ways travel map

That way looks awesome today

Get real-time traffic alerts from fellow drivers and riders.

Get told when to leave

Waze knows it’s easier to plan your trip than your excuse for being late.

Start driving

Waze knows what’s around that corner. And that corner.

Get rerouted in real-time

Waze knows that route is sooo three minutes ago.

Need a pit stop?

Wondering if getting gas will make you late? Waze knows.

Maps + Apps

Listen to two things at once

Pair with your favorite music app, voice assistance feature, or even your car itself.

Schedule your drive around traffic

Once your trip is saved, sit back and relax. We’ll notify you when it’s time to leave.

“Because of so many people contributing, it feels like I'm part of something bigger than the navigation app alone.”

Bionca Smith, Wazer, Los Angeles

"I found some incorrect points on the map... my improvement was visible the next day–100% map magic."

Dennis Chi Ming Kao, Netherlands, Waze map editor

"Waze has been instrumental in helping us get real-time information out to the traveling public."

Jose Rivera, Port Authority of NY & NJ

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Waze Navigation & Live Traffic 4+

Avoid traffic, police, hazards.

• #2 in Navigation
• 4.8 • 3M Ratings

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Description.

Waze is a community driven navigation app that helps millions of users get to where they’re going through real-time road alerts and an up-to-the-moment map. Thanks to our network of drivers, Waze saves you time by instantly alerting you to traffic, construction, crashes, police and more. From traffic-avoiding reroutes, real-time safety updates and low gas price alerts, Waze is a community of drivers helping other drivers. With Waze you… Get there faster: traffic-avoiding route updates Avoid tickets: know where police, speedcams and redlight cams are located More accurate ETAs: based on live traffic, construction, weather and more Community-based navigation: real-time updates from other drivers Save money: find the cheapest gas along your route Avoid tolls: see toll pricing when you choose a route Use Apple CarPlay: sync Waze to your car’s built-in display Live Speedometer: get alerts when you’re speeding and avoid costly tickets Customize your drive: get directions from your favorite celebs and characters No app switching: use your favorite audio apps right from Waze Drive safer and smarter, with Waze! You can manage your in-app Waze Privacy Settings at any time. Learn more about the Waze privacy policy here, www.waze.com/legal/privacy. Waze directions are not intended for emergency or oversized vehicles.

Version 4.103

Saving time & avoiding traffic is even easier with this update: Fixed a bug so you can still see your route even if you lose internet connection.

Ratings and Reviews

Editors’ notes.

People power meets the open road in this amazing navigation app. Waze’s crowd-sourced alerts come from real drivers, not algorithms, delivering info you won’t see anywhere else to keep your commute flowing. The friendly interface and convenient detour routing really help the app shine, and its social-network integration make road trips with buddies a blast.

Battery drain, several issues

The battery drain when I use Waze is unreal. I was at 43%, opened Waze & drove for about 12 minutes, decided to add a stop. I looked at my screen and the low battery 20% alert was up!! All of my background apps were closed, and there was no reason for my battery to plummet that quickly. Sometimes my app won’t show my icon but shows the “shadow” of where it’s supposed to be. Another issue is that it doesn’t show all routes. I know a certain route isn’t normally the fastest, but I also know my city’s traffic patterns and it won’t show it. Also, I’m in the top 1%, but how do I know when I’m getting close to losing that prestige? How do I see if the population is catching up to me? Finally, the fact that it doesn’t tell you whether your destination is on the left or right is so irritating and basic that I’m shocked it’s not a feature. I wish there was a feature where you could customize which “hazards” to voice prompt. For example, I couldn’t care less about a car on the shoulder ahead, and it’s annoying to have my music interrupted by that stupid hazard alert. But I would want to know if there’s a pothole ahead, an object in the road, or a police reported ahead. Create a way to narrow down the voice prompts! Why do the other Waze avatar icons around me never move? Speaking of Waze “people” icons, please come out with more options!

Love it & Hate it all at the same time.

I have been using Waze for about a month now I commute Just over 1000 miles a week. I really like that many people are out there using it and that you get vital information like a car’s coming up on the shoulder, objects in the road and where the police are camping at. The only problem I have with Waze I’d like to see some changes is that there are too many choices to make when reporting information, for example if I want to report a car on the side of the road I have to hit four different selections before my information is sent meanwhile I’m trying to look at the screen to find a small button and not paying attention to what is on the road. Reporting information needs to be simplified for the driver no more than two clicks to report a hazard something along the lines of the first click hazard second click “car on shoulder” or “car in lane” or “object in lane”. Decision making buttons need to be a little larger like when you’re confirming a hazard on the road is it still there yes or no the buttons are too small and I often miss them and not able to confirm the information information. May be a few seconds before you approach the hazard two large buttons could pop up and simply confirm yes or no is it there. I will say this I do enjoy using it and it is much better than Google maps or other navigation apps out there.

App Privacy

The developer, Waze Inc. , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

• Financial Info
• Contact Info
• User Content
• Search History
• Identifiers
• Diagnostics

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

English, Afrikaans, Arabic, Azerbaijani, Basque, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, French, Frisian, Galician, Georgian, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Norwegian Bokmål, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Ukrainian, Uzbek, Welsh

• Developer Website
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Get directions & show routes

You can get directions for driving, public transit, walking, ride sharing, cycling, flight, or motorcycle on Google Maps. If there are multiple routes, the best route to your destination is blue, all other routes are gray. Some directions in Google Maps are in development and may have limited availability. 

Important: Stay alert when you use directions on Google Maps. Always be aware of your surroundings to ensure the safety of yourself and others. When in doubt, follow actual traffic regulations and confirm signage from the road or path that you’re on.

• On your computer, open Google Maps .

• Click points on the map, type an address, or add a place name.

Tip: To choose another route in any transportation mode, select it on the map. Each route shows the estimated travel time on the map.

Google Maps transportation modes

You can get directions for different modes of transportation in Google Maps. Learn about the differences in features and availability between each mode:

• If you want to change a driving route, click and hold a spot on the route and drag it to a new spot on the map.

• Not all cities have public transit directions in Google Maps. Before you can get transit directions, your local transit agency needs to add their route info to Google Maps.

• If you want directions in an area with ride or taxi services, you can compare ride services with transit and walking directions. Learn how to request a ride .

• Directions to multiple destinations, or waypoints, aren’t available for public transit or flight searches.
• Learn more about how to search for flights .

• Learn how to get directions for motorcycles .

Add multiple destinations

You can get directions to multiple destinations for all modes of transportation except public transit or flight.

• Add a starting point and a destination.

• You can add up to 9 stops.
• Click on a route to get the directions.

Tip : You can search for places along your route.

To change the order of your stops: 

• Find the destination you want to move. 
• Drag the destination.

Preview directions in Street View

• On your computer, under the route you want, click Details.

• Point to a step in the directions. If Street View is available, you get a preview photo.
• To get Street View for other steps in the route, in the bottom-left box, click Previous step or Next step.

Customize your route

• Choose Options .
• Check the box next to "Tolls" or "Highways."
• Get directions.
• After you get your directions, click Leave now .
• To change your travel dates or times, select Depart at or Arrive by .

When you enter a destination in Google Maps, we show you how to get there using different travel modes, like driving, cycling, or walking. 

Sometimes, the transport options we show you are ranked according to a combination of objective factors designed to help you find relevant and useful information. These factors can include duration, distance, price, your mode preference, or the relevance of a mode to your query. Generally, the most important factors are your mode preference, trip durations, and sometimes price.

Where available, we also show you other mobility services like public transport, scooter or bicycle rentals, and vehicle ride services. These mobility services are provided by third parties who have made their transport data publicly available or who have a partner agreement with us. Any partnerships or business relationships we may have with any transportation service providers do not influence the ranking of these services.

Related resources

• Get traffic or search for places along the way
• Plan your commute or trip

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Google Maps vs. Waze: Which navigation app is better?

Which of these navigation apps should you trust to help you get around?

Google Maps and Waze have a lot of things in common, which makes sense considering they both share Google as a parent company. But no matter how similar each app gets, the two services are still being kept distinctly separate. And it's primarily down to the fact the two navigation apps both work in completely different ways.

Google Maps is all about the data, with years of archives to fall back on, while Waze crowdsources most of its information from users. Waze also offers a uniquely aggressive approach to getting you from place to place. Then again, despite this gap, the difference between the two services can seem pretty subtle. So when it comes down to Google Maps vs Waze, which navigation app is the best one for you?

Google Maps vs Waze: Availability

Google is well known for having a stake in most major platforms, so Google Maps and Waze are both widely available. Both apps are available on iOS and Android devices, and are compatible with Android Auto, the Android Automotive car OS and Apple CarPlay. So it doesn’t matter what device you use, or what car you drive, you’ve got the option of using both. 

Google Maps has a minor advantage on cars running Android Automotive OS, since it's one of the pre-installed apps on every Android device that isn't connected to a TV. Waze, meanwhile, has to be specifically installed by the user. It's only a minor setback, but it does give Google Maps an edge.

There are even versions of both services available in desktop browsers, though they are limited by the fact you can’t get any live navigation that way. Still you can look up directions, locations and save things to your account, which you can pick up on your phone later on.

Winner: Tie

Google Maps vs Waze: Navigation

At their core, both Google Maps and Waze will get you where you want to go. That being said, despite both being operated by Google, they are pretty different. To the point where the “winner” depends entirely on how you get around.

Google Maps is your traditional navigation app. You punch in a location, and it will find a way to get you there, no matter how you plan on doing it. You could walk, drive, cycle, or take the bus, and Google Maps has something to offer. Google can even alert you to obstacles or traffic along the way, and give you the option of taking a different path.

Waze, on the other hand, is built exclusively for car and motorbike users. Rather than finding the quickest single path to your destination and leaving you to it, Waze is always analyzing conditions to try and get you there the fastest possible way. It's a running joke that Waze would tell you to drive through an active war zone to shave 5 seconds off your journey.

Both services can determine traffic conditions from the number of users on the road, but Waze actually does something about it. Google Maps will flag traffic or obstacles it knows about on-screen, as does Waze, but the difference is Google will happily send you on the same pre-set route regardless of how things change. It may ask if you want to take an alternate route depending on how bad the traffic gets, but it’s not particularly aggressive about it.

But Google Maps has changed the way it calculated its calculates its routes in recent years. The service will now use a number of factors, including real time traffic conditions and number of traffic lights, to make the proposed route safer, and more eco-friendly. That way you save on fuel, and are less likely to get into an accident.

In other words Google Maps will take more than just your final ETA into account when it tells you where to go. And more recently it even started showing you exactly how much a particular route will cost, should you pass through any tolls. A feature it pinched from Waze, we might add.

Waze is built around one thing, and one thing only: minimizing your time on the road and getting you to your destination as quickly as possible. So doesn’t ask permission to alter your route mid-trip, and automatically offers up directions that get you around obstacles that have popped up. All in the name of getting you somewhere in the shortest amount of time. For that reason Waze users often find they get sent to some very random places, as the app works to get them where they need to go.

A great example of this is when I looked up directions to my parents’ house. Waze said it would be a 213 mile trip that would take 3 hours and 19 minutes. Meanwhile Google Maps provided a shorter route (211 miles), but would take 3 hours and 32 minutes to make the trip. That’s travelling the same basic route, and not avoiding toll roads.

Likewise, Waze said driving to our London office would be a 45-mile trip taking 1 hour and 12 minutes. Google Maps sent me on a 46 mile journey that was two minutes longer.

The downside to Waze’s system is that it’s reliant on other active users on the road. So if you’re the only Waze user for hundreds of miles, the app has no idea what’s going on up ahead.

Fortunately both services let you save maps offline for later use, though Google Maps is more upfront about it. Google Maps' Offline maps feature lets you select an area of the map, and download all the available data within it. Previously you could save individual routes, though this no longer appears to be the case.

Waze doesn't have either option, but saving a route to your favorites does cache the relevant information so you can use it offline. But because Waze is reliant on live data, if you do lose cell service you won’t get any up to date information about what’s happening on the roads. Basically you lose the very part of Waze that makes it special.

When it comes to driving the two services are practically identical, but Waze’s unique way of navigating around delays makes it an invaluable tool for motorists. Provided you're happy taking weird routes, Waze is the way to go.

Winner: Waze

Google Maps vs Waze: Public and Alternate Transportation

This is an easy decision to make. If you’re travelling by public transport, or some other means of alternate transportation Waze has absolutely nothing to offer. Literally nothing.

The point of Waze is to redirect you as a driver whenever it sees a faster route round obstacles, but obviously you don’t have that luxury on public transit because you’re not the one driving. So you’re going to have to use Google Maps.

Google Maps has support for public transportation, walking and cycling. Attempting to use Waze would just send you down any old route as a car can get down there, which isn’t always a particularly safe idea.

Google Maps, on the other hand, is packed to the brim with public transit information. For starters it includes full timetables and maps for transit services across the world, and can integrate them into its directions without hesitation. It also has real time updates on delays and other issues you may face on your journey, so you’re at least aware of problems ahead of time.

Google Maps can also estimate how busy a particular service or area is going to be, by using a mix of historical data and how many people it can see there at any given time. It even integrates with local ride sharing services and, where available, bike and e-scooter rentals.

Waze can’t compete with all of that, but there is more that could be done where alternative transport is concerned. Especially in areas where those rental services are available.

Winner: Google Maps

Google Maps vs Waze: Interface and Design

Despite being from the same company, and doing similar things, Google Maps and Waze look completely different. While Google Maps has the look of a more traditional app with all the on-screen information that provides, Waze takes a much simpler approach with fewer details and a cartoony design.

That difference comes from the fact these two apps are designed for totally different things. Waze is a tool to help motorists get from A to B while avoiding traffic and road hazards, but nothing else. Google Maps is useful for damn-near everything, whether that’s navigation, discovering new things, or even chatting with businesses.

However, when it comes to actually navigating, the two apps look functionally identical. The apps cut down all the unnecessary clutter, and just show you what you need to know. That includes your icon, where you need to be going, plus some extra surplus information like speed limits, and road hazards in your path.

We have to give this one to Waze, because it cuts out all the fluff from the get-go and only shows you what you need to see. It doesn’t matter if you’re actively receiving directions or just looking at the map, everything is nice and clean. While Google Maps’ extra information has its uses, it does tend to clutter your view. And frankly it has a tendency to look like a complete mess at times — especially if you’re in a big city.

Google Maps vs Waze: Advertising

Both Google Maps and Waze have advertising, though they each differ in how they handle what sort of paid content you actually see. 

As a general rule, Google Maps is pretty subtle about its advertising, though more recently it has made changes to make ads more distinguishable on the map. One good example is using a square icon, rather than a circular one, for a business or location that's paid to be there. Pretty subtle, as I said.

Meanwhile Waze is very in your face and can flash distracting banner ads every time you stop moving.

The ads disappear when you start moving again, so you don’t have to worry about dismissing them all the time. But they are still large and very noticeable, especially if your phone’s screen is on the smaller size. Frankly Waze could do with toning it down a bit, because if it needs to display ads the least it could do is try to make them less intrusive.

Google Maps vs Waze: Data

Google Maps and Waze are both heavily reliant on data, but Waze most of all. That’s because Waze’s entire operation is built around user-submitted information. A lot of it is collected automatically, just by the simple fact that you are driving around with the app open. Users are also able to submit reports about any obstacles or hazards that may impede other drivers.

Analysis of all that information paints a picture of what is going on on the roads, and can be utilized to direct or redirect users where necessary. It also helps Waze’s algorithms improve the service and its maps.

Google Maps can also see a picture of road conditions, but its system is based on a larger pool of information. It uses historical data to guess what conditions will be like at any given point of the day, but is also able to pull in real time information from traffic sensors and Google Maps users. The systems have similarities, though Google Maps is able to make use of a lot more information than Waze does.

For that reason it doesn’t matter if you stray into an area with few Google Maps users. The app will be able to see what’s going on based on other factors, and keep you relatively well informed.

Of course Google Maps and Waze utilize their data very differently. While Waze will actively redirect your journey based on the data it receives, it’s a feature that still hasn’t been ported to Google Maps, even though both services are owned and operated by Google.

You can keep tabs on upcoming road conditions if you pay attention to what Google Maps has on screen, but it’s up to you to select those alternate routes if they’re ever available. Google Maps will not automatically send you down a different path the same way Waze does. But more on that later.

But years of data collection and analysis come with a lot of advantages. Google Maps knows  how many people use particular routes at any given period of the day, and even areas where people typically go over the speed limit.

Barring any external factors that get in the way after you’ve already set off, Google Maps always has a pretty good idea of which route you should take and how long it’s going to take you to reach your destination. While Waze has a lot going for it, that lack of historical and traffic sensor data does not work in its favor.

Google Maps vs Waze: Discovery

Despite the fact Waze is primarily a navigational app, it has surprisingly robust discovery features that match those found in Google Maps.

Both apps have a number of similar features helping you find important businesses and locations in the area around you. They include a search bar and specialized buttons that take out most of the intermediary steps and show you what’s what. Whether you’re looking for a gas station or a supermarket, you have the tools to quickly find them and get there.

But as often seems to be the case, Google Maps is all about giving you more. It features a larger number of specialized buttons. So if you need sporting goods or an electronics store, Google Maps’ list of discovery buttons has something. Waze, on the other hand, keeps it simple.

You could easily argue less is more when it comes to finding stuff, especially when you can always use the search bar to do roughly the same job. However, Waze’s location cards don’t have quite as much information as Google Maps does.

My local Chinese restaurant is a great example of this. Google Maps has the address, opening hours, contact information, reviews, photos of the food people have submitted, and even icons telling me what services they’re currently offering.

Waze had information on the nearest car park, which was great, but beyond that it only had the basics: address, phone number, and website. Other smaller businesses around me had similar issues, but there’s a lot more to be seen for big chains.

My nearest McDonalds had opening hours and onsite-service icons (drive thru only right now), but no contact information — including the website. You’d have thought it was the least they could include. The TGI Fridays five miles up the road was the same.

Both services are also able to let you search for EV chargers, though Google's latest update promises to make it even easier to find a compatible DC rapid charger for your car mid-drive.

Google Maps doesn’t have everything for everyone, but it still manages to pick up a lot. One of the takeout places near me has zero online presence — not even a website telling you where they are. Despite that Google Maps still has a lot of information, including when they’re open, what their phone number is, and even when they get busy.

So Waze is very hit and miss with extra information, while Google Maps has almost everything you could hope for because it collects so much data from so many different sources.

It's also not clear whether Waze's discovery options will be getting the same improvements that were announced for Google Maps back in May. Those recommendations are going to be a lot more focussed, with time of day factoring into what Google Maps has to show you. So we'll have to wait and see.

Google Maps vs Waze: Traffic and hazards

Back in the day, having a handle on traffic and road hazards was all on Waze, but Google Maps has been catching up. Right now the two are functionally the same in all but a few minor areas.

Waze is very aggressive at getting you round obstacles other users have reported. To the point where you can find yourself driving down strange winding streets just to shave a few seconds off your ETA. You have to admire its dedication. Google Maps still doesn’t go to such extreme lengths which is fine.

While Google Maps and Waze both let you report those hazards as you come across them, they don’t always match up, especially if you’re using Google Maps. For instance the stretch of freeway that takes me into London is almost completely covered in speed cameras. There has to be at least one camera every mile enforcing a strict 50mph speed limit. Waze has little graphics for most of those cameras, and flashes up an on-screen warning every time I drive past one.

Meanwhile Google Maps does a pretty terrible job of both. Google Maps lets you report speed cameras, and other serious road hazards, but on the 45 mile trip from my house to London it showed a grand total of two cameras. Waze doesn’t seem to have them all, but it has a heck of a lot more than Google Maps. You’d think Google’s data collection machine would be more accurate than Waze’s crowdsourced approach.

Granted Google Maps isn’t far behind, but Waze does have the edge on account of the fact its user base isn’t quite as passive.

Google Maps vs Waze: Hands-free control

Both Google Maps and Waze operate their hands-free controls in the same way. Your options are to tap the on-screen microphone each time you want to say a command, or rely on Google Assistant’s “Hey Google” feature to do it for you.

If you’re on Android that’s easy, because Google Assistant is already installed. iPhone users have to go through some extra steps. Siri will send commands to both apps, but it also defaults to Apple Maps if you don’t specify. So ask for “directions home with Waze,” and not just “directions home.” Alternatively you can tap the on-screen microphone to toggle voice command mode, or download Google Assistant to do everything for you.

Google Maps will also let you deactivate the "Hey Siri" command while the app is open, in the Navigation section of the settings menu. That means you can use the "Ok Google" command as if you were on Android.

There doesn’t appear to be any difference between the two apps in terms of commands, and you can use an assistant to navigate to new locations, alter your current route, see what’s up ahead, what traffic is like, and so on. You can even use voice commands to report road hazards, traffic, and other issues you come across on your travels. These features are also available on iOS if you have the Google Assistant app installed.

So it doesn’t matter which option you take, or which device you use, your experience should be pretty much identical.

Google Maps vs Waze: Customization

Waze has a lot of customization options, particularly in the voice section. While Google typically only has one voice option per country or region, Waze has several of them, especially if you speak English.

Celebrity voices are also available, but those are typically there for promotional purposes and aren’t permanent additions to the app. Like the time Microsoft and Waze added the voice of Halo's Master Chief . Plus, if you refuse to take orders from a random robot, Waze will let you record your own voice to use instead.

Waze will also let you pick one of ten vehicle icons that show on screen when you’re actually navigating, including a Formula One race car, a motorbike, or the boring-old arrow. Plus you can change your “mood” which essentially lets you customize the avatar other people will see on their own maps. Drive enough, or contribute enough to Waze’s dataset, and you can unlock a special mood that features a golden crown.

Google Maps lets you change your on-screen icon to one of three cars if you like, and you can switch the voice to a different language or region. But that’s about all it has in terms of actual customization options. But if you fancy driving around with a kindly British robot telling you where to go then that’s an option for you.

Customization is a very small part of what both apps can do, but if you want to better express yourself through your navigation app then Waze is the way to go. Likewise Waze is the best option if you want to mix things up and swap out the boring default voice.

Bottom Line

There’s no denying the fact that Google Maps is the more comprehensive navigation service. Not only does it offer a considerable amount more than Waze, it’s more detailed and has a lot more resources at its disposal. More to the point, it doesn’t matter how you choose to get around, Google Maps has the tools to help you do it.

Waze is very limited by comparison, only offering navigation for motorists. And yet it’s able to offer a service that Google Maps can’t match, which is pretty damn weird considering how long it’s been part of the Google family. Why? It's not entirely clear what Google has to gain from keeping both services alive, and not offering Waze's breakout feature as part of Google Maps. But that is how things are.

If you’re a driver who wants to get to their destination as quickly as possible, and don’t care how you get there, you’ll want to use Waze. Google Maps may be able to see and anticipate road conditions, but it isn’t as proactive about sending you down a different route when things get dicey.

But if you’re not driving a car or motorbike, Waze is completely useless. It has a very narrow use-case, which is a void Google Maps fills very easily. So in many cases, Google Maps isn’t just the winner, it’s your only option.

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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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• pauloz I just want instructions to get from A to B but the clincher for me was Waze's ability to save the planned journey for future use, be it the following day or whatever. If Google Maps offers something similar, I haven't seen it. Appreciate the comparison - found it very helpful. Reply
• Eugene Falik But the key difference, as I understand it. is Waze will reliably tell me about police stakeouts, red light cameras and speed cameras while Google Maps will not. Reply
• OrangeFifty The main reason I switched from Waze to Google Maps was because it's too aggressive with rerouting. I prefer to have the option to refuse the rerouting - it often would take me way out of the way to save 2 minutes and then if I went the way it suggested traffice would be building and it would end up taking longer. Reply
• Elli21486 One of the biggest overlooked aspect of Waze that is hardly ever mentioned in the articles are the group of volunteer editors that maintain the Waze maps. They not only solve issues that general users report via the app but will also provide real time road closures, update place information (such as business hours, website, phone, etc), and keep the map as accurate as they can. In several areas, the Waze map is more accurate than Google maps. Reply

Eugene Falik said: But the key difference, as I understand it. is Waze will reliably tell me about police stakeouts, red light cameras and speed cameras while Google Maps will not.

Elli21486 said: One of the biggest overlooked aspect of Waze that is hardly ever mentioned in the articles are the group of volunteer editors that maintain the Waze maps. They not only solve issues that general users report via the app but will also provide real time road closures, update place information (such as business hours, website, phone, etc), and keep the map as accurate as they can. In several areas, the Waze map is more accurate than Google maps.

• View All 6 Comments

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7 Maps and Lens features to use on your next trip

Apr 03, 2023

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Organizing the perfect vacation is one of the most stressful parts of traveling, but it can be easy (and even fun!) with the right tools. From planning your trip to exploring on the ground — here are some of the best ways you can use Google Maps and Lens to hack your summer travel.

Scope out places before you visit with immersive view

When you’re researching places to go, immersive view in Google Maps can help you make a more informed decision. Not only can you see a photorealistic view of an area, but you’ll also be able to get helpful information — like what the weather will be like at different times of day or when a spot gets most crowded. Indoor views even help you understand the vibe of a restaurant or cafe so you can choose the place that’s right for you.

Immersive view is live in London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo and it’ll launch in Amsterdam, Dublin, Florence, and Venice in the coming months.

Stay organized with the Recents tab on desktop Google Maps

To make trip planning easier, we’ll automatically organize places you’ve searched for on Maps by city with the new Recents tab on desktop. Found your favorite places? Share them with your travel buddy or save them to a new list. The Recents tab launches on desktop globally starting next week.

The Recents tab on desktop Google Maps makes it easy to stay organized while trip planning, and share your favorite places with friends and family.

Identify landmarks, artwork, plants, animals, and more with Lens

Once you’ve reached your destination, it’s time to start exploring with Lens as your tour guide. Use Lens in the Google app ( Android and iOS ) to search with your camera and answer questions like “who built that statue” or “what’s this pretty flower?”. When in doubt, Lens can figure it out.

Discover local cuisine with multisearch in Lens

With multisearch in Lens, you can combine words and images to find what you’re looking for in a whole new way – including information from the millions of local businesses on Google. Perhaps you saw a photo of a delicious looking pastry online, but don’t know what it’s called. Just take a screenshot, open it with Lens in the Google app, add the words “near me” to your search, and you’ll find nearby restaurants that serve what you’re looking for. Multisearch near me is now beginning to roll out globally.

Multisearch near me makes it easy to find local cuisine

Navigate with AR using Live View on Maps — indoors and out

In a new city, it can be hard to know which way to walk. With Live View in Maps, you’ll see AR arrows that point you exactly where you need to go. You can even use Live View indoors to navigate places like airports, helping you easily find your baggage claim or car rental. And when you’re out, search with Live View lets you find things around you — like ATMs, restaurants, parks and transit stations - and see helpful information like when they’re open and how highly they’re rated.

Search with Live View can help you find your way around cities like New York, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco and Tokyo plus Barcelona, Dublin and Madrid in the coming months.

Explore on wheels with bike and scooter share information on Maps

Sometimes, there’s nothing like zooming through a new city — and bike and scooter share information on Maps can make this a breeze. Just select your destination, tap on directions, and scroll to the cycling option. You'll see nearby bikes and scooters, battery levels for electric options, and even if there’s a docking station for when you’re done.

Bike and scooter information is available on Google Maps in more than 500 cities globally like Berlin, New York, and São Paulo on both Android and iOS.

Ready to make travel plans now that you’ve got expert tips in your back pocket? Check out new ways we’re improving your travel experience on Search. We’ll be there every step of the way — all you have to do is book and explore!

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How To Plan A Trip With Google Maps: 7 Easy Steps

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Wondering how to plan a trip with Google Maps? Below, we’ll show you how we plan all our trips on Google Maps – get ready for every Google Maps hack you’ll ever need!

There is a lot that goes into planning the perfect trip. What are you going to do? Where will you stay? How are you going to plan your days? How long do you even need to see everything? It’s overwhelming!

I love travel planning. As you can see on this website, I kind of made my career out of it. Because I want to make the most out of my trips (and write the best possible guides about the destinations I visit), I take travel planning pretty seriously. 

There is so much research that goes into it, and I couldn’t do it without my favourite travel planning tool: Google Maps. In this guide, I’m sharing how I use Google Maps as a trip planner, along with some handy hacks to help you on your next adventure. Let’s take a look!

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Embed your map on your site, 3. it is easy to plan your driving miles/time.

7 Steps to Plan a Trip With Google Maps

Here is how to use Google Maps trip planner:

1. Create a Map

To create a map on Google, you do need a Google account. Once signed up/logged in, go to this page .

Click on “ Saved” >> “My Maps “, which will take you to your maps. If you have created any maps in the past, you will also find them here. As you can see in the screenshots below, I’ve already created quite a few!

Alternatively, you can go to this page , where you see and access your maps in an instant.

To create a new map, click on “ Create Map ”. This will open a new tab with an empty map. 

By clicking on “ Untitled Map ”, you can give your map a name and a description. And ta-da! You’re ready for some travel planning on Google Maps. Time to create the perfect itinerary .

2. Add Locations

Now it’s time to start brainstorming. What do you want to do and see on your trip? There are so many ways to find the best places to visit.

For starters, you can find things to do by reading travel guides, blog posts , and itineraries from other travel bloggers. It’s also a good idea to go through Instagram hashtags and location tags. And, of course, good old printed travel guides (by Lonely Planet and Rough Guides, for example) are always a good shout too.

You don’t have to worry about how to plan out your days in detail. For now, you simply want to get an idea of what you want to do on your trip.

Whenever you find something that seems interesting, you can add these to your map by typing the location into the search bar. This can be the name of the location or the address, or you can use the coordinates. Usually, you’ll see a drop-down menu with suggestions as you type.

By pressing enter or selecting one of the options, Google Maps will take you to the location. Here, you can add these locations to your maps. Simply click on “ Add to map ”. Afterwards, you’ll see it appear on the Untitled Layer .

Alternatively, you can use the “ Add Market ” tool (shown in the screenshot below) to add a marker on the map. You can use this when a location isn’t on the map but you don’t have the coordinates, for example.

Before adding all your locations, make sure to read step 3. We explain how to customize your pins on Google Maps, making it much easier to plan your daily itineraries later on.

Planning a road trip on Google Maps? Start by adding the places you want to see/visit. Later on (see step 5), you can add directions to help you find the fastest routes. You can create on Google Maps for the overall road trip, and make another map for daily itineraries of your road trip.

3. Customise Your Categories (Icons and Colours)

The customisation options are another reason why planning trips on Google Maps is one of the best travel planning tools out there. By using colours, icons, pictures and notes, your map will be even easier to navigate.

These options let you break down your locations into categories, such as things to do, photography spots, restaurants, cafes, hotels, shops, etc.

You can change the colour of your pin and add an icon under the “ Style ” option – it looks like a paint bucket. There are hundreds of different icons to choose from.

At this stage, it’s best to stick to changing the icons for now. I normally change the colours to divide the days on my itineraries. Obviously, you can completely style this the way you want.

You can also change the colour and icon of your pins in the side menu.

When clicking on the “ Edit ” icon, you can change the title and add a description for your location. This can be handy to help yourself remember any specifics about this place, such as good photography spots, opening times and whether you need to book a ticket in advance or not.

You can add an image or video to your pins, too. And lastly, you can delete the pin by clicking on the trash icon.

4. Create Layers 

Now you’ve added all the things you want to do and given them some icons, it’s time to take a look at the layers. You can add a layer by clicking the “Add layer” option in the sidebar. This automatically creates a brand new untitled layer on your map.

You can rename and delete the layers by clicking on the three dots next to the name of the layer.

You can make layers invisible by unchecking the box next to the name of your layer.

To move points of interest from one layer to another, you can simply drag them over with your mouse.

Layers are an easy way to categorize and organise the locations on your map. There are multiple ways to do this, and you can choose a way that works best for your trip. For example, you can create one layer for restaurant options in Tokyo, one for sightseeing in Tokyo, one for hotels in Tokyo , etc.

When I’m planning a big trip, I like to use layers to break down my individual days or cities. This way, I can quickly see what I’m doing every day while I’m travelling. To make it even clearer, I change the colours of all my pins to match the different layers.

5. Plan Your Itinerary (with Directions)

After following these steps, we should have a good overview of all the things we want to do and see during our trip. This will make it much easier to break down the trip into days.

For the Tokyo itinerary I’ve been planning as part of this Google Maps tutorial, I’m going to spread it out over two days.

I created two layers to match my time in Tokyo in Google Maps. 

Because I can see where all my hotspots are located, I can see which activities and sights I want to pair together. This way, I can efficiently plan what I want to see each day. You can even make squares to group things together with the “ Line Drawing ” tool. 

For example, it makes sense to group these pins together per day – this will save me a ton of time travelling from one place to the other.

Always check whether these things actually work together, though. Sometimes, a ton of restaurants are located near each other, but there’s no point in planning to visit four restaurants on the same day.

Sometimes, there are museums that take way too long to visit alongside other sights or you can combine certain parts of the city in one day.

Take a look at your itinerary and plan it accordingly. As mentioned before, I like to use the colour tool to add the same colour per day to make it even easier to spot. My Google Map itinerary turned out like this:

If you’re planning a road trip on Google Maps or want directions for walking from one point to another, you can use the direction tools. Click on one of the locations and select “ Directions to here ”. 

This will create a new layer on your map. From here, you can add different locations to create a route. You can select points of interest on your map to easily add them to your route. Click on “ Add Destination ” to add more stops.

You can also change whether you want directions by car, bike, or on foot by clicking on the car icon. This opens up a small window with a car, bike and pedestrian. Changing the mode of transport will automatically change the directions to find the best route for you.

This tool allows you to create road trip itineraries or city walks with just a few clicks. I find this especially handy to plan a road trip with Google Maps, as it allows me to estimate the driving time and the amount of money I’ll have to spend on petrol.

By clicking on the three dots next to the name of this direction layer, you can click on “ Step-by-step directions ”. This will give you detailed directions, distances, and an estimation of how long it’ll take for you to get there. Super handy!

6. Book Your Hotels 

Now you know exactly what your daily plans are for our trip, it makes it much easier to pick the perfect location for your accommodation . Since you know what parts of the city you’ll be visiting, you can pick a spot that’s near these locations. This will save you so much time (and money), as you won’t have to travel too far to go to start your daily itinerary.

I usually book hotels on Booking.com . The website’s map feature makes it perfect for choosing the location. Because I have my itinerary ready on Google Maps, I know exactly what area of the city I prefer to stay in.

Once you’ve booked your accommodation, you can add the location to your map too.

7. Share Your Trip & Access it on Your Phone

Once you’ve finished your map, you can share it with your travel buddies and download it onto your phone. Here is how to do it.

Access Your Map on Your Phone

To view the map on your phone (with an internet connection), simply download the Google Maps app. Log into your account and click on the “ Saved ” button at the bottom.

Then scroll down and click on “ Maps ”. This will take you to all the maps you created. Click on the map you want to access, and all your saved spots will appear.

Share Your Map

To share your map with your travel company or friends, click on the “ Share ” button. Make sure to enable link sharing , which will allow you to copy the shareable link. You can share this link with friends, who can then access your map and download it themselves.

If you’ve read any of my itineraries or travel guides , you have probably noticed some Google Maps. As I always use these maps for my own trips, I try to include them in my articles for you to use. If you want to embed your map onto your site, click on the three dots >> “Embed on site” . 

This will give you a code that you can include on any site for an interactive map to appear.

Why Use Google Maps for Trip Planning?

Google Maps is one the best travel tools because it’s so easy to use for both planning your trip and using it during your trip. We use it for planning city trip itineraries and road trip routes, plus it allows us to save our favourite locations and hotspots.

Whenever we come across a location on social media that we’d like to check out, we add it to a bigger map so we can organise it into smaller itineraries when we’re ready to visit.

Here are some of the main reasons to use Google Maps:

1. It Allows You to Access Your Maps Anywhere

You can access Google Maps anywhere you want. After creating a map on your desktop, you can open it on your phone or tablet. Plus, you can download it so you can access it without being connected to the internet. This is especially handy when you’re abroad and internet access isn’t a given.

2. It Makes it Easy to Find the Best Hotel Location

Using Google Maps to plan my city breaks gives me insight on the perfect location for my accommodation. Because I have a visual representation of all the things I plan to do during my holiday, I know exactly what the best hotel spot is. I compare the map from Booking.com and my own map, and ta-da!

When planning road trip routes on Google Maps, you can easily estimate the time it takes to drive from one place to the next. You can use this to properly budget your trip in terms of petrol cost, too. And when on the road, you can use the directions from your own map while driving.

Conclusion: Using Google Maps Trip Planner

That concludes my tutorial on how to plan a trip with Google Maps. I hope this has shown you all the amazing features this tool offers and how easy it is to use when planning a road trip or city break. 

Ever since I started using it, I’ve never looked back. It has saved me so much time and always takes away a ton of travel planning stress. I hope it can do the same for you!

Nele (Nay-la) graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with an English and Creative Writing Degree and has lived in the UK for nearly 10 years. She has had an interest in Japan and its culture for as long as she can remember. Since her first trip in 2018 surpassed all expectations, she has continued to return to Japan to explore more of all it has got to offer. You can read her full story here .

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10 thoughts on “How To Plan A Trip With Google Maps: 7 Easy Steps”

WOW!! I had no idea this resource existed. Your detailed steps and screenshots make it easy for me to take the plunge and start using this tool. Thank you.

Thank you so much for the lovely comment, Anne! So glad the post was able to teach you a few things – it’s such a great tool to use for planning trips!

Hi, Thank you for sharing this interesting feature. I was looking for a hard copy of a plan for my travel in Malaysia.

Great guide, exactly what I was looking for, Great work, Thank you!

• Pingback: Blogs To Read This September - Bournemouth Girl

This was very helpful. Thank you 🙂

Amazing tutorial! I am so glad you came up in Google search just as I was looking for this kind of resource. And best of all its free and a tool that I am so used to. How did I not know this before about G Maps?!

So glad to hear the tutorial was helpful! It’s been such a useful tool in my travels, hopefully you can use it on your next trip too!

Very detailed explanation and very well explained too. Thanks for making this blog…

Great post! I recently planned a trip to a nearby city using Google Maps, and it was incredibly helpful in navigating unfamiliar roads and finding the best routes. I especially appreciated the feature that allowed me to save my route and share it with friends. Will definitely be using this method for future trips!

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2024 solar eclipse map: Where to see the eclipse on April 8

These 2024 solar eclipse maps will help you make the best decision about where and how to watch the total solar eclipse on Monday (April 8).

It's finally here: Today, (April 8) a total solar eclipse will pass across the skies North America, giving more than 33 million people living in 15 U.S. states a rare view of the totally-obstructed sun, and — weather permitting — a taste of some seriously strange eclipse phenomena .

If you’re wondering where the total and partial phases of the eclipse will be visible, the good news is that almost everyone in the contiguous U.S. will be able to see the celestial spectacle to some extent. But for a more detailed view of the eclipse’s path, take a look at these handy eclipse maps, courtesy of GreatAmericanEclipse.com. 

Solar eclipse 2024 path of totality map

Totality is the moment that every eclipse-chaser lives for: The moment when the moon completely covers the sun’s face, resulting in a brief but eerie darkness in the daytime. The path of totality , shown in the map above, is the path of the moon’s shadow across Earth’s surface. 

On Monday (April 8), totality will begin in Sinaloa, Mexico, then move northeast up to Texas, ultimately crossing 15 states before moving on to Canada. The states where totality will be visible are: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine — although Tennessee and Michigan will only be glanced by the moon's shadow.

Related: April 8 solar eclipse: What time does totality start in every state?

Viewers MUST be within the path of totality to witness the total phase of the eclipse; if you are off the path by even a mile, you will only see a partial eclipse, and miss out on the spooky daytime darkness. Furthermore, the closer you are to the center of the path of totality, the longer totality will last for you — up to a maximum duration of 4 minutes, 27 seconds in Torreón, Mexico.

Note: Totality is the ONLY TIME when it is safe to view the sun without protective eyewear like certified solar eclipse glasses . You must protect your eyes during the entire partial phase of the eclipse, no matter where you are.

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Solar eclipse 2024 partial eclipse map

If you live in the U.S. and can’t make it to the path of totality, a partial eclipse still awaits you on April 8. The entire contiguous U.S. will have some view of the partial eclipse, ranging from 99% coverage of the sun just off the path of totality to about 15% coverage far to the northwest of the path.

The map above shows how much of the sun’s disk will be blocked from your location. Watching the partial phases of the eclipse — which last about an hour and 20 minutes before and after totality — means wearing protective eyewear at all times. Failure to do so could result in permanent eye damage, according to NASA .

If you want to experience the celestial spectacle but don’t have a pair of eclipse glasses handy, there are many other ways to safely enjoy the partial eclipse . These include making a homemade pinhole projector , using a pasta strainer to project the shadow of the moon onto the ground or watching one of the various eclipse live streams available.

2024 eclipse travel maps

If you want to see totality but don’t live within the path, driving or taking public transit to a city within the path may be possible. The map above shows how far the drive is to the path of totality, based on where you’re coming from. Meanwhile, the map below shows the most populated cities within the path of totality — many of which are expected to be flooded with millions of eclipse tourists on April 8.

The biggest cities within the path of totality include: San Antonio, Dallas, Austin and Fort Worth in Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Hamilton and Montreal in Canada; and Torreón and Mazatlan in Mexico.

Wherever you are on April 8, we wish you clear skies and protected eyes during this rare, wondrous eclipse over North America.

Brandon is the space/physics editor at Live Science. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Reader's Digest, CBS.com, the Richard Dawkins Foundation website and other outlets. He holds a bachelor's degree in creative writing from the University of Arizona, with minors in journalism and media arts. He enjoys writing most about space, geoscience and the mysteries of the universe.

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When will solar eclipse reach your town? These maps show path's timing, how long it lasts.

Hundreds of cities in 13 u.s. states fall directly on the april 8 eclipse's path of totality as the moon blocks the sun's disc and ushers in darkness. these interactive maps offer a closer look..

Come Monday, millions of Americans from Texas to Maine will stop what they're doing to step outside and spend a few minutes gazing skyward .

Few celestial events have the power to capture our collective attention the way this upcoming total solar eclipse has managed to do. And for those making time to witness it, two questions are bound to be on their mind : Will totality reach my area and if so, how long will the resulting darkness last?

Most people across the country are bound to experience the eclipse in some form, but only 13 states fall directly on the path of totality, where the moon will appear large enough to shield all but the sun's outermost layer, the corona.

As you make your eclipse-viewing plans, these interactive maps should help you chart the time and duration for when totality will occur in cities along the path.

Solar eclipse experiment: Here's why NASA is launching 3 sounding rockets into space during the total solar eclipse

Total solar eclipse path of totality map

The 115-mile-wide path of totality will pass from southwest to northeast over portions of Mexico the United States and Canada.

Mexico's Pacific coast will be the first location in continental North America to experience totality, which will occur at about 11:07 a.m. PDT,  according to NASA .

As the moon's shadow travels northeast, totality in the U.S. will begin at 1:27 p.m. CDT in Eagle Pass, Texas. From there, the path will cut diagonally across the country before ending around 3:35 p.m. EDT in Lee, Maine.

Remember: If you plan to witness the eclipse, proper eyewear is a must until the eclipse reaches totality, then it can be viewed with the naked eye.

Here's a map of some of the larger cities in each of the 13 states on the path to show how the duration of totality will vary:

Cities, states on the path of totality

All told, nearly 500 cities in 13 U.S. states are located on the eclipse's path of totality. Here are some of the major cities in each of the 13 states:

• Dallas and San Antonio, Texas
• Idabel, Oklahoma
• Poplar Bluff, Missouri
• Little Rock, Arkansas
• Paducah, Kentucky
• Indianapolis and Evansville, Indiana
• Carbondale, Illinois
• Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio
• Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, New York
• Burlington, Vermont
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
• Caribou, Maine
• Erie, Pennsylvania

This interactive map provides a closer look at cities along the path, when totality will arrive there and how long totality will last:

Eclipse watch parties, festivals

Such a rare event is sure to attract skygazing tourists unlucky enough to live outside the path of totality. Fortunately, many cities that will experience the total eclipse are planning plenty of festivities for tourists and locals alike.

This map , courtesy of Kristian Campana at festivalguidesandreviews.com , includes locations of watch parties, music festivals and more all tied to the eclipse's arrival:

2024 total solar eclipse interactive map with zip code search

Perhaps the easiest way to see how the eclipse will impact your city or town, is to put your zip code into USA TODAY's interactive eclipse map .

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

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Why the East Coast Earthquake Covered So Much Ground

Friday morning at around 10:30 local time, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake popped three miles below Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. Though nowhere near the magnitude of the West Coast’s monster quakes, the seismic waves traveled hundreds of miles, jostling not just nearby New York City, but Philadelphia and Boston and Washington, DC. The United States Geological Survey is urging the region to prepare for aftershocks of smaller magnitude.

For a region not accustomed to earthquakes, it was a jolt. Its wide-ranging impact turns out to be not a quirk, but a byproduct of the East Coast’s unique geology of ancient fault lines and rock composition.

“Earthquakes in this region are uncommon, but not unexpected,” said seismologist Paul Earle, of the USGS National Earthquake Information Center, on a press call Friday. “Earthquakes on the East Coast are felt much farther—four or five times farther—than a similar earthquake on the West Coast.”

Back in 2011, for instance, people felt the shock of a 5.8 quake in Virginia from up to 600 miles away, whereas a 6.8 a few years later in Napa, California—which produced twice as much energy— traveled less than half that distance . Given how much more densely populated the East Coast is than the West Coast, that means a whole lot of people over a much wider area will feel at least a little shaking, even if the magnitude is significantly smaller than something like a Loma Prieta earthquake, which devastated the Bay Area in 1989 .

Jostled East Coasters can blame the geology underneath their feet. On the West Coast, a vast web of faults pop off all the time along an active plate boundary, sending shocks across the landscape. “We have new faults forming, we have old faults taking on strain and rupturing in big earthquakes,” says Columbia University structural geologist Folarin Kolawole.

But when an earthquake happens in a given fault, there are neighboring faults through which the energy is distributed. Basically, because the western US has so many faults along an active plate, it has a lot of channels to absorb earthquake energy—subterranean shock-absorbers, of sorts.

While the USGS hasn’t yet pinpointed the exact fault responsible for today’s earthquake, it occurred in a region where the fault system is more static than on the West Coast. It appears an inactive fault was reactivated Friday morning under New Jersey, somewhere in the Ramapo fault system.

The relative stability of the East Coast fault system is due to its geological age: Its rocks formed hundreds of millions of years before rocks on the West Coast. Geologically speaking, the East Coast is a quiet old man, while the West Coast is a rambunctious teenager.

“We don't have that tectonic complexity on the East Coast,” says Gregory Mountain, a geophysicist at Rutgers University. “We had it in the geologic past, hundreds of millions of years ago, but things are pretty well solidified—is one way to call it—and stabilized. For that reason, on the East Coast, seismic energy could actually probably travel quite a bit farther and have less energy loss with distance.”

Jeremy White

Karen Williams

The region doesn’t have the plentiful active faults that the West Coast has to attenuate the shaking we feel at the surface. The ancient eastern faults have also stored up a lot of energy over time. “They've had a long time to heal and strengthen,” says Kolawole, “so the rock can rupture big quakes.” While 4.8 is a far cry from a 7.0, it still takes an astonishing amount of energy to shake picture frames hundreds of miles away.

Once that energy is released on the East Coast, it travels through harder rock than it would in California. Manhattan and Queens, for instance, are sitting on bedrock. “So when you have earthquakes in this region, they can travel really fast,” says Kolawole. In California, by contrast, there’s sedimentary cover on that bedrock. “There you have a lot of vibration and shaking, but earthquake energy does not travel as fast as you have it here.”

Friday’s earthquake may come as a literal and metaphorical shock for East Coasters, but bigger ones have happened in the region before, like a 5.3 magnitude in 1884. In the near term, the region may feel aftershocks for days or months. Longer term, it’s only a matter of time before an even bigger earthquake hits. “It's not impossible, it's just uncommon,” says Kolawole. “And it does signal the potential for a larger magnitude earthquake within this region.”

And when that happens, you’ll almost certainly feel it from hundreds of miles away.

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Separate Ways Chapter 6 Walkthrough

After a short boat ride with her old pal Leon, Chapter 6 of the Separate Ways DLC sees Ada travel to the Island in pursuit of Krauser and the Amber. But when Krauser relinquishes the Amber to Saddler, Wesker offers Ada a new mission she can't refuse.

In this Resident Evil 4 Remake walkthrough, you'll receive detailed instructions to help you complete Chapter 6 of the Separate Ways DLC and learn the location of the Treasures in this section.

This guide is focused on Chapter 6 of Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways (2023) , the DLC for Resident Evil 4 Remake , not the original expansion .

Continue reading or click the links below to learn more about a specific objective in this walkthrough:

• Get Through the Defensive Line

The Amber Laboratory Code

Door code 2, door code 3, leave the facility, head for the comms facility.

When the opening cutscene ends, you'll find yourself at the Campsite. Take out the soldier with the stun rod, then explore the Campsite and the control room on the western ledge to pick up some resources. After collecting all the items, kill the patrolling enemy in the northern passage, and enter the Amber Storeroom.

Treasure - Crystal Ore Location

Crystal Ore - Island Treasure 1

As you approach the southern path to march toward your objective, you'll get swarmed by enemies. Defeat them, collect any loot in the Storeroom, and exit through the southern doorway.

After pushing through the southern door, collect the Yellow Herb on the floor and hurdle through the window to your left.

Treasure - Alexandrite 3 Location

Alexandrite 3 - Island Treasure 2

Soon, the elevator will reach your platform and deliver a couple of enemies. Beat down the soldiers, then press the red button on the elevator to descend to the lower level. Here, you'll find the Merchant's shop, a Typewriter, a Green Herb , and several breakable objects.

Purchase any upgrades or items you need, then grapple through the hole in the fence to enter the area where Ashley operates the crane to destroy the wall you just hurdled.

The area is occupied by a squad of soldiers and two Brutes, one of which wields a deadly crossbow. This battle can be resource-intensive, so use the Explosive Barrels effectively and hide behind cover if you see the crossbow Brute aiming in your direction.

Treasure - Red Beryl 3 Location

Red Beryl 3 - Island Treasure 3

Next, walk up the ramp, follow the walkway southward, and enter the facility to trigger a cutscene.

Advance through the facility's natural path and drop to the lower level to find another Merchant shop. As you walk eastward past the shop, you'll pass by the Beautiful Beetles Merchant Request note. This request will ask you to find and sell two Ornate Beetles hidden inside Facility 1.

To learn the precise location of the Ornate Beetles, click the link below:

• Beautiful Beetles Merchant Request

Walk east of the Merchant, and you'll discover that your route to the comms facility is blocked by a door that's missing its power unit. To find the missing power unit, read the Researcher's Scrawled Note found north of the power outlet, and its location will be marked on your map. Head to the end of the northern passage and drop down into the Incubation Lab.

Defeat the soldiers guarding the southern hall, then break the cases in the Incubation Lab to pick up some extra loot. Next, walk up the eastern staircase to reach the Systems area, where you'll find a Regenerador. Use your Biosensor Scope to shoot the creature's weak spots, then grab the Ruby it leaves behind.

In the area north of the Systems room, you'll discover that several passages, including the route to the Power Unit, are blocked off by electrical currents. To get around, head down the eastern hallway before taking a quick left to go north toward the Dissection sector.

Though the pitch-black Dissection area is undoubtedly scary, it's only occupied by a single Regenerador lurking in the southeastern room.

Treasure - Ornate Beetle

Ornate Beetle - Island Treasure 4

Treasure - velvet blue 5 location.

Velvet Blue 5 - Island Treasure 5

With the Dissection sector looted, head east toward the Freezer. There will be no enemies within the Freezer, so head inside to snag the Power Unit . Once you've extracted the Power Unit, the entire facility will go dark. Use your Flashlight and Biosensor Scope to retrace your steps and squeeze through the passage previously blocked by the electrical current.

As you head southward, defeat the Arana and travel northwest toward the Utilities area.

Treasure - Golden Lynx Location

Golden Lynx - Island Treasure 6

After collecting the Golden Lynx, advance northward, eliminate the Regenerador ahead, and open the dumpster to find some ammo.

Next, you'll be confronted by an Iron Maiden – a stronger Regenerador variant that shoots out needles and has more hearts to destroy. Because Iron Maidens are formidable opponents, if needed, you can retreat to the passage you squeezed through earlier. The Iron Maiden cannot reach you at this location, granting you time to heal and reload.

After defeating the Iron Maiden, collect the Illuminados Pendant it drops, and advance northward.

Treasure - Gold Ingot Location

Gold Ingot - Island Treasure 7

After securing the Gold Ingot, walk to the southwestern end of the Utilities section and grapple to the upper level. Follow the path, and you'll soon return to the Merchant stand you discovered near the beginning of this chapter.

Insert the Power Unit to open the eastern door and crouch under it to exit the facility. Venture to the southern reaches of the area and hop aboard the airlift. While you ride the airlift, several enemies will target you with flaming crossbows and sniper rifles, so equip a long-range weapon to take them out while prioritizing the sniper.

After reaching the lower platform, exit the building, and head south to find another Merchant shop. Head south of the shop to arrive at the Defensive Line – a heavily guarded area protected by bunkers and lethal turrets. Just beside this vantage point, you'll find the Bug Buster 2 Merchant Request note posted on the wall.

Like the previous Bug Buster request, this note will ask you to track down and kill three heavily camouflaged Novistadors hidden throughout the Defensive Line. To learn the precise location of the three Novistadors, click the link below:

• Bug Buster 2 Merchant Request

Get through the Defensive Line

Approach the vantage point and press X to use Ada's binoculars to scope the area. Wait for the enemy lasers to move elsewhere, then drop into the Defensive Line.

Use cover strategically to avoid being riddled with bullets, then grapple over the wall on your right-hand side. Defeat the group of soldiers ahead, then shoot the Explosive Barrel inside the structure to destroy the turret within.

Next, walk southeast toward the second turret. Defeat the enemies protecting the turret, then shoot the Explosive Barrel inside again.

Treasure - Gold Bar (L) 3 Location

Gold Bar (L) 3 - Island Treasure 8

After picking up the Treasure, return to the southeast end of the region and interact with the motion detector to create a path forward. When you interact with the motion detector, you'll get swarmed by enemies, so take them down and march up the stairs to face off against a crossbow-wielding Brute.

To kill the Brute efficiently, run back to the motion detector and interact with it to place the lasers back in their original direction. Once he's been taken down, loot his camp and sprint across the walkway to avoid the lasers.

Defeat the incoming soldiers, then interact with the western motion detector to move the lasers out of your way.

Now, walk down the staircase and vault over the railing to the north. With the center lane of the Defensive Line now mostly clear, sprint across the bridge and grapple through the doorway on the other side. After making it past the turret, climb the ladder to your right and shoot the Explosive Barrel inside the bunker.

Next, trek southeast, drop to the lower level to enter Laboratory Storage, and hold X to move the wreckage.

Connect the Device

Once in Laboratory Storage, head east and stop at the window seen in the image above.

Treasure - Sapphire 4 Location

Sapphire 4 - Island Treasure 9

After grabbing the Sapphire, head south toward The Amber Laboratory, and you'll find that the door is locked and requires a passcode. Interact with the console near the door, and Ada will activate her IRIS to search for fingerprints. To determine the passcode, look at the console and identify the three digits with fingerprints on them. The fingerprints that are difficult to see were pressed last, while the bold fingerprint was pressed first.

This means that the code to access the Amber Laboratory is 1-4-8 -E .

Enter the lab, crouch underneath the rubble, and drop to the lower level to trigger a cutscene.

Run Away from Martinico

When you land, you'll immediately get chased by the monstrous Martinico. Sprint westward while avoiding the rubble in your way, then quickly hold X to turn the wheel and turn off the steam blocking your path.

As you approach the dead-end ahead, look to your left to find a passage you can squeeze through. Next, drop down into the sewer and crouch walk to the end of the narrow corridor.

Once you've escaped the sewers, travel north, and Martinico will greet you again. Sprint toward the locked door ahead and quickly type in the following code: 2-3-7-E . Continue sprinting, then grapple to the safety of the upper floor to finally escape the beast.

Treasure - Ornate Necklace 2

Ornate Necklace 2 - Island Treasure 10

Once you've obtained the Ornate Necklace, head southeast and walk toward the neon-lit hallway to activate the lasers. If touched by a laser, you'll take significant damage, so take some time to learn their patterns before carefully making your way through the passage.

After making it past the first two sets of lasers, avoiding the third set is a quick time event, so be prepared to press O when prompted.

If you manage to survive the laser death trap, interact with the console ahead and enter the code 4-3-0-E . Once inside, disable the security system to connect Wesker's device, and you'll trigger a cutscene.

Retrace your steps to exit the facility, and Martinico will appear to hunt you down. Sprint through the second laser grid and prepare for more quick time events. While the Ada is capable of outmaneuvering even the most advanced security systems, Martinico is a lot less graceful. The monster will get killed by the lasers, allowing you to escape.

Congrats, you have just completed Chapter 6 of the Separate Ways DLC!

Up Next: Separate Ways Chapter 7 Walkthrough

Top guide sections.

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Solar Eclipse Will Pass Over Every US City Named Nineveh on April 8, 2024?

A total solar eclipse is caused by the moon and the sun being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time., published april 6, 2024.

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For a couple of minutes on April 8, 2024 , in a narrow, curved band across North America, one of the greatest spectacles in nature will occur: a total solar eclipse. Being in that path at exactly the right time is the only way people on the continent will be able to look directly at the sun without damaging their eyeballs until the next North American eclipse in 2044, and so millions of people from around the world will flock to cities in the path of totality, including Dallas and Indianapolis.

Eclipses do not discriminate, so anyone in the path of totality will be able to see the sun fully obstructed by the moon. However, some people  have claimed online that there's one interesting coincidence about the eclipse's path of totality: It will pass through every city in the United States named Nineveh. That name is shared by an ancient city in modern-day Iraq that was described in the bible as "evil." 

Snopes received an email from a reader who requested that we check the claim about cities named Nineveh in the eclipse path. In our research, we discovered that many of the people making the claim were Christians who were interpreting the eclipse as a bad omen . 

Contrary to the claims, Snopes discovered that the path of totality in the eclipse does not pass through seven cities in the United States named Nineveh — it passes through just two. But before counting places named Nineveh, we must first briefly clarify how eclipses work.

How Eclipses Work

A total solar eclipse is caused by the moon and the sun being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. The moon fully blocks the light from the sun, casting a large shadow on the earth.

Those completely inside the moon's shadow, called the umbra, are the only ones who will be able to look directly at the sun without eye protection. It's the small path of the umbra that people travel to in order to see the total solar eclipse. The website GreatAmericanEclipse.com created a visualization of the shadow's path across North America.

Outside the umbra, in a much larger area where the moon blocks only some of the sun, viewers will experience a partial solar eclipse, where the sun looks like it has a giant bite taken out of it. You cannot view a partial solar eclipse without special eclipse glasses. The entirety of the continental United States will be able to see a partial solar eclipse on April 8, just as the entirety of the United States (even Alaska and Hawaii) was able to see a partial solar eclipse in  2017 . 

The cool part (partial) of an eclipse can be seen from a very large area, as long as you wear eclipse glasses. The really cool part (total) of an eclipse can be seen only in a small area. It is the total eclipse that people have thought held religious significance since practically as long as humans have had eyes to see and religions to follow.

To quote the essayist Annie Dillard :

A partial eclipse is very interesting. It bears almost no relation to a total eclipse. Seeing a partial eclipse bears the same relation to seeing a total eclipse as kissing a man does to marrying him, or as flying in an airplane does to falling out of an airplane. Although the one experience precedes the other, it in no way prepares you for it. 

Places Named Nineveh

We started with Wikipedia's list of places named Nineveh to get a general idea of where to look. Of course, we cross checked those results with more-reliable sources of knowledge, including Google Maps and data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Wikipedia listed just six places in the U.S. named Nineveh, which made our claim of seven dubious to begin with. Checking the locations of those places on Google Maps, we found that three were actually townships, a term used for county subdivisons in some states. 

The first was the largest, Indiana's Nineveh Township (south of Indianapolis), which contains a small hamlet of the same name. Both the township and the hamlet will indeed fall in the path of the total eclipse.

Next, Wikipedia listed two townships in Missouri — one in Adair County (about halfway between Kansas City and Davenport, Iowa) and one in Lincoln County (about an hour northwest of St. Louis). But neither of the two townships contained a village named Nineveh on any of the maps we looked at. Furthermore, neither of the townships fell in the path of the total eclipse. 

The fourth place on Wikipedia's list, Nineveh, New York, is about 30 minutes east of Binghamton. We found it marked on maps but, again, it did not lie in the path of totality.

Fifth: Nineveh, Pennsylvania, roughly halfway between Pittsburgh and Morgantown, West Virginia. This Nineveh was marked on maps, but it was also outside of the total eclipse. It was also the last Nineveh listed by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sixth, we found Nineveh, Virginia, an hour and a half west of Washington, D.C. This was the easiest to check: Nobody in the state of Virginia will be able to see full totality during the eclipse. We did not find a label for Nineveh on maps, and buildings located in the area had their postal addresses listed as White Post, Virginia.

That completed the Wikipedia list, but various posts about the supposed line-up listed two more Ninevehs located in the U.S.: one in Texas and one in Ohio.

Nineveh, Texas, was not marked on maps, nor did it have a post office. It was located not far off of Interstate 45 halfway between Houston and Dallas. This one was close, but we eventually confirmed that it would be outside of the zone of totality by referencing nearby cities that also were outside of totality.

Nineveh, Ohio, was a similar story: not found on maps, no post office, no Census data. But this Nineveh, 30 minutes northwest of Dayton, was finally our second hit.

In total, we counted two places named Nineveh in the United States that could be found in the path of totality.

2024 Total Eclipse . https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

"A Total Eclipse Is near. For Some, It's Evidence of Higher Power. For Others It's a Warning." USA TODAY , https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/03/23/2024-total-solar-exclipse-religious-implications/72869724007/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

April 8, 2024 Eclipse Will Pass Over 7 United States Cities Named Nineveh . www.youtube.com , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n6dp85XynY. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

April 8 Eclipse and Third-Day Events in Scripture . https://www.biblejournalclasses.com/blog/april-8-eclipse-and-third-day-events-in-scripture-2. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Dawson, Brandon. "THE JONAH ECLIPSE - 40 DAYS - GODS URGENT WARNING TO AMERICA!" Tribe of Christians , 2 Mar. 2024, https://www.tribeofchristians.com/single-post/the-jonah-eclipse-god-s-great-warning-to-america-april-8th-2024.

Dillard, Annie. "Total Eclipse." The Atlantic , 8 Aug. 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/08/annie-dillards-total-eclipse/536148/.

Eclipse 2017 . https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Mark, Joshua J. "Nineveh." World History Encyclopedia , https://www.worldhistory.org/nineveh/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

"Nineveh (Disambiguation)." Wikipedia , 29 Oct. 2023. Wikipedia , https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nineveh_(disambiguation)&oldid=1182408744.

Noah. "The Upcoming U.S. Eclipse Just Got Even Stranger!" WLT Report , 4 Mar. 2024, https://wltreport.com/2024/03/04/upcoming-u-s-eclipse-just-got-even-stranger/.

The APRIL 8, 2024 ECLIPSE & The 7 Cities Named Nineveh | The APRIL 8, 2024 ECLIPSE & The 7 Cities Named Nineveh | By Messiah GuguFacebook . www.facebook.com , https://www.facebook.com/100067092253715/videos/the-april-8-2024-eclipse-the-7-cities-named-nineveh/397509926249711/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

The April 8 2024 Eclipse and the 7 Cities Named Nineveh . www.youtube.com , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLkxKT65IFc. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

"Total Solar Eclipse 2024 US." Great American Eclipse , https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/april-8-2024. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

By Jack Izzo

Jack Izzo is a Chicago-based journalist and two-time "Jeopardy!" alumnus.

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Your last-minute guide to Monday's total solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse will cross North America on Monday , offering millions a rare opportunity to see afternoon skies temporarily darken as the moon blocks the face of the sun.

Tune into NBC News NOW as Lester Holt hosts a two-hour special at 2 p.m. ET Monday from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The eclipse's path fortuitously cuts across Mexico, 15 U.S. states and a small part of eastern Canada. In all other states in the continental U.S., viewers will be treated to a partial solar eclipse, with the moon appearing to take a bite out of the sun and obscuring part of its light.

Here’s everything you need to know about the rare celestial event.

What is a solar eclipse?

Solar eclipses occur when the sun, moon and Earth align. The moon passes between Earth and sun, temporarily blocking the sun’s light and casting a shadow on Earth.

A total solar eclipse is when the moon fully obscures the sun, whereas a partial solar eclipse means it blocks just a portion of the sun’s face.

Solar eclipses occur only with the new moon. Because the moon’s orbit around Earth is tilted, the three bodies don’t always line up in a way that creates an eclipse.

“Imagine if the moon’s orbit were in the plane of Earth’s orbit around the sun — if that were the case, then every new moon, you’d have a total solar eclipse and every full moon, you’d have a lunar eclipse,” Neil DeGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, told NBC News. “So, because things don’t always align, it lends to the rarity of the event and the specialness of the event.”

Where and when will the eclipse be visible?

This year’s eclipse will follow a slightly wider path over more populated areas of the continental U.S. than other total solar eclipses have in the recent past.

NASA estimates that 31.6 million people live within what’s known as the path of totality, where the total solar eclipse will be visible. An additional 150 million people live within 200 miles of the path, according to the agency.

The path travels through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Tiny parts of Michigan and Tennessee will also be able to witness totality if conditions are clear.

After the eclipse crosses into Canada, it will pass over southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton, at the eastern end of Nova Scotia.

Those outside the path of totality can still take part in the astronomical event by viewing a partial solar eclipse — visible throughout all 48 states of the contiguous U.S. — or a NASA livestream.

The timing, including how long totality lasts, depends on the location, but some spots will see the moon fully cover the sun for up to 4 minutes and 28 seconds.

Below is a list of timings for some cities along the path of totality, as  provided by NASA . A number of other resources, including NationalEclipse.com  and  TimeandDate.com , can also help people plan.

• Dallas: Partial eclipse begins at 12:23 p.m. CT and totality at 1:40 p.m.
• Little Rock, Arkansas: Partial eclipse begins at 12:33 p.m. CT and totality at 1:51 p.m.
• Cleveland: Partial eclipse begins at 1:59 p.m. ET and totality at 3:13 p.m.
• Buffalo, New York: Partial eclipse begins at 2:04 p.m. ET and totality at 3:18 p.m.
• Lancaster, New Hampshire: Partial eclipse begins at 2:16 p.m. ET and totality at 3:27 p.m.

How to safely view a solar eclipse

It is never safe to gaze directly at the sun, even when it is partly or mostly covered by the moon. Special eclipse glasses or  pinhole projectors  are required to safely view solar eclipses and prevent eye damage. Failing to take the proper precautions can result in severe eye injury,  according to NASA .

Eclipse glasses are thousands of times darker than normal sunglasses and specially made to enable wearers to look at the sun during these kinds of celestial events.

Sky-watchers should also never view any part of the sun through binoculars, telescopes or camera lenses unless they have specific solar filters attached. Eclipse glasses should not be used with these devices, as they will not provide adequate protection.

However, during the few minutes of totality, when the moon is fully blocking the sun, it is safe to look with the naked eye.

Beware of fake eclipse glasses. On legitimate pairs, the lenses should have a silver appearance on the front and be black on the inside. The manufacturer’s name and address should be clearly labeled, and they should not be torn or punctured. Check, as well, for the ISO logo and the code “IS 12312-2” printed on the inside.

If you don’t have eclipse glasses, you can make a homemade pinhole projector, which lets sunlight in through a small hole, focuses it and projects it onto a piece of paper, wall or other surface to create an image of the sun that is safe to look at. 

All you need is two pieces of white cardboard or plain white paper, aluminum foil and a pin or thumbtack. Cut a 1- to 2-inch square or rectangle out of the center of a piece of white paper or cardboard. Tape aluminum foil over that cut-out shape, then use a pin or thumbtack to poke a tiny hole in the foil.

During the eclipse, place a second piece of white paper or cardboard on the ground as a screen and hold the projector with the foil facing up and your back to the sun. Adjusting how far you hold the projector from the second piece of paper will alter the size of the image on the makeshift screen.

What to look for while viewing the total solar eclipse

For people along the path of totality, there are some fun milestones to keep track of as the total solar eclipse unfolds.

As the eclipse progresses and the sun gets thinner in the sky, it will start to get eerily dark, according to Tyson.

When the last beams of sunlight are about to become obscured, look out for the “diamond ring effect”: The sun’s atmosphere will appear as an illuminated halo, and the last light still visible will look like the diamond of a giant ring.

As the sunlight decreases even further, an effect known as Baily’s beads will be created by the moon’s rugged terrain. Tiny “beads” of light will be visible for only a few seconds around the dark moon, as the last bits of sunlight peer through the moon’s mountains and valleys.

When the moon is fully blocking the sun, it is safe to remove eclipse glasses and look at the total solar eclipse with the naked eye.

Some lucky sky-watchers may even catch a glimpse of a comet .

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks — nicknamed the “ devil comet ” because an eruption last year left it with two distinct trails of gas and ice in the shape of devil horns — is currently visible from the Northern Hemisphere as it swings through the inner solar system.

The comet can be seen in the early evenings by gazing toward the west-northwest horizon. During the eclipse, when skies darken during totality, it may be possible to see the comet near Jupiter, but its visibility will depend on whether it’s in the middle of an outburst and thus brighter than normal.

Most likely, all eyes will be on the alignment of the moon and sun.

“Most people won’t even notice,” Tyson said. “But if you know to look, it’s there.”

When is the next solar eclipse?

The next total solar eclipse will be in 2026, but it will mostly pass over the Arctic Ocean, with some visibility in Greenland, Iceland, Portugal and northern Spain. In 2027, a total solar eclipse will be visible in Spain and a swath of northern Africa.

The next total solar eclipse visible from North America will be in 2033, but only over Alaska. Then in 2044, a total solar eclipse will cross Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, parts of Canada and Greenland.

The next total solar eclipse to cross the continental U.S. coast-to-coast in will occur in 2045. The path of totality for that eclipse will cut through California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

Denise Chow is a reporter for NBC News Science focused on general science and climate change.

Lucas Thompson is a content producer for the NBC News Climate Unit.