard
• Hylan Boulevard between Bay Street and Edgewater Street
• Edgewater Street/ Front Street between Hylan Boulevard and Hannah Street
• Hannah Street between Front Street and Bay Street
• Bay Street between Hannah Street and Richmond Terrace
• Richmond Terrace between Bay Street and Nicholas Street Wall Street between Richmond Terrace and Dead End
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Mark Prussin is a Digital Producer at CBS New York. He covers breaking news, sports, politics and trending stories in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut for CBSNewYork.com. Mark joined the CBS New York team in 2019.

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Billie Eilish Announces Dates for Hit Me Hard and Soft 2024-2025 World Tour

The 10-month outing is slated to kick off in Quebec on Sept. 29.

By Gil Kaufman

Gil Kaufman

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Billie Eilish announced the dates the world tour in support of her third album on Monday (April 29). The Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour is slated to kick off on Sept. 29 at the Centre Videotron in Quebec, Canada, and take the singer across North America through late December, with stops in Toronto, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Detroit, Newark, Boston and Pittsburgh before a three night-stint at Madison Square Garden (Oct. 16-18) and two nights at State Farm Arena in Atlanta (Nov. 2-3).

Why Billie Eilish Insists on Sustainability In Her Career: ‘It’s a Never-Ending F–king Fight…

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The tour will feature a number of sustainability efforts, including the continuation of Eilish’s long-running partnership with environmental nonprofit Reverb, which has so far resulted in $1 million in donations to environmental, greenhouse-gas reduction and climate-justice projects, according to a release announcing the dates. On the upcoming tour, sustainability efforts will include reducing greenhouse-gas pollution, decreasing single-use plastic waste, supporting climate action and updating concession offerings to promote plant-based food options.

Billie Eilish Explains the ‘Huge Responsibility’ to Make New Album ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ Her Most…

Support + Feed will also continue its previous collaboration with Eilish and offer an expanded version of the Support+Feed Pledge aimed at inspiring fans to eat one plant-based meal a day for 30 days. Eilish’s fans are also encouraged to take public transportation and/or carpool to shows to reduce their carbon footprint, and to bring an empty reusable water bottle or donate to receive a custom RockNRefill Nalgene bottle they can fill up for free at water-refill stations at every venue. Eilish is also encouraging fans to fight the tremendous waste caused by fast fashion by dressing up for the gigs in thrifted, upcycled or borrowed clothes instead of buying new ones.

In an effort to keep tickets out of the hands of scalpers, the tour is using Ticketmaster’s Face Value Exchange, which will allow fans who purchase tickets for the North American tour they can’t attend to resell them to other fans at the original price; click here to find out more about this program.

Check out the dates for Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour 2024-2025:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by BILLIE EILISH (@billieeilish)

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Five Boro Bike Tour set to kick off on Sunday: See map and road closures

More than 32,000 cyclists are expected to join in for the biggest charitable bike ride in the world, according to the organization's site., by nbc new york staff • published 3 hours ago • updated 2 hours ago.

Planning on spending Sunday outside, or at least moving about the city? You'll have to dodge more than just raindrops.

The Five Boro Bike Tour will be making its way through New York City. The 40-mile route starts in lower Manhattan, going up Sixth Avenue into Central Park and through Harlem before crossing over into the Bronx briefly. It then comes back onto FDR Drive, crosses the Queensboro Bridge and into Long Island City.

Next is a trip across the Pulaski Bridge into Greenpoint before going onto the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the Gowanus Parkway. From there, the tour hits the Verrazzano Bridge and into Staten Island. The finish is at Fort Wadsworth.

It all kicks off at the intersection of Franklin Street and Church Street at 7:30 a.m., though participants in Wave 1 should probably be there before that time. Waves 2-6 then go off between 8:05 a.m. and 10:25 a.m. Participants will be crossing the finish line at Fort Wadsworth between 10 a.m. and noon.

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More than 32,000 cyclists are expected to join in for the biggest charitable bike ride in the world, according to the organization's site. So no matter what, all drivers and anyone trying to move about the city should expect to see some delays in area near the bike route.

Five Boro Bike Tour Route Map:

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Where each wave will begin in lower manhattan:.

Road Closures:

Here is a list of roads that will be closed to traffic due to the bike tour, according to the city's Department of Transportation.

Manhattan Portion:

• Greenwich Street between Battery Place and Morris Street
• Trinity Place between Morris Street and Liberty Street
• Church Street between Liberty Street and Canal Street
• Chambers Street between Broadway and West Broadway
• Worth Street between Broadway and West Broadway
• Canal Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue
• 6th Avenue between Franklin Street and West 59th Street
• West 59th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue
• Grand Army Plaza between West 59th Street and East Drive
• East Drive between Grand Army Plaza and Center Drive
• Center Drive between 5th Avenue and East Drive
• East Drive between Center Drive and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard
• Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard between West 110th Street and West 135th Street
• East / West 135th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Madison Avenue
• Madison Avenue between East 135th Street and East 138th Street
• Madison Avenue Bridge (Bronx-bound)

Bronx Portion:

• 138th Street between Madison Avenue Bridge and 3rd Avenue
• 3rd Avenue between 138th Street and 3rd Avenue Bridge
• Rider Avenue between 138th Street and 137th Street
• 137th Street between Rider Avenue and 3rd Avenue
• 3rd Avenue Bridge (Manhattan-bound)

Manhattan Portion (Continued):

• Harlem River Drive / FDR Drive (Southbound) between 3rd Avenue Bridge and East 116th Street
• East 116th Street between FDR Drive and Pleasant Avenue
• Pleasant Avenue between East 116th Street and East 114th Street
• Harlem River Drive / FDR Drive (Southbound) between 116th Street and 63rd Street Exit
• East 63rd Street between FDR Drive (Southbound) and Queensboro Bridge Exit
• Queensboro Bridge Exit between East 63rd Street and East 60th Street
• Queensboro Bridge Upper Level (Manhattan-bound)

Queens Portion:

• 21st Street between Queens Plaza South and Hoyt Avenue North
• Queens Plaza South between 21st Street and Vernon Boulevard / Alternate Route
• Hoyt Avenue North between 21st Street and 19th Street
• 19th Street between Hoyt Avenue North and Ditmars Boulevard
• Ditmars Boulevard between 19th Street and Shore Boulevard
• Shore Boulevard between Ditmars Boulevard and Astoria Park South
• Astoria Park South between Shore Boulevard and 14th Street
• 14th Street between Astoria Park South and 31st Avenue
• 31st Avenue between 14th Street and Vernon Boulevard
• Vernon Boulevard between 31st Avenue and 44th Drive
• 44th Drive between Vernon Boulevard and 11th Street
• 11th Street between 44th Drive and Pulaski Bridge
• Pulaski Bridge (Brooklyn-bound)

Brooklyn Portion:

• McGuiness Boulevard between Pulaski Bridge and Greenpoint Avenue
• Java Street between McGuinness Boulevard and Franklin Street
• Greenpoint Avenue between McGuinness Boulevard and Franklin Street
• Franklin Street between Java Street and North 14th Street
• Kent Avenue between North 14th Street and Williamsburg Street West
• Williamsburg Street West between Kent Avenue and Flushing Avenue
• Flushing Avenue between Williamsburg Street West and Navy Street
• North Elliot Place between Flushing Avenue and Park Avenue
• Navy Street between Flushing Avenue and York Street
• York Street between Navy Street and Gold Street
• Gold Street between York Street and Front Street
• Front Street between Gold Street and Old Fulton Street
• Old Fulton between Furman Street and Prospect Street
• Cadman Plaza West between Prospect Street and Tillary Street
• Tillary Street between Cadman Plaza West and Adams Street
• Brooklyn Bridge Promenade between Tillary Street and Centre Street
• Furman Street between Old Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue
• Atlantic Avenue between Furman Street and Columbia Street
• Columbia Street between Atlantic Avenue and BQE West Entrance Columbia Street
• BQE / Gowanus Expressway between BQE West Entrance Columbia Street and Verrazano
• Verrazano Bridge Lower Level (Staten Island-bound)

Staten Island Portion:

• Bay Street between New York Avenue and Hylan Boulevard
• Hylan Boulevard between Bay Street and Edgewater Street
• Edgewater Street/ Front Street between Hylan Boulevard and Hannah Street
• Hannah Street between Front Street and Bay Street
• Bay Street between Hannah Street and Richmond Terrace
• Richmond Terrace between Bay Street and Nicholas Street Wall Street between Richmond Terrace and Dead End3

Bridge and Tunnel Closings

The Staten Island-bound lower level of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge will be closed from 2:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, the MTA said. Additionally, because the BQE and Gowanus Expressway will be closed in part as well, traffic won't be able to access the bridge via that approach from about 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

According to the MTA, other closings for the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge will include:

• One Brooklyn-bound lane on the lower level from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  
• The Bay St exit from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  
• The 92nd St entrance ramp to the Staten Island-bound lower level from approximately 12:01 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  
• The Belt Parkway entrance ramp to the Staten Island-bound lower level from approximately 12:01 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  
• The Lily Pond Av exit from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  

The exit ramp for the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge to the southbound FDR Drive will be closed from around 7:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Traffic will have to exit the RFK Bridge by using the Second Avenue-East 125th Street ramp.

The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel to the westbound Gowanus Expressway and BQE will be closed from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., with exiting traffic diverted to Hamilton Avenue. The Trinity Place exit in Manhattan will also be closed from approximately 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the MTA.

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