The short answer: download the area before you travel and Google Maps will show the map and give driving directions with no connection at all. What stops working offline is walking and public transport directions, opening hours and reviews. So treat offline maps as insurance for when the signal drops, and arrange the connection itself separately.
What Google Maps offline can and cannot do
Knowing the line in advance stops you making a bad call on the day.
Works offline
- Displaying and zooming the downloaded area
- Your current location, because GPS needs no data
- Searching by address or place name within the downloaded area
- Driving directions, voice guidance included
Does not work offline
- Walking, cycling and public transport directions. On a rail-based itinerary this is the one that hurts
- Opening hours, how busy a place is, reviews, photos
- Travel times that account for traffic
- Street View
The public transport gap is the one people miss. If you are crossing a foreign city by train, offline maps will not tell you which line to take.
Downloading the map before departure
Do this on your home Wi-Fi. Map data is large and will eat a mobile allowance.
- Open Google Maps and search for the city
- Tap the place name at the bottom of the screen to open its details
- Choose "Download offline map" from the menu
- Adjust the frame with your fingers to cover the area you need
- Press Download and wait
Resist the urge to cover everything. Limiting the frame to the districts you will actually visit saves a lot of space. One metropolitan area runs from tens to a few hundred megabytes.
Downloaded maps expire, and you will be asked to refresh them as the date approaches. Refreshing needs a connection, so open the app shortly before you fly and check the expiry.
Filling the gaps offline maps leave
The gaps close only by having a connection.
- Train and bus connections: the routing itself requires data
- Ride-hailing: sending your location and paying both need a connection
- Finding somewhere to eat on the spot: without opening hours you waste the walk
- Translation: only works offline if you downloaded the language pack
That puts offline maps in their proper place: insurance on top of a working connection. When the signal drops underground or in the mountains, or when you have used up your data, the map at least survives.
For the options on the connection side see international roaming vs eSIM. Country coverage and plans are on the Coral eSIM plans page.
Using offline maps to cut data use
Having the map stored genuinely reduces consumption. Maps load new image tiles every time you pan, which makes them one of the heavier things you do while walking around.
- Refresh tomorrow's districts on the hotel Wi-Fi
- While moving, use the offline map for orientation and spend data only on routing
- Open photo-heavy place pages while you have Wi-Fi
That split alone makes a small data plan last a full day. For the risks of relying on public networks see is public Wi-Fi safe abroad.
Differences between iPhone and Android
The steps are nearly identical, but the details differ.
Some Android devices can store maps on an SD card, which helps when internal space is tight. On iPhone it is internal storage only, so a tight device means narrowing the area instead.
Apple Maps can also preload a destination, though the mechanism differs from Google's explicit area download. Keeping both installed gives you something to switch to when one misbehaves.
When the offline map does not appear
If you downloaded it and still see nothing, it is usually one of these.
- It expired. Offline maps have a lifetime. Check the expiry in the offline maps list.
- You left the downloaded area. Nothing outside the frame renders. Widen it if you plan to move to an adjacent district.
- Storage pressure deleted it. Map data can be removed automatically when free space runs low.
- Location permission is off. GPS needs no data, but without permission there is no blue dot.
All four are preventable with one check before departure. Open the app the day before and look at the expiry and the frame.
Other things worth preparing offline
Beyond maps, several things can be made to work without a connection.
- Offline language packs in your translation app
- Screenshots of bookings and boarding passes, so you can show them without opening email
- Your accommodation address in the local language, to show a taxi driver
- A copy of your eSIM QR code, in case you need to reinstall
Do all of these and very little remains that a dropped connection can break. For activation steps see how to set up an eSIM for travel.
FAQ
Are offline maps free?
The offline feature in Google Maps is free. There is no extra charge. Downloading needs a connection, so do it before you leave home.
Does navigation work offline?
Driving directions work, including voice guidance. Walking, cycling and public transport directions do not. On an itinerary built around trains and buses you need a connection to plan.
How much storage does a downloaded map use?
It depends on the area, but a single metropolitan region runs from tens to a few hundred megabytes. Check your free space first. Maps also expire and need a connection to refresh.
Can I see opening hours and reviews offline?
Names and locations show, but opening hours, how busy a place is, reviews and photos all need data. Offline you get the map and whatever was already saved.
If I have offline maps, do I still need an eSIM?
For the map alone, no. But ride-hailing, translation, receiving messages and booking a table all need data. Treat offline maps as insurance for when the connection drops, and secure the connection separately.
Offline maps are not a substitute for a connection, they are the backup when it fails
Google Maps offline covers the map and driving directions without data. Train connections, opening hours and ride-hailing all still need it. So this is not a replacement for connectivity but a safety net for dead zones and exhausted allowances. Download the area before you fly, secure your own line on top of it, and neither a subway tunnel nor a mountain road leaves you without a map.