How to Save Places From a YouTube Video to Google Maps

To save places from a YouTube video to Google Maps, first get the place names out of the video, using its transcript, chapters or description, then search each name in Google Maps and save it to a list made for that trip. For a long video with dozens of stops, put the names in a spreadsheet and import it into Google My Maps, which pins them all in one go.

Most of what comes up when you search this question is other videos. This is the written version: the manual method, the import method, a newer screenshot feature, and how to check your pins before you rely on them.

Three ways to save places from a YouTube video to Google Maps

All three start the same way: with a clean list of place names.

Step 1: Pull the place names out of the video

Scrubbing back and forth through a video to catch names is slow. These sources are faster, roughly in this order:

1. The transcript. On videos with captions, YouTube's help page says you can open it from the description with Show transcript, and select any line to jump to that moment. The same page notes the transcript area can show places mentioned in the video, so look there first.
2. The chapters. Place-based chapter titles are a ready-made stop list. Sophie Nadeau's 4-day Amalfi Coast guide has a chapter for each town, from Maiori to Praiano.
3. The description. Some creators write the full itinerary out. Hoang Pham's 2-week Japan video links a day-by-day guide that names hotels, stations and restaurants for each day.

As you go, write down each name with its town and the video timestamp. Fix spellings before you search: captions on that Japan video turn the sushi chain Uobei into "Ouo Bay," and the Amalfi captions turn Villa Rufolo into "Villa Ruffalo." Our guide to using YouTube chapters and transcripts to plan covers searching a transcript in more detail.

Step 2: Create a list for the trip in Google Maps

Google Maps comes with default lists such as Favorites and Want to go, but a list per trip keeps one video's places from mixing with everything else you have saved.

• On Android, Google's help page says to go to the You tab and choose New list, then add a name and description and pick Private or Shared.
• On a computer, open Saved in Google Maps and choose New list.

Name it after the trip and the source, such as "Amalfi, 4-day video." Google notes that saved lists are limited to 3,000 entries, which is far more than any one trip needs.

Step 3: Search and save each place

Work through your list of names one at a time:

1. Search the name plus the town, for example "Villa Rufolo Ravello." Adding the town avoids similarly named places elsewhere.
2. Check it is the right place. Compare the address and photos with what you saw in the video. For chains, pick the branch the creator visited; Hoang's guide names the Uobei branch in Shibuya Dogenzaka, for instance.
3. Save it to your trip list. Open the place, choose Save and select the list.
4. Add a note. Paste the timestamp link, or the creator's tip ("go before 9," "a few hours is enough").

Once everything is saved, Google's Android help page describes an option to customize the list order, which lets you arrange stops by day. Seeing all the pins together is also the moment to spot clusters; our guide to planning your itinerary by neighborhood shows how to turn them into days.

Step 4: Share the list or back it up

From the list, you can send a link to view it, or invite others to edit so travel companions can add places too. On Android, Google notes that anyone who can view a shared list can also see the names and profile pictures of people who have joined it, so keep that in mind before posting a link publicly.

For a backup, Google's help page points to Google Takeout: select Saved in a new export, choose a file format and create the export.

The faster route for long videos: import into My Maps

Saving 40 stops one by one is tedious. Google My Maps can import a whole spreadsheet into a map layer, and its help page lists these file types: CSV, TSV, KML, KMZ, GPX, XLSX and Google Sheets.

1. Build the spreadsheet. Use a first row of column titles, then one row per stop. Google says the file needs a column with coordinates, addresses or place names. A simple layout works well: Name, Town, Day, Note, Video link.
2. Keep it within the limits. Google says not to import files with more than 2,000 rows. KML and KMZ files can be up to 5 MB unzipped; other files up to 40 MB.
3. Import it. On a computer, sign in to My Maps, open or create a map, add a layer, name it, then choose Import under that layer and upload your file.
4. Check every pin. Place names can match the wrong location, so scan the map for pins in the wrong town and fix them.

For a day-by-day map, give each day its own layer and import that day's rows into it. Our guide to building a trip map in Google My Maps covers layers, colors and multi-stop routes once the pins are in.

Screenshot to save on iPhone and iPad

Google Maps has a feature called Screenshot to save that uses Gemini to find places in your screenshots. According to Google's help page, it is only available on iPhone and iPad in certain countries and is off by default.

• Turn it on from the Screenshots option in the You tab, and allow photo access. Full access enables automatic scanning of new screenshots; limited access means you upload them yourself.
• Upload manually by choosing up to 50 screenshots at a time.
• Review each find. Save adds the place to a Screenshots list, and you can skip a place or edit its name.

Google advises that screenshots should contain clear text names of places. Scenic frames rarely do, so a screenshot of a video's chapter list, an on-screen caption or a description that names the stops gives it more to work with.

Let a trip plan do the pinning

If you are building a whole trip around one video, a planner can handle the mapping too. Vidtrip turns a YouTube travel video into a day-by-day plan, and the full plan pins every stop on a map with Google Maps and Apple Maps links, plus ratings, review counts, addresses and opening hours where available. Each day opens as a route in Google Maps, and the plan exports as a KML file that imports into Google My Maps with one layer per day. You can paste a video link to preview the plan before deciding.

Before you rely on your map

Whichever method you use, check each pin against your notes, look at recent reviews for signs of closures, and confirm hours for the days you plan to visit. Then test the map on your phone in airplane mode, since a list that loads at home may not load without signal. Our guide to keeping an offline copy of your itinerary covers what else to save before you fly.