A Better Map for Your Travels: Mapstr App Review

Updated October 2020

Admittedly I'm map-obsessed. I use a variety of mapping technology for Compass & Key destination guides and itineraries, and I've tested virtually every app out there to recommend for our list of essential travel apps. A few years ago I stumbled across an app from a Paris-based startup that is far superior to everything else we've tried and tested, especially for travel. Since then, the Mapstr team has added loads of great new features. You may never have heard of it, but I'm confident you will love it.

Travel Tech: Mapstr App Review

Mapstr, available for free on iOS, Android, and on the web

What is Mapstr?

Mapstr is an app that lets you create a personal map with all of your favorite places, anywhere in the world. Your map is always private unless you choose to share it with others.

The web version of mapstr, showcasing saved places from the Compass & Key rome destination guide

Why We Love It

One of the saved places from my Paris Guide on Mapstr, with hours, custom tags, and notes

Essential Info

When you add a new place, Mapstr automatically links opening hours, contact information, and notes other Mapstr users who recommend that place. In-destination, use the ‘Currently Open’ filter to find your next stop.

No More Lists

One of our favorite features is the ability to add notes about why you love the place or where you heard about it. Travel tips come from many sources, like the travel magazine article you just read, or your cousin who is always on the go, or the Instagrammer you follow. There's no need to keep endless lists or save restaurant business cards anymore, just add your places to Mapstr!

Custom Tags

Categorize your places so you can easily reference them later with customizable tags. Do you love brunch? Magic shops? Rooftop bars? Create a tag. Add as many tags as you want to each place and filter your map by tags. New for 2020, reorder your tags alphabetically, by how much you use each tag (‘Dining’ is always my most used tag), or create your own custom order.

Choose Your Transport

When you're ready to visit a place, Mapstr connects to a variety of transport options to get you there. Click the ‘Go’ button to quickly see the travel time to walk, drive, take a bus/train, or cab. Customize your preferred navigation within the app, including transit, driving, walking, and private hire (i.e. Uber).

Import the Places You've Been

Mapstr connects to Foursquare, Swarm, and Instagram to import your places. You can also import the places saved on your personal Google Maps. Learn more about importing in the Mapstr FAQs.

Mapstr allows unlimited custom tags on your personal map

Click ‘Go’ to see travel times and choose your transport

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Travel Wisdom

Expert-Led Travel with the Mapstr mapStore

Get the Inside Scoop

The mapStore connects you with thousands of recommended places around the world from travel publications, local guides and bloggers, and industry insiders in design, food, outdoor adventure, and more. Some maps have a nominal fee ($2.99+) but many are free. Once subscribed, you’ll find the maps in the ‘My Maps’ section on the right side of the app.

Build the Travel Map of Your Dreams

When you’re interested in a place from someone else’s Mapstr map, tap the ‘Add’ icon to save it to your map with your own custom tags and notes. Take note of the Podium feature in ‘My Maps,’ which aggregates all of the places from all of the maps you follow into one view. I’ve used this feature many times when I don’t have any saved places of my own in a new neighborhood or city.

Connect with Travel Publications and bloggers on the Map Store on Mapstr, like these maps for Paris

The Podium feature in Mapstr allows you to see the places loved by friends and other maps you follow

Mapstr For Your Vacation

Simulate a location before you travel. The red dot shows the location of a hotel I’m considering for my next trip to Valletta, Malta. all other places are featured in the Compass & Key Malta Guide.

Pre-Trip Planning

Use Mapstr to save the places from your travel research, including restaurants, bars, shops, museums, markets, and gardens. Add a custom tag for 'must see' spots, or lay out a visual itinerary with tags for daily plans, like ‘Day 1.’

When you're chatting with friends about your upcoming vacation, open the app to quickly save their recommended places without having to email yourself or add it to a list. Clusters of places will emerge, which not only helps you plan your time but also helps identify where you want to stay. Pro tip: quickly make restaurant reservations by calling or clicking through to the website through the app.

Simulate Your Location

Here’s how I use one of my favorite new Mapstr features. Click the airplane icon in the lower right corner of the app window and enter the name or address of your hotel/lodging. A red dot will appear in your Mapstr map showing your lodging amongst all of your saved places. Then select any of your saved places, click ‘Go’, and Mapstr will calculate the travel time from your simulated location! When I’m trying to decide where to go on my vacation, I love this feature to better understand if time allows to include sights that are off the beaten path, or the closest spot to grab coffee in the morning.

Group Trips

Instead of emailing back and forth when planning your vacation itinerary, now there is ‘Collaborative’ mode in Mapstr. Either create an entirely new Mapstr account for your group vacation, or use your current map. In your profile page within the app, select ‘Collaborate with Others’ and activate it. Invite up to five followers, and when they visit your map, they will see a purple ‘+’ button so they can add places to the group map.

During Your Vacation

Mapstr offers so many ways to help make the most of your vacation:

The ‘Currently Open’ filter helps you navigate where to go whatever time of day you’re exploring your destination. Select ‘List’ at the top and find the places closest to you by sorting by distance.
For the places you definitely don't want to miss, select the bell icon and an alert will pop-up on your phone when you're nearby, regardless if Mapstr is open.
Quickly add recommended spots as you chat with locals and fellow travelers. To view the most recently added spots, select ‘list’ in the search bar and sort by date.
As you visit your saved spots, update the custom note section with your impressions, or add/edit the tags. I add a ‘LOVE’ tag to the places I enjoyed.

Post-Trip Sharing

Inevitably friends and family request a list of recommended places after your vacation. Sharing your Mapstr profile allows them to save your spots to their own personal map. As you look back on your trip, Mapstr is also a handy way to remember where you went and what you did.

Other Mapstr Tips

Does it Work Offline?

Yes, for accessing your existing map. To add a place, it's best to be online so that Mapstr can access its various databases to find the place and autofill relevant information, including address, hours, and photos.

Help Your Visitors

Save your favorite hometown destinations to your map on Mapstr so that houseguests or other visitors can easily find places to go and things to do in the area. Note that the only way for someone to view your map is if they have also joined Mapstr.

Essential Tags

Our primary set of custom tags include art, dining, history, hotels, market, museum, nature, shopping, and sightseeing. We have added custom tags as needed, like secret garden, bakery, and wine. Add an emoji to the end of your custom tag for some visual panache.