How to Take a Virtual Tour With Street View From Your Phone

You can take a virtual tour with street view by opening a map app that supports it, choosing a location, and dropping into street-level imagery where you can look around in every direction and move along the road. It is one of the easiest ways to explore a city before visiting, check a hotel's surroundings, or simply revisit places you love from home.

What street view actually is

Street view is a collection of panoramic photographs taken at ground level, usually by camera-equipped vehicles and, in some places, by people on foot. The photos are stitched together so you can turn 360 degrees and step from one point to the next along roads and paths.

Two things to remember:

• It is not live. Like satellite imagery, the photos were captured on a particular date and may be several years old.
• Coverage varies. Major cities and main roads are well covered. Private roads, some rural areas and some countries have little or none.

If you want to understand how street-level imagery differs from overhead imagery, see our explainer on satellite view vs street view.

How to take a virtual tour with street view step by step

1. Open a map app with street view. GPS, Earth Maps & Navigation includes both satellite and street view.
2. Search for a place. Start with something specific, like a famous square, a station or your hotel address.
3. Open street-level imagery for that location. In most apps you select a point on a road or choose the street view option for a place.
4. Look around. Drag with your finger to turn, and pinch to zoom in on signs and buildings.
5. Move along the street. Tap further along the road, or use the on-screen arrows where the app provides them.
6. Return to the map to jump to the next area you want to explore.

Tip: Explore on Wi-Fi. Panoramic images are data-heavy and load much faster on a good connection.

Ideas for your first virtual tours

Not sure where to begin? Try these kinds of places, which tend to have good street-level coverage and plenty to see:

Famous city streets

Walk a well-known shopping street, a riverside promenade or a historic old town. Look for small details: café terraces, street art, shop signs in another language.

Scenic drives

Many famous coastal and mountain roads have been photographed along their whole length. "Driving" them virtually is a great way to preview a road trip and decide where to stop.

Your own past

Revisit your childhood street, your old school or the neighborhood where you first lived on your own. Depending on the app and location, older imagery may show how it looked years ago.

Places on your bucket list

Stand in front of a landmark you have always wanted to visit. It will not replace the real thing, but it helps make plans concrete.

Using street view to plan a real trip

Street view is at its most useful when you are about to travel somewhere unfamiliar.

• Check the hotel's surroundings. Is it on a busy main road? Is the entrance easy to find? Are there shops nearby?
• Preview the walk from the station. Seeing the route at street level makes it much easier to follow when you arrive tired with luggage.
• Find the right entrance. Large stations, airports and hospitals often have several entrances. Street view helps you spot the one you need.
• Scout parking. Look for parking signs, garage entrances and loading restrictions.
• Check accessibility. Steps, steep slopes and narrow pavements are visible in street-level imagery, which helps if you are traveling with a stroller or wheelchair.

Combine this with a multi-stop road trip route and you can preview every tricky turn before you set off.

Getting the most from street-level imagery

• Read the signs. Zoom in on street signs and shop fronts to confirm you are in the right place.
• Check the capture date if the app shows one. Older imagery may show closed businesses or construction that has since finished.
• Switch between views. Use satellite view to see the layout of an area from above, then drop to street level for the detail.
• Rotate to face your direction of travel so the view matches what you will see when you arrive.

Privacy and etiquette

Street-level imagery is captured in public places, and faces and vehicle license plates are commonly blurred by imagery providers. Even so, be thoughtful: use street view for exploring and planning, not for tracking or sharing details about individuals. If you have concerns about how your own home appears, imagery providers generally offer ways to request blurring.

Frequently asked questions

Is street view live?

No. Street view images are photographs captured on earlier dates. They can be months or years old depending on the location.

Why can't I find street view in some places?

Coverage depends on where imagery has been captured. Private roads, remote areas and some countries have limited or no street-level imagery.

Can I use street view offline?

Street view panoramas are generally streamed from the internet, so you need a connection. Download regular offline maps separately for navigation without data.

Is a virtual tour with street view free?

Viewing street-level imagery in a map app typically costs nothing beyond the mobile data used, so exploring on Wi-Fi is the cheapest option.

Want to wander the streets of a new city tonight? Download Earth Maps free on Google Play and start your first virtual tour, or see all Earth Maps features.