The weather is getting warmer, which means lots of us have started thinking about summer travel. Today, Google is rolling out a handful of new features for Google Maps with the goal of making some of that planning a little easier.
Now when you’re researching places to visit, you can pull up a curated list of things to do within a particular city within Google Maps. The feature is kicking off with lists for 40 cities in the United States and Canada, with the goal of expanding to additional cities in the future.
Lists are created by sites like The Infatuation and Lonely Planet, as well as the Google Maps community, and offer suggestions on everything from great restaurants to hidden gems within a city. When you find something you like on those lists, you can save it to your map or share it with your travel companions.
Google is also creating lists within the app based on the places people are going or loving within Google Maps right now. A new Trending list for cities will be updated weekly with locations in a city that have recently seen an uptick in popularity, while a Top list will list spots that are consistently popular. Another gems list will highlight spots that might be flying under the radar.
If you want to make your own lists, Google is adding new customization tools to make that a little easier. If you’re planning a trip to San Francisco, for instance, you can create a list for the city and then add things you discover you’d like to check out to that list as you go. After your trip is done, you can move those list items up or down and create a ranked list of sorts you can share with friends who might be making the same trip in the future. Your ranked list can also be linked to content from your social channels, so you can not only suggest someone check out that killer Thai restaurant but link to your review of your meal as well.
And it wouldn’t be an update in 2024 without a little bit of AI. Late last year, Google unveiled new AI-powered navigation tools for Maps, and now it’s adding a new AI feature that reviews and summarizes what people think about a spot. For instance, you’ll be able to see at a glance that people typically rave about the jelly-filled doughnuts at that spot around the corner from your hotel (but the coffee could use a little work) without having to read through a ton of reviews.
Beyond the larger updates, Google says it also has plans to roll out some design updates for Maps that will give the app a cleaner home screen as well as new pin colors to help you find specific locations.
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