Overview

You can calculate directions (using a variety of methods of transportation) by using theDirectionsService object. This object communicates with the Google Maps API Directions Service which receives direction requests and returns an efficient path. Travel time is the primary factor which is optimized, but other factors such as distance, number of turns and many more may be taken into account. You may either handle these directions results yourself or use theDirectionsRenderer object to render these results.

When specifying the origin or destination in a directions request, you can specify a query string (for example, "Chicago, IL" or "Darwin, NSW, Australia"), aLatLng value, or aPlace object.

The Directions service can return multi-part directions using a series of waypoints. Directions are displayed as a polyline drawing the route on a map, or additionally as a series of textual description within a<div> element (for example, "Turn right onto the Williamsburg Bridge ramp").

Getting started

Before using the Directions service in the Maps JavaScript API, first ensure that the Directions API (Legacy) is enabled in the Google Cloud console, in the same project you set up for the Maps JavaScript API.

To view your list of enabled APIs:

1. Go to the Google Cloud console.
2. Click theSelect a project button, then select the same project you set up for the Maps JavaScript API and clickOpen.
3. From the list of APIs on theDashboard, look forDirections API (Legacy).
4. If you see the API in the list, you’re all set. If the API is not listed, enable it athttps://console.cloud.google.com/apis/library/directions-backend.googleapis.com

Pricing and policies

Pricing

To learn about pricing and usage policies for the JavaScript Directions service, seeUsage and Billingfor the Directions API (Legacy).

Policies

Use of the Directions service must be in accordance with thepolicies describedfor the Directions API (Legacy).

Directions Requests

Accessing the Directions service is asynchronous, since the Google Maps API needs to make a call to an external server. For that reason, you need to pass acallback method to execute upon completion of the request. This callback method should process the result(s). Note that the Directions service may return more than one possible itinerary as an array of separateroutes[].

To use directions in the Maps JavaScript API, create an object of typeDirectionsService and callDirectionsService.route() to initiate a request to the Directions service, passing it aDirectionsRequest object literal containing the input terms and a callback method to execute upon receipt of the response.

TheDirectionsRequest object literal contains the following fields:

{origin:LatLng|String|google.maps.Place,destination:LatLng|String|google.maps.Place,travelMode:TravelMode,transitOptions:TransitOptions,drivingOptions:DrivingOptions,unitSystem:UnitSystem,waypoints[]:DirectionsWaypoint,optimizeWaypoints:Boolean,provideRouteAlternatives:Boolean,avoidFerries:Boolean,avoidHighways:Boolean,avoidTolls:Boolean,region:String}

These fields are explained below:

• origin (required) specifies the start location from which to calculate directions. This value may be specified as aString (for example, "Chicago, IL"), as aLatLng value or as aPlace object. If you use aPlace object, you can specify aplace ID, a query string or aLatLng location. You can retrieve place IDs from the Geocoding, Place Search and Place Autocomplete services in the Maps JavaScript API. For an example using place IDs from Place Autocomplete, seePlace Autocomplete and Directions.
• destination (required) specifies the end location to which to calculate directions. The options are the same as for theorigin field described above.
• travelMode (required) specifies what mode of transport to use when calculating directions. Valid values are specified inTravel Modes below.
• transitOptions (optional) specifies values that apply only to requests wheretravelMode isTRANSIT. Valid values are described inTransit Options, below.
• drivingOptions (optional) specifies values that apply only to requests wheretravelMode isDRIVING. Valid values are described inDriving Options, below.

• unitSystem (optional) specifies what unit system to use when displaying results. Valid values are specified inUnit Systems below.

• waypoints[] (optional) specifies an array ofDirectionsWaypoints. Waypoints alter a route by routing it through the specified location(s). A waypoint is specified as an object literal with fields shown below:

  • location specifies the location of the waypoint, as aLatLng, as aPlace object or as aString which will be geocoded.
  • stopover is a boolean which indicates that the waypoint is a stop on the route, which has the effect of splitting the route into two routes.

  (For more information on waypoints, seeUsing Waypoints in Routes below.)

• optimizeWaypoints (optional) specifies that the route using the suppliedwaypoints may be optimized by rearranging the waypoints in a more efficient order. Iftrue, the Directions service will return the reorderedwaypoints in awaypoint_order field.(For more information, seeUsing Waypoints in Routes below.)
• provideRouteAlternatives (optional) when set totrue specifies that the Directions service may provide more than one route alternative in the response. Note that providing route alternatives may increase the response time from the server. This is only available for requests without intermediate waypoints.
• avoidFerries (optional) when set totrue indicates that the calculated route(s) should avoid ferries, if possible.
• avoidHighways (optional) when set totrue indicates that the calculated route(s) should avoid major highways, if possible.
• avoidTolls (optional) when set totrue indicates that the calculated route(s) should avoid toll roads, if possible.
• region (optional) specifies the region code, specified as a ccTLD ("top-level domain") two-character value. (For more information seeRegion Biasing below.)

{origin:'Chicago, IL',destination:'Los Angeles, CA',waypoints:[{location:'Joplin, MO',stopover:false},{location:'Oklahoma City, OK',stopover:true}],provideRouteAlternatives:false,travelMode:'DRIVING',drivingOptions:{departureTime:newDate(/* now, or future date */),trafficModel:'pessimistic'},unitSystem:google.maps.UnitSystem.IMPERIAL}

Consult theGoogle Maps Platform Coverage Details to determine to what extent a country supports directions. If you request directions for a region in which that direction type is not available, the response will return theDirectionsStatus="ZERO_RESULTS".

Note: Walking directions may not include clear pedestrian paths, so walking directions will return warnings in theDirectionsResult. These warnings must always be displayed to the user. If you do not use the defaultDirectionsRenderer then you are responsible for ensuring the warnings are displayed.

Transit Options

The available options for a directions request vary between travel modes. When requesting transit directions, theavoidHighways,avoidTolls,waypoints[] andoptimizeWaypoints options will be ignored. You can specify transit specific routing options through theTransitOptions object literal.

Transit directions are time sensitive. Directions will only be returned for times in the future.

TheTransitOptions object literal contains the following fields:

{arrivalTime:Date,departureTime:Date,modes[]:TransitMode,routingPreference:TransitRoutePreference}

These fields are explained below:

• arrivalTime (optional) specifies the desired time of arrival as aDate object. If arrival time is specified, departure time is ignored.
• departureTime (optional) specifies the desired time of departure as aDate object. ThedepartureTime will be ignored ifarrivalTime is specified. Defaults to now (that is, the current time) if no value is specified for eitherdepartureTime orarrivalTime.
• modes[] (optional) is an array containing one or moreTransitMode object literals. This field may only be included if the request includes an API key. EachTransitMode specifies a preferred mode of transit. The following values are permitted:
  • BUS indicates that the calculated route should prefer travel by bus.
  • RAIL indicates that the calculated route should prefer travel by train, tram, light rail, and subway.
  • SUBWAY indicates that the calculated route should prefer travel by subway.
  • TRAIN indicates that the calculated route should prefer travel by train.
  • TRAM indicates that the calculated route should prefer travel by tram and light rail.
• routingPreference (optional) specifies preferences for transit routes. Using this option, you can bias the options returned, rather than accepting the default best route chosen by the API. This field may only be specified if the request includes an API key. The following values are permitted:
  • FEWER_TRANSFERS indicates that the calculated route should prefer a limited number of transfers.
  • LESS_WALKING indicates that the calculated route should prefer limited amounts of walking.

A sampleDirectionsRequest by transit is shown below:

{origin:'Hoboken NJ',destination:'Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn',travelMode:'TRANSIT',transitOptions:{departureTime:newDate(1337675679473),modes:['BUS'],routingPreference:'FEWER_TRANSFERS'},unitSystem:google.maps.UnitSystem.IMPERIAL}

Driving Options

You can specify routing options for driving directions through theDrivingOptions object.

TheDrivingOptions object contains the following fields:

{departureTime:Date,trafficModel:TrafficModel}

These fields are explained below:

• departureTime (required for thedrivingOptions object literal to be valid) specifies the desired time of departure as aDate object. The value must be set to the current time or some time in the future. It cannot be in the past. (The API converts all dates to UTC to ensure consistent handling across time zones.) For Google Maps Platform Premium Plan customers, if you include thedepartureTime in the request, the API returns the best route given the expected traffic conditions at the time, and includes the predicted time in traffic (duration_in_traffic) in the response. If you don't specify a departure time (that is, if the request does not includedrivingOptions), the returned route is a generally good route without taking traffic conditions into account.
• trafficModel (optional) specifies the assumptions to use when calculating time in traffic. This setting affects the value returned in theduration_in_traffic field in the response, which contains the predicted time in traffic based on historical averages. Defaults tobestguess. The following values are permitted:
  • bestguess (default) indicates that the returnedduration_in_traffic should be the best estimate of travel time given what is known about both historical traffic conditions and live traffic. Live traffic becomes more important the closer thedepartureTime is to now.
  • pessimistic indicates that the returnedduration_in_traffic should be longer than the actual travel time on most days, though occasional days with particularly bad traffic conditions may exceed this value.
  • optimistic indicates that the returnedduration_in_traffic should be shorter than the actual travel time on most days, though occasional days with particularly good traffic conditions may be faster than this value.

Below is a sampleDirectionsRequest for driving directions:

{origin:'Chicago, IL',destination:'Los Angeles, CA',travelMode:'DRIVING',drivingOptions:{departureTime:newDate(Date.now()+N),// for the time N milliseconds from now.trafficModel:'optimistic'}}

Unit Systems

By default, directions are calculated and displayed using the unit system of the origin's country or region. (Note: Origins expressed using latitude/longitude coordinates rather than addresses always default to metric units.) For example, a route from "Chicago, IL" to "Toronto, ONT" will display results in miles, while the reverse route will display results in kilometers. You can override this unit system by setting one explicitly within the request using one of the followingUnitSystem values:

• UnitSystem.METRIC specifies usage of the metric system. Distances are shown using kilometers.
• UnitSystem.IMPERIAL specifies usage of the Imperial (English) system. Distances are shown using miles.

Note: This unit system setting only affects the text displayed to the user. The directions result also contains distancevalues, not shown to the user, which are always expressed in meters.

Region Biasing for Directions

The Google Maps API Directions Service returns address results influenced by the domain (region or country) from which you loaded the JavaScript bootstrap. (Since most users loadhttps://maps.googleapis.com/ this sets an implicit domain to the United States.) If you load the bootstrap from a different supported domain, you will get results influenced by that domain. For example, searches for "San Francisco" may return different results from applications loadinghttps://maps.googleapis.com/ (the United States) than one loadinghttp://maps.google.es/ (Spain).

You can also set the Directions service to return results biased to a particular region using theregion parameter. This parameter takes a region code, specified as a two-character (non-numeric) Unicode region subtag. In most cases, these tags map directly to ccTLD ("top-level domain") two-character values such as "uk" in "co.uk" for example. In some cases, theregion tag also supports ISO-3166-1 codes, which sometimes differ from ccTLD values ("GB" for "Great Britain" for example).

When using theregion parameter:

• Specify only one country or region. Multiple values are ignored, and could result in a failed request.
• Use only two-character region subtags (Unicode CLDR format). All other inputs will result in errors.

Region biasing is supported only for the countries and regions supporting directions. ConsultGoogle Maps Platform Coverage Details to see international coverage for the Directions API (Legacy).

Rendering Directions

Initiating a directions request to theDirectionsService with theroute() method requires passing a callback which executes upon completion of the service request. This callback will return aDirectionsResult and aDirectionsStatus code in the response.

Status of Directions Query

TheDirectionsStatus may return the following values:

• OK indicates the response contains a validDirectionsResult.
• NOT_FOUND indicates at least one of the locations specified in the request's origin, destination, or waypoints could not be geocoded.
• ZERO_RESULTS indicates no route could be found between the origin and destination.
• MAX_WAYPOINTS_EXCEEDED indicates that too manyDirectionsWaypoint fields were provided in theDirectionsRequest. See the section below onlimits for way points.
• MAX_ROUTE_LENGTH_EXCEEDED indicates the requested route is too long and cannot be processed. This error occurs when more complex directions are returned. Try reducing the number of waypoints, turns, or instructions.
• INVALID_REQUEST indicates that the providedDirectionsRequest was invalid. The most common causes of this error code are requests that are missing either an origin or destination, or a transit request that includes waypoints.
• OVER_QUERY_LIMIT indicates the webpage has sent too many requests within the allowed time period.
• REQUEST_DENIED indicates the webpage is not allowed to use the directions service.
• UNKNOWN_ERROR indicates a directions request could not be processed due to a server error. The request may succeed if you try again.

You should ensure that the directions query returned valid results by checking this value before processing the result.

Displaying the DirectionsResult

TheDirectionsResult contains the result of the directions query, which you may either handle yourself, or pass to aDirectionsRenderer object, which can automatically handle displaying the result on a map.

To display aDirectionsResult using aDirectionsRenderer, you need to do the following:

1. Create aDirectionsRenderer object.
2. CallsetMap() on the renderer to bind it to the passed map.
3. CallsetDirections() on the renderer, passing it theDirectionsResult as noted above. Because the renderer is anMVCObject, it will automatically detect any changes to its properties and update the map when its associated directions have changed.

The following example calculates directions between two locations on Route 66, where the origin and destination are set by the given"start" and"end" values in the dropdown lists. TheDirectionsRenderer handles display of the polyline between the indicated locations, and the placement of markers at the origin, destination, and any waypoints, if applicable.

functioninitMap(){vardirectionsService=newgoogle.maps.DirectionsService();vardirectionsRenderer=newgoogle.maps.DirectionsRenderer();varchicago=newgoogle.maps.LatLng(41.850033,-87.6500523);varmapOptions={zoom:7,center:chicago}varmap=newgoogle.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map'),mapOptions);directionsRenderer.setMap(map);}functioncalcRoute(){varstart=document.getElementById('start').value;varend=document.getElementById('end').value;varrequest={origin:start,destination:end,travelMode:'DRIVING'};directionsService.route(request,function(result,status){if(status=='OK'){directionsRenderer.setDirections(result);}});}

In the HTML body:

<div><strong>Start: </strong><select onchange="calcRoute();">  <option value="chicago, il">Chicago</option>  <option value="st louis, mo">St Louis</option>  <option value="joplin, mo">Joplin, MO</option>  <option value="oklahoma city, ok">Oklahoma City</option>  <option value="amarillo, tx">Amarillo</option>  <option value="gallup, nm">Gallup, NM</option>  <option value="flagstaff, az">Flagstaff, AZ</option>  <option value="winona, az">Winona</option>  <option value="kingman, az">Kingman</option>  <option value="barstow, ca">Barstow</option>  <option value="san bernardino, ca">San Bernardino</option>  <option value="los angeles, ca">Los Angeles</option></select><strong>End: </strong><select onchange="calcRoute();">  <option value="chicago, il">Chicago</option>  <option value="st louis, mo">St Louis</option>  <option value="joplin, mo">Joplin, MO</option>  <option value="oklahoma city, ok">Oklahoma City</option>  <option value="amarillo, tx">Amarillo</option>  <option value="gallup, nm">Gallup, NM</option>  <option value="flagstaff, az">Flagstaff, AZ</option>  <option value="winona, az">Winona</option>  <option value="kingman, az">Kingman</option>  <option value="barstow, ca">Barstow</option>  <option value="san bernardino, ca">San Bernardino</option>  <option value="los angeles, ca">Los Angeles</option></select></div>

View example

The following example shows directions using different modes of travel between the Haight-Ashbury to Ocean Beach in San Francisco, CA:

functioninitMap(){vardirectionsService=newgoogle.maps.DirectionsService();vardirectionsRenderer=newgoogle.maps.DirectionsRenderer();varhaight=newgoogle.maps.LatLng(37.7699298,-122.4469157);varoceanBeach=newgoogle.maps.LatLng(37.7683909618184,-122.51089453697205);varmapOptions={zoom:14,center:haight}varmap=newgoogle.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map'),mapOptions);directionsRenderer.setMap(map);}functioncalcRoute(){varselectedMode=document.getElementById('mode').value;varrequest={origin:haight,destination:oceanBeach,// Note that JavaScript allows us to access the constant// using square brackets and a string value as its// "property."travelMode:google.maps.TravelMode[selectedMode]};directionsService.route(request,function(response,status){if(status=='OK'){directionsRenderer.setDirections(response);}});}

In the HTML body:

<div><strong>Mode of Travel: </strong><select onchange="calcRoute();">  <option value="DRIVING">Driving</option>  <option value="WALKING">Walking</option>  <option value="BICYCLING">Bicycling</option>  <option value="TRANSIT">Transit</option></select></div>

View example

ADirectionsRenderer not only handles display of the polyline and any associated markers, but also can handle the textual display of directions as a series of steps. To do so, callsetPanel() on yourDirectionsRenderer, passing it the<div> in which to display this information. Doing so also ensures that you display the appropriate copyright information, and any warnings which may be associated with the result.

Textual directions will be provided using the browser's preferred language setting, or the language specified when loading the API JavaScript using thelanguage parameter. (For more information, see Localization.) In the case of transit directions, the time will be displayed in the time zone at that transit stop.

The following example is identical to that shown above, but includes a<div> panel in which to display directions:

functioninitMap(){vardirectionsService=newgoogle.maps.DirectionsService();vardirectionsRenderer=newgoogle.maps.DirectionsRenderer();varchicago=newgoogle.maps.LatLng(41.850033,-87.6500523);varmapOptions={zoom:7,center:chicago}varmap=newgoogle.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map'),mapOptions);directionsRenderer.setMap(map);directionsRenderer.setPanel(document.getElementById('directionsPanel'));}functioncalcRoute(){varstart=document.getElementById('start').value;varend=document.getElementById('end').value;varrequest={origin:start,destination:end,travelMode:'DRIVING'};directionsService.route(request,function(response,status){if(status=='OK'){directionsRenderer.setDirections(response);}});}

In the HTML body:

<div></div><div></div>

View example

The DirectionsResult Object

When sending a directions request to theDirectionsService, you receive a response consisting of a status code, and a result, which is aDirectionsResult object. TheDirectionsResult is an object literal with the following fields:

• geocoded_waypoints[] contains an array ofDirectionsGeocodedWaypoint objects, each one containing details about the geocoding of origin, destination and waypoints.
• routes[] contains an array ofDirectionsRoute objects. Each route indicates a way to get from the origin to the destination provided in theDirectionsRequest. Generally, only one route is returned for any given request, unless the request'sprovideRouteAlternatives field is set totrue, in which, multiple routes may be returned.

Note: Thevia_waypoint property isdeprecated in alternative routes. Version 3.27 is the last version of the API that adds extra via waypoints in alternative routes. For versions 3.28 and higher of the API, you can continue to implement draggable directions using the Directions service by disabling the dragging of alternative routes. Only the main route should be draggable. Users can drag the main route until it matches an alternative route.

Directions Geocoded Waypoints

ADirectionsGeocodedWaypoint contains details about the geocoding oforigin, destination and waypoints.

TheDirectionsGeocodedWaypoint is an object literal with the following fields:

• geocoder_status indicates the status code resulting from the geocoding operation. This field may contain the following values.
  • "OK" indicates that no errors occurred; the address was successfully parsed and atleast one geocode was returned.
  • "ZERO_RESULTS" indicates that the geocode was successful but returned no results.This may occur if the geocoder was passed a non-existentaddress.

• partial_match indicates that the geocoder did not returnan exact match for the original request, though it was able to match part ofthe requested address. You may wish to examine the original request for misspellings and/oran incomplete address.

  Partial matches most often occur for street addresses that do not existwithin the locality you pass in the request. Partial matches may also bereturned when a request matches two or more locations in the same locality.For example, "Hillpar St, Bristol, UK" will return a partial match for bothHenry Street and Henrietta Street. Note that if a request includes amisspelled address component, the geocoding service may suggest an alternativeaddress. Suggestions triggered in this way will also be marked as a partialmatch.

• place_idis a unique identifier of a place, which can be used with other Google APIs. For example, you can use theplace_id with theGoogle Places API library to get details of a local business, such as phone number, opening hours, user reviews, and more. See theplace ID overview.
• types[] is an array indicating thetype of the returned result. This array contains a set of zero or more tags identifying the type of feature returned in the result. For example, a geocode of "Chicago" returns "locality" which indicates that "Chicago" is a city, and also returns "political" which indicates it is a political entity.

Directions Routes

Note: The legacyDirectionsTrip object has been renamedDirectionsRoute. Note that a route now refers to the entire start to end journey, rather than simply a leg of a parent trip.

ADirectionsRoute contains a single result from the specified origin and destination. This route may consist of one or more legs (of typeDirectionsLeg) depending on whether any waypoints were specified. As well, the route also contains copyright and warning information which must be displayed to the user in addition to the routing information.

TheDirectionsRoute is an object literal with the following fields:

• legs[] contains an array ofDirectionsLeg objects, each of which contains information about a leg of the route, from two locations within the given route. A separate leg will be present for each waypoint or destination specified. (A route with no waypoints will contain exactly oneDirectionsLeg.) Each leg consists of a series ofDirectionSteps.
• waypoint_order contains an array indicating the order of any waypoints in the calculated route. This array may contain an altered order if theDirectionsRequest was passedoptimizeWaypoints: true.
• overview_path contains an array ofLatLngs that represent an approximate (smoothed) path of the resulting directions.
• overview_polyline contains a singlepoints object that holds anencoded polyline representation of the route. This polyline is an approximate (smoothed) path of the resulting directions.
• bounds contains aLatLngBounds indicating the bounds of the polyline along this given route.
• copyrights contains the copyrights text to be displayed for this route.Note: If you do not use the providedDirectionsRenderer object, you must handle and display this information yourself.
• warnings[] contains an array of warnings to be displayed when showing these directions. If you do not use the providedDirectionsRenderer object, you must handle and display these warnings yourself.
• fare contains the total fare (that is, the total ticket costs) on this route. This property is only returned for transit requests and only for routes where fare information is available for all transit legs. The information includes:
  • currency: AnISO 4217 currency code indicating the currency that the amount is expressed in.
  • value: The total fare amount, in the currency specified above.

Directions Legs

Note: The legacyDirectionsRoute object has been renamedDirectionsLeg.

ADirectionsLeg defines a single leg of a journey from the origin to the destination in the calculated route. For routes that contain no waypoints, the route will consist of a single "leg," but for routes that define one or more waypoints, the route will consist of one or more legs, corresponding to the specific legs of the journey.

TheDirectionsLeg is an object literal with the following fields:

• steps[] contains an array ofDirectionsStep objects denoting information about each separate step of the leg of the journey.

• distance indicates the total distance covered by this leg, as aDistance object of the following form:

  • value indicates the distance in meters
  • text contains a string representation of the distance, which by default is displayed in units as used at the origin. (For example, miles will be used for any origin within the United States.) You may override this unit system by specifically setting aUnitSystem in the original query. Note that regardless of what unit system you use, thedistance.value field always contains a value expressed in meters.

  These fields may be undefined if the distance is unknown.

• duration indicates the total duration of this leg, as aDuration object of the following form:

  • value indicates the duration in seconds.
  • text contains a string representation of the duration.

  These fields may be undefined if the duration is unknown.

• duration_in_traffic indicates the total duration of this leg, taking into account current traffic conditions. Theduration_in_traffic is returned only if all of the following are true:

  • The request does not include stopover waypoints. That is, it doesn't include waypoints wherestopover istrue.
  • The request is specifically for driving directions—themode is set todriving.
  • ThedepartureTime is included as part of thedrivingOptions field in the request.
  • Traffic conditions are available for the requested route.

  Theduration_in_traffic contains the following fields:

  • value indicates the duration in seconds.
  • text contains a human-readable representation of the duration.
• arrival_time contains the estimated time of arrival for this leg. This property is only returned for transit directions. The result is returned as aTime object with three properties:
  • value the time specified as a JavaScriptDate object.
  • text the time specified as a string. The time is displayed in the time zone of the transit stop.
  • time_zone contains the time zone of this station. The value is the name of the time zone as defined in theIANA Time Zone Database, e.g. "America/New_York".
• departure_time contains the estimated time of departure for this leg, specified as aTime object. Thedeparture_time is only available for transit directions.
• start_location contains theLatLng of the origin of this leg. Because the Directions Web Service calculates directions between locations by using the nearest transportation option (usually a road) at the start and end points,start_location may be different than the provided origin of this leg if, for example, a road is not near the origin.
• end_location contains theLatLng of the destination of this leg. Because theDirectionsService calculates directions between locations by using the nearest transportation option (usually a road) at the start and end points,end_location may be different than the provided destination of this leg if, for example, a road is not near the destination.
• start_address contains the human-readable address (typically a street address) of the start of this leg.
  
  This content is meant to be read as-is. Do not programmatically parse the formatted address.
• end_address contains the human-readable address (typically a street address) of the end of this leg.
  
  This content is meant to be read as-is. Do not programmatically parse the formatted address.

Directions Steps

ADirectionsStep is the most atomic unit of a direction's route, containing a single step describing a specific, single instruction on the journey. E.g. "Turn left at W. 4th St." The step not only describes the instruction but also contains distance and duration information relating to how this step relates to the following step. For example, a step denoted as "Merge onto I-80 West" may contain a duration of "37 miles" and "40 minutes," indicating that the next step is 37 miles/40 minutes from this step.

When using the Directions service to search for transit directions, the steps array will include additionalTransit Specific Information in the form of atransit object. If the directions include multiple modes of transportation, detailed directions will be provided for walking or driving steps in asteps[] array. For example, a walking step will include directions from the start and end locations: "Walk to Innes Ave & Fitch St". That step will include detailed walking directions for that route in thesteps[] array, such as: "Head north-west", "Turn left onto Arelious Walker", and "Turn left onto Innes Ave".

TheDirectionsStep is an object literal with the following fields:

• instructions contains instructions for this step within a text string.
• distance contains the distance covered by this step until the next step, as aDistance object. (See the description inDirectionsLeg above.) This field may be undefined if the distance is unknown.
• duration contains an estimate of the time required to perform the step, until the next step, as aDuration object. (See the description inDirectionsLeg above.) This field may be undefined if the duration is unknown.
• start_location contains the geocodedLatLng of the starting point of this step.
• end_location contains theLatLng of the ending point of this step.
• polyline contains a singlepoints object that holds anencoded polyline representation of the step. This polyline is an approximate (smoothed) path of the step.
• steps[] aDirectionsStep object literal that contains detailed directions for walking or driving steps in transit directions. Sub-steps are only available for transit directions.
• travel_mode contains theTravelMode used in this step. Transit directions may include a combination of walking and transit directions.
• path contains an array ofLatLngs describing the course of this step.
• transit contains transit specific information, such as the arrival and departure times, and the name of the transit line.

Transit Specific Information

Transit directions return additional information that is not relevant for other modes of transportation. These additional properties are exposed through theTransitDetails object, returned as a property ofDirectionsStep. From theTransitDetails object you can access additional information for theTransitStop,TransitLine,TransitAgency, andVehicleType objects as described below.

Transit Details

TheTransitDetails object exposes the following properties:

• arrival_stop contains aTransitStop object representing the arrival station/stop with the following properties:
  • name the name of the transit station/stop. eg. "Union Square".
  • location the location of the transit station/stop, represented as aLatLng.
• departure_stop contains aTransitStop object representing the departure station/stop.
• arrival_time contains the arrival time, specified as aTime object with three properties:
  • value the time specified as a JavaScriptDate object.
  • text the time specified as a string. The time is displayed in the time zone of the transit stop.
  • time_zone contains the time zone of this station. The value is the name of the time zone as defined in theIANA Time Zone Database, e.g. "America/New_York".
• departure_time contains the departure time, specified as aTime object.
• headsign specifies the direction in which to travel on this line, as it is marked on the vehicle or at the departure stop. This will often be the terminus station.
• headway when available, this specifies the expected number of seconds between departures from the same stop at this time. For example, with aheadway value of 600, you would expect a ten minute wait if you should miss your bus.
• line contains aTransitLine object literal that contains information about the transit line used in this step. TheTransitLine provides the name and operator of the line, along with other properties described in theTransitLine reference documentation.
• num_stops contains the number of stops in this step. Includes the arrival stop, but not the departure stop. For example, if your directions involve leaving from Stop A, passing through stops B and C, and arriving at stop D,num_stops will return 3.

Transit Line

TheTransitLine object exposes the following properties:

• name contains the full name of this transit line. eg. "7 Avenue Express" or "14th St Crosstown".
• short_name contains the short name of this transit line. This will normally be a line number, such as "2" or "M14".
• agencies is an array containing a singleTransitAgency object. TheTransitAgency object provides information about the operator of this line, including the following properties:
  • name contains the name of the transit agency.
  • phone contains the phone number of the transit agency.
  • url contains the URL for the transit agency.

  Note: If you are rendering transit directions manually instead of using theDirectionsRenderer object, you must display the names and URLs of the transit agencies servicing the trip results.

• url contains a URL for this transit line as provided by the transit agency.
• icon contains a URL for the icon associated with this line. Most cities will use generic icons that vary by the type of vehicle. Some transit lines, such as the New York subway system, have icons specific to that line.
• color contains the color commonly used in signage for this transit. The color will be specified as a hex string such as: #FF0033.
• text_color contains the color of text commonly used for signage of this line. The color will be specified as a hex string.
• vehicle contains aVehicle object that includes the following properties:
  • name contains the name of the vehicle on this line. eg. "Subway."
  • type contains the type of vehicle used on this line. See theVehicle Type documentation for a complete list of supported values.
  • icon contains a URL for the icon commonly associated with this vehicle type.
  • local_icon contains the URL for the icon associated with this vehicle type, based on the local transport signage.

Vehicle Type

TheVehicleType object exposes the following properties:

Inspecting DirectionsResults

TheDirectionsResults components —DirectionsRoute,DirectionsLeg,DirectionsStep andTransitDetails — may be inspected and used when parsing any directions response.

Important: If you are rendering transit directions manually instead of using theDirectionsRenderer object, you must display the names and URLs of the transit agencies servicing the trip results.

The following example plots walking directions to certain tourist attractions in New York City. We inspect the route'sDirectionsStep to add markers for each step, and attach information to anInfoWindow with instructional text for that step.

Note: Since we are calculating walking directions, we also display any warnings to the user in a separate<div> panel.

varmap;vardirectionsRenderer;vardirectionsService;varstepDisplay;varmarkerArray=[];functioninitMap(){// Instantiate a directions service.directionsService=newgoogle.maps.DirectionsService();// Create a map and center it on Manhattan.varmanhattan=newgoogle.maps.LatLng(40.7711329,-73.9741874);varmapOptions={zoom:13,center:manhattan}map=newgoogle.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map'),mapOptions);// Create a renderer for directions and bind it to the map.varrendererOptions={map:map}directionsRenderer=newgoogle.maps.DirectionsRenderer(rendererOptions)// Instantiate an info window to hold step text.stepDisplay=newgoogle.maps.InfoWindow();}functioncalcRoute(){// First, clear out any existing markerArray// from previous calculations.for(i=0;i <markerArray.length;i++){markerArray[i].setMap(null);}// Retrieve the start and end locations and create// a DirectionsRequest using WALKING directions.varstart=document.getElementById('start').value;varend=document.getElementById('end').value;varrequest={origin:start,destination:end,travelMode:'WALKING'};// Route the directions and pass the response to a// function to create markers for each step.directionsService.route(request,function(response,status){if(status=="OK"){varwarnings=document.getElementById("warnings_panel");warnings.innerHTML=""+response.routes[0].warnings+"";directionsRenderer.setDirections(response);showSteps(response);}});}functionshowSteps(directionResult){// For each step, place a marker, and add the text to the marker's// info window. Also attach the marker to an array so we// can keep track of it and remove it when calculating new// routes.varmyRoute=directionResult.routes[0].legs[0];for(vari=0;i <myRoute.steps.length;i++){varmarker=newgoogle.maps.Marker({position:myRoute.steps[i].start_point,map:map});attachInstructionText(marker,myRoute.steps[i].instructions);markerArray[i]=marker;}}functionattachInstructionText(marker,text){google.maps.event.addListener(marker,'click',function(){stepDisplay.setContent(text);stepDisplay.open(map,marker);});}

In the HTML body:

<div><strong>Start: </strong><select>  <option value="penn station, new york, ny">Penn Station</option>  <option value="grand central station, new york, ny">Grand Central Station</option>  <option value="625 8th Avenue New York NY 10018">Port Authority Bus Terminal</option>  <option value="staten island ferry terminal, new york, ny">Staten Island Ferry Terminal</option>  <option value="101 E 125th Street, New York, NY">Harlem - 125th St Station</option></select><strong>End: </strong><select onchange="calcRoute();">  <option value="260 Broadway New York NY 10007">City Hall</option>  <option value="W 49th St& 5th Ave, New York, NY 10020">Rockefeller Center</option>  <option value="moma, New York, NY">MOMA</option>  <option value="350 5th Ave, New York, NY, 10118">Empire State Building</option>  <option value="253 West 125th Street, New York, NY">Apollo Theatre</option>  <option value="1 Wall St, New York, NY">Wall St</option></select><div>

View example

Using Waypoints in Routes

As noted within theDirectionsRequest, you may also specifywaypoints (of typeDirectionsWaypoint) when calculating routes using the Directions service for walking, bicycling or driving directions. Waypoints are not available for transit directions. Waypoints allow you to calculate routes through additional locations, in which case the returned route passes through the given waypoints.

Awaypoint consists of the following fields:

• location (required) specifies the address of the waypoint.
• stopover (optional) indicates whether this waypoint is a actual stop on the route (true) or instead only a preference to route through the indicated location (false). Stopovers aretrue by default.

By default, the Directions service calculates a route through the provided waypoints in their given order. Optionally, you may passoptimizeWaypoints: true within the DirectionsRequest to allow the Directions service to optimize the provided route by rearranging the waypoints in a more efficient order. (This optimization is an application of the traveling salesperson problem.) Travel time is the primary factor which is optimized, but other factors such as distance, number of turns and many more may be taken into account when deciding which route is the most efficient. All waypoints must be stopovers for the Directions service to optimize their route.

If you instruct the Directions service to optimize the order of its waypoints, their order will be returned in thewaypoint_order field within theDirectionsResult object.

The following example calculates cross-country routes across the United States using a variety of start points, end points, and waypoints. (To select multiple waypoints, pressCtrl-Click when selecting items within the list.) Note that we inspect theroutes.start_address androutes.end_address to provide us with the text for each route's start and end point.

functioninitMap():void{constdirectionsService=newgoogle.maps.DirectionsService();constdirectionsRenderer=newgoogle.maps.DirectionsRenderer();constmap=newgoogle.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map")asHTMLElement,{zoom:6,center:{lat:41.85,lng:-87.65},});directionsRenderer.setMap(map);(document.getElementById("submit")asHTMLElement).addEventListener("click",()=>{calculateAndDisplayRoute(directionsService,directionsRenderer);});}functioncalculateAndDisplayRoute(directionsService:google.maps.DirectionsService,directionsRenderer:google.maps.DirectionsRenderer){constwaypts:google.maps.DirectionsWaypoint[]=[];constcheckboxArray=document.getElementById("waypoints")asHTMLSelectElement;for(leti=0;i <checkboxArray.length;i++){if(checkboxArray.options[i].selected){waypts.push({location:(checkboxArray[i]asHTMLOptionElement).value,stopover:true,});}}directionsService.route({origin:(document.getElementById("start")asHTMLInputElement).value,destination:(document.getElementById("end")asHTMLInputElement).value,waypoints:waypts,optimizeWaypoints:true,travelMode:google.maps.TravelMode.DRIVING,}).then((response)=>{directionsRenderer.setDirections(response);constroute=response.routes[0];constsummaryPanel=document.getElementById("directions-panel")asHTMLElement;summaryPanel.innerHTML="";// For each route, display summary information.for(leti=0;i <route.legs.length;i++){constrouteSegment=i+1;summaryPanel.innerHTML+="<b>Route Segment: "+routeSegment+"</b><br>";summaryPanel.innerHTML+=route.legs[i].start_address+" to ";summaryPanel.innerHTML+=route.legs[i].end_address+"<br>";summaryPanel.innerHTML+=route.legs[i].distance!.text+"<br><br>";}}).catch((e)=>window.alert("Directions request failed due to "+status));}declareglobal{interfaceWindow{initMap:()=>void;}}window.initMap=initMap;
index.ts

functioninitMap(){constdirectionsService=newgoogle.maps.DirectionsService();constdirectionsRenderer=newgoogle.maps.DirectionsRenderer();constmap=newgoogle.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map"),{zoom:6,center:{lat:41.85,lng:-87.65},});directionsRenderer.setMap(map);document.getElementById("submit").addEventListener("click",()=>{calculateAndDisplayRoute(directionsService,directionsRenderer);});}functioncalculateAndDisplayRoute(directionsService,directionsRenderer){constwaypts=[];constcheckboxArray=document.getElementById("waypoints");for(leti=0;i <checkboxArray.length;i++){if(checkboxArray.options[i].selected){waypts.push({location:checkboxArray[i].value,stopover:true,});}}directionsService.route({origin:document.getElementById("start").value,destination:document.getElementById("end").value,waypoints:waypts,optimizeWaypoints:true,travelMode:google.maps.TravelMode.DRIVING,}).then((response)=>{directionsRenderer.setDirections(response);constroute=response.routes[0];constsummaryPanel=document.getElementById("directions-panel");summaryPanel.innerHTML="";// For each route, display summary information.for(leti=0;i <route.legs.length;i++){constrouteSegment=i+1;summaryPanel.innerHTML+="<b>Route Segment: "+routeSegment+"</b><br>";summaryPanel.innerHTML+=route.legs[i].start_address+" to ";summaryPanel.innerHTML+=route.legs[i].end_address+"<br>";summaryPanel.innerHTML+=route.legs[i].distance.text+"<br><br>";}}).catch((e)=>window.alert("Directions request failed due to "+status));}window.initMap=initMap;
index.js

Limits and Restrictions for Waypoints

The following usage limits and restrictions apply:

• The maximum number of waypoints allowed when using the Directions service in the Maps JavaScript API is 25, plus the origin and destination. The limits are the same for theDirections API (Legacy) web service.
• For the Directions API (Legacy) web service, customers are allowed 25 waypoints, plus the origin, and destination.
• Google Maps Platform Premium Plan customers are allowed 25 waypoints, plus the origin, and destination.
• Waypoints are not supported for transit directions.

Draggable Directions

Users may modify cycling, walking or driving directions displayed using aDirectionsRenderer dynamically if they aredraggable, allowing a user to select and alter routes by clicking and dragging the resulting paths on the map. You indicate whether a renderer's display allows draggable directions by setting itsdraggable property totrue. Transit directions cannot be made draggable.

When directions are draggable, a user may select any point on the path (or waypoint) of the rendered result and move the indicated component to a new location. TheDirectionsRenderer will dynamically update to show the modified path. Upon release, a transitional waypoint will be added to the map (indicated by a small white marker). Selecting and moving a path segment will alter that leg of the route, while selecting and moving a waypoint marker (including start and end points) will alter the legs of the route passing through that waypoint.

Because draggable directions are modified and rendered client-side, you may wish to monitor and handle thedirections_changed event on theDirectionsRenderer to be notified when the user has modified the displayed directions.

The following code shows a trip from Perth on the west coast of Australia to Sydney on the east coast. The code monitors thedirections_changed event to update the total distance of all legs of the journey.

functioninitMap():void{constmap=newgoogle.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map")asHTMLElement,{zoom:4,center:{lat:-24.345,lng:134.46},// Australia.});constdirectionsService=newgoogle.maps.DirectionsService();constdirectionsRenderer=newgoogle.maps.DirectionsRenderer({draggable:true,map,panel:document.getElementById("panel")asHTMLElement,});directionsRenderer.addListener("directions_changed",()=>{constdirections=directionsRenderer.getDirections();if(directions){computeTotalDistance(directions);}});displayRoute("Perth, WA","Sydney, NSW",directionsService,directionsRenderer);}functiondisplayRoute(origin:string,destination:string,service:google.maps.DirectionsService,display:google.maps.DirectionsRenderer){service.route({origin:origin,destination:destination,waypoints:[{location:"Adelaide, SA"},{location:"Broken Hill, NSW"},],travelMode:google.maps.TravelMode.DRIVING,avoidTolls:true,}).then((result:google.maps.DirectionsResult)=>{display.setDirections(result);}).catch((e)=>{alert("Could not display directions due to: "+e);});}functioncomputeTotalDistance(result:google.maps.DirectionsResult){lettotal=0;constmyroute=result.routes[0];if(!myroute){return;}for(leti=0;i <myroute.legs.length;i++){total+=myroute.legs[i]!.distance!.value;}total=total/1000;(document.getElementById("total")asHTMLElement).innerHTML=total+" km";}declareglobal{interfaceWindow{initMap:()=>void;}}window.initMap=initMap;
index.ts

functioninitMap(){constmap=newgoogle.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map"),{zoom:4,center:{lat:-24.345,lng:134.46},// Australia.});constdirectionsService=newgoogle.maps.DirectionsService();constdirectionsRenderer=newgoogle.maps.DirectionsRenderer({draggable:true,map,panel:document.getElementById("panel"),});directionsRenderer.addListener("directions_changed",()=>{constdirections=directionsRenderer.getDirections();if(directions){computeTotalDistance(directions);}});displayRoute("Perth, WA","Sydney, NSW",directionsService,directionsRenderer,);}functiondisplayRoute(origin,destination,service,display){service.route({origin:origin,destination:destination,waypoints:[{location:"Adelaide, SA"},{location:"Broken Hill, NSW"},],travelMode:google.maps.TravelMode.DRIVING,avoidTolls:true,}).then((result)=>{display.setDirections(result);}).catch((e)=>{alert("Could not display directions due to: "+e);});}functioncomputeTotalDistance(result){lettotal=0;constmyroute=result.routes[0];if(!myroute){return;}for(leti=0;i <myroute.legs.length;i++){total+=myroute.legs[i].distance.value;}total=total/1000;document.getElementById("total").innerHTML=total+" km";}window.initMap=initMap;
index.js