🗺️ Google Maps Directions API

Get Google Maps directions between any origin and destination as structured JSON: route options for driving, transit, walking, cycling, and flight, with distance, ETA, traffic-aware duration ranges, and turn-by-turn steps. Provide addresses, GPS coordinates, or place IDs. MCP-ready so Claude and other AI agents can call it as a tool.

Example code (Python): https://github.com/johnisanerd/Apify-Google-Maps-Directions-API

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📋 What this API returns

Field	Description
start, end	The origin and destination used for the lookup.
travel_mode	The requested mode: best, driving, cycling, walking, transit, flight, or two-wheeler.
directions_found	true if at least one route option was returned.
directions_count	Number of route options in directions.
best_duration, best_distance	ETA and distance of the first (recommended) option, e.g. 3 hr 38 min, 215 miles.
places_info	Resolved origin and destination: formatted address, place ID, and GPS coordinates.
directions	Each route option with mode, distance, duration, route summary (via), notes (extensions), and trips containing turn-by-turn steps. Transit options include stops, lines, operators, and times.
durations	Travel time by mode (driving, transit, walking, cycling, flight) for this origin and destination.
google_maps_directions_url	A direct Google Maps link that opens the same route in a browser.

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🎯 Use cases

• Logistics and delivery. Compute ETA and distance between stops to plan and price routes.
• Travel and trip planning. Compare driving, transit, walking, and cycling options for a journey.
• Apps and dashboards. Embed turn-by-turn directions and a Google Maps link without managing a maps key.
• AI agent workflows. Drive this API over MCP from Claude (see below) to answer "how do I get from A to B?" in-conversation.
• Transit analysis. Pull public-transit legs, operators, and departure/arrival times for a corridor.

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⚙️ Input examples

Basic route (best options across modes)

{
  "start_addr": "New York, NY",
  "end_addr": "Boston, MA"
}

Driving, avoid tolls and highways, in miles

{
  "start_addr": "Los Angeles, CA",
  "end_addr": "San Francisco, CA",
  "travel_mode": "driving",
  "distance_unit": "miles",
  "avoid_tolls": true,
  "avoid_highways": true
}

Transit, arriving by a specific time

{
  "start_addr": "Brooklyn, NY",
  "end_addr": "Times Square, New York, NY",
  "travel_mode": "transit",
  "transit_routing": "less_walking",
  "time_type": "arrive_by",
  "time_value": "2026-06-01T09:00:00"
}

Exact coordinates

{
  "start_coords": "40.7128,-74.0060",
  "end_coords": "42.3601,-71.0589",
  "travel_mode": "driving"
}

Provide an origin and a destination as an address, coordinates (latitude,longitude), or a Google Maps place ID. The API returns one row per run.

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📦 Example output (trimmed)

{
  "result_type": "directions",
  "start": "New York, NY",
  "end": "Boston, MA",
  "travel_mode": "best",
  "directions_found": true,
  "directions_count": 3,
  "best_duration": "3 hr 38 min",
  "best_distance": "215 miles",
  "places_info": [
    { "address": "New York", "data_id": "0x89c24fa5d33f083b:0xc80b8f06e177fe62", "gps_coordinates": { "latitude": 40.7127753, "longitude": -74.0059728 } },
    { "address": "Boston, Massachusetts", "data_id": "0x89e3652d0d3d311b:0x787cbf240162e8a0", "gps_coordinates": { "latitude": 42.3555076, "longitude": -71.0565364 } }
  ],
  "directions": [
    {
      "travel_mode": "Driving",
      "via": "CT-15 N and I-90 E",
      "distance": 346243,
      "duration": 13082,
      "formatted_distance": "215 miles",
      "formatted_duration": "3 hr 38 min",
      "typical_duration_range": "3 hr 21 min to 4 hr 10 min",
      "extensions": ["Fastest route now due to traffic conditions", "This route has tolls."],
      "trips": [
        {
          "travel_mode": "Driving",
          "title": "Get on FDR Dr",
          "formatted_distance": "0.9 mi",
          "formatted_duration": "5 min",
          "details": [
            { "title": "Head toward Park Row", "action": "straight", "formatted_distance": "200 ft", "formatted_duration": "21 sec" }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "durations": [
    { "travel_mode": "Driving", "formatted_duration": "3 hr 38 min" },
    { "travel_mode": "Transit", "formatted_duration": "4 hr 25 min" },
    { "travel_mode": "Flight", "formatted_duration": "1 hr 15 min" }
  ],
  "google_maps_directions_url": "https://www.google.com/maps/dir/...",
  "gl": "us",
  "hl": "en",
  "fetched_at": "2026-05-29T12:00:00+00:00"
}

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💰 Pricing (pay-per-event)

Event	Price	When it fires
setup	$0.01	Once per Actor run, at startup.
directions_processed	$0.015	Once per route lookup. One lookup returns every route option for the origin and destination.

A single route lookup costs $0.01 + $0.015 = $0.025, flat and predictable. One lookup with the default best mode returns several route options (driving, transit, flight, and more) in that one charge.

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🔌 Use this API from Claude (MCP)

This Actor is MCP-server-compatible, so Claude Code (free trial), Claude (desktop and web), Cursor, and other MCP clients can call it as a tool through Apify's hosted MCP server.

Add it with this Actor-specific URL:

https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/google-maps-directions-api

Setup walkthrough:

Apify MCP integration docs: https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp

New to Claude Code or Claude Cowork? Start a free trial here: https://claude.ai/referral/uIlpa7nPLg

Then ask Claude:

"Use the Google Maps Directions API to get driving directions from New York, NY to Boston, MA, and tell me the distance and ETA."

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🚀 How to get started

1. Open the Actor and enter a start and end point (address, coordinates, or place ID).
2. Optionally choose a travel mode, units, avoidance options, transit preferences, or a departure/arrival time.
3. Run it and read the results from the dataset (JSON, CSV, Excel, or API).

View on Apify Store

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❓ FAQ

Which travel modes are supported? Best (all modes), driving, cycling, walking, transit, flight, and two-wheeler. Flight and two-wheeler are only available for some regions and routes; when a mode has no route, the row comes back with directions_found: false and a short note.

Can I use coordinates or place IDs instead of addresses? Yes. Set start_coords/end_coords as latitude,longitude, or start_data_id/end_data_id with a Google Maps place ID. Coordinates take precedence over place ID, which takes precedence over address.

How do I set a departure or arrival time? Set time_type to depart_at or arrive_by and put an ISO 8601 datetime (or a Unix timestamp) in time_value. This is most useful for transit, and a departure time also informs driving traffic estimates.

Do I need a Google Maps API key? No. Supply only the input fields; the Actor handles data retrieval for you.

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Last Updated: 2026.06.01