How to draw a route on Google Maps

You have planned a trip out of town for the next weekend: you can’t wait for the day of departure but, at the same time, you are a bit apprehensive because you do not know the place you will have to visit. I don’t see where the problem is: if you use Google Maps, you can calculate the route to follow and then follow the directions that will be provided by the latter, in order to arrive without problems at your destination.

Do you want to know how to do this? Of course, I’ll settle you right away: now I’ll explain how to trace a route on Google Maps, so you will be even more relaxed on the road to take during your weekend. I guarantee you its very simple: just open Maps, define the details regarding the starting and ending point of the route you want to take, add any intermediate stops and let the Mountain View giant’s map service do the rest.

So, are you ready to take action? Yup? Great! Take all the time you need to concentrate on reading the next paragraphs and, more importantly, try to put into practice the indications I will give you, so as not to have problems in completing this small technological “enterprise”. There is nothing left for me to do, except wish you a good reading and, above all, a good trip!

Index

• Plot a route on Google Maps
  • Smartphones and tablets
  • Computer
• Plot a route in stages on Google Maps
  • Smartphones and tablets
  • Computer

Plot a route on Google Maps

Plotting a route on Google Maps is very simple: just access the famous map service through its official app for mobile devices or its Web version, then you have to define the details of your itinerary and you’re done. Find everything explained in detail below.

Smartphones and tablets

If you want to proceed from a smartphone or tablet, you can create a route on Google Maps using the official app of the service, available for free for Android and iOS. After having (possibly) installed and started it on your device, tap on the blue button depicting an arrow on the right. Then fill out the form that is proposed to you, through which you can create the itinerary, inserting the starting point and the arrival point in the Choose starting point fields   … (if you want you can also select the item  Your position to select your current one location as a starting point) and Choose a destination.

Then, tap on the car, train or little man icon, depending on how you intend to tackle the route (eg by car, by public transport, on foot, and so on). If you want to customize some options related to the route you have set, tap on the symbol (…) at the top right, select the item Route options from the menu that opens and use the switches you see on the screen to avoid motorways, avoid tolls or avoid ferries.

Once the route has been set and the travel settings have been customized, you can view the directions that have been created by Google Maps by tapping on the Details / Directions tab at the bottom. By pressing the blue Start button, however, you can use Google Maps as a road navigator to reach your destination, on foot or by public transport, following the directions provided by the app in real-time.

If you are not satisfied with the default route (the one that takes less time), you can select others by pressing on the gray lines on the map or by selecting an alternative route from the Details / Directions screen.

Do you want to share the directions available in Maps in text form? To do this, press again on the symbol  (…) located at the top right, tap on the item Share the directions and select the sharing option you prefer among those available (eg. Message, E-mail, WhatsApp, etc. ).

If you want to consult an offline route, however, tap the < button located at the top left, press the symbol (≡) at the top left, select the Offline Maps item from the menu that opens and press the Custom Map item. Then select the area of ​​the map to download, select the Download item and wait for the download to start (this may take several minutes, depending on your connection).

You will then be able to consult the itinerary relating to the downloaded map even when you are offline. For more information on how to download offline Google maps, take a look at the guide I just linked to you.

Computer

At the moment you don’t have your smartphone or tablet available and you want to proceed directly from your computer? No problem: to begin with, connected to the main page of Google Maps and click on the blue button depicting the arrow located at the top left, near the search bar. In the first text field in the form that appeared, indicate the starting point you want to set (if you want, you can also set your position ); in the second text field, instead, choose the destination.

At this point, indicate the means by which to tackle the route by selecting the car icon (if you want to calculate the route by car), the train icon  (if you want to calculate the route to take by public transport) or the icon of the little man (to trace the path to be covered on foot). By clicking on the Options item,  you can further refine the route by choosing, for example, to avoid motorways, tolls, ferries, etc.

After calculating the route to go, all you have to do is click on the DETAILS item that appears on the left and see in detail all the possible routes found with the relative directions. If you want, you can send Google Maps directions to your device by clicking the Send to phone button (the mobile icon with the arrow ), share them as a link (via the Share button ) or print them (by clicking the Print button ). Simple, right?

Plot a route in stages on Google Maps

Are you interested in knowing if it is possible to trace a route in stages on Google Maps? Yes, of course! Let me explain how to proceed from both the mobile version and the web version of the service.

Smartphones and tablets

To trace a route in stages on Google Maps using a smartphone or tablet, you must first start the official app of the service on your Android or iOS device and create a route following the instructions I gave you previously.

Therefore, click on the blue button representing the arrow on the right and fill in the form that appears on the screen by entering, in the text fields  Choose starting point … and Choose destination, the starting and ending points of your itinerary.

At this point, to insert stages in the route, press on the symbol (…) located at the top right, select the Add stage item from the menu that opens and write in the text field that appears in the form at the top the stage to add to the path.

If necessary, then reorder the various stages of the route by holding down the button ≡  located in correspondence with the latter and move the added location up or down. When you are finished, remember to press on the END item located at the top right to save the changes made to the itinerary. If you want to add other stages to your route, all you have to do is repeat the procedure just indicated.

Computer

Do you want to create a route in stages on Google Maps acting as a computer? First, connected to the main page of Google Maps and click on the blue button depicting the arrow, located at the top left. Then write, in the first field of the form that appears on the screen, the starting point you want to set and, in the second text field, your destination.

At this point, to add a new stage to the route that has been calculated, click on the (+) Add destination button, write the name of the location you want to add to the route as an additional stage in the text field that appears on the screen and the game is done.

If you need to reorder the various stages of the route, place the mouse cursor on the symbol of the dot or placeholder located at the stage of your interest and, holding down the left mouse button, move the tab of the stage in question in the order you prefer. If you want to add other stages to your route, all you have to do is repeat the procedure just described.