Category
Maps
Explore the world. Street view tools, travel planners, and maps you never knew existed.
Exploration & Travel
- OpenStreetMap—Free, open-source alternative to Google Maps. Surprisingly detailed worldwide.
- Google Earth Web—Explore the entire planet in 3D, straight from your browser. Still breathtaking.Recommended
- GeoGuessr—Guess where in the world you are from Street View. Wildly addictive.Recommended
- Windy—Real-time global weather visualisation. Watch wind, rain, and storms move live.
Speciality Maps
- Stamen Maps—Beautiful alternative map styles — watercolour, toner, terrain. Great for design.
- Light Pollution Map—Find the darkest skies near you. Essential for stargazing planning.
History & Time
- Old Maps Online—Search and browse historical maps of any location across centuries.Hidden Gem
- David Rumsey Map Collection—250,000+ historical maps scanned in extraordinary detail. Completely free to browse.Hidden Gem
- Chronas—An interactive history map — explore what the world looked like at any point in time.Hidden Gem
Data & Curiosity
- Flightradar24—Watch every commercial flight in the world in real time. Oddly mesmerising.
- MarineTraffic—Real-time tracking of ships and vessels worldwide. The ocean equivalent of Flightradar24.Hidden Gem
- EarthCam—Live webcams from famous locations worldwide. Great way to virtually visit anywhere.
- Peakbagger—Database of every mountain peak on earth with climbing routes and trip reports.Hidden Gem
Environment & Science
- Ventusky—Beautiful animated weather maps showing temperature, wind, and precipitation worldwide.Hidden Gem
- Zoom.Earth—Near real-time satellite imagery of the entire planet. Track storms as they happen.Hidden Gem
- Global Forest Watch—Monitor the world's forests in real time using satellite data. Powerful and sobering.Hidden Gem
- Earth Engine—Google's planetary-scale environmental analysis platform. See land change over decades.Hidden Gem
Urban & Architecture
- SkyscraperPage—Database of every skyscraper ever built. Heights, floors, and city diagrams.Hidden Gem
- Citymapper—The best public transit app for city navigation. Far better than Google Maps for buses and trains.
- Walk Score—Rates any address in the world by walkability, transit access, and bike-friendliness.Hidden Gem
- OpenRailwayMap—Detailed map of every railway line on earth. Great for train travel planning.Hidden Gem
Adventure & Outdoors
- AllTrails—The most complete trail database for hiking, running, and cycling. Reviews from real hikers.
- Komoot—Route planning for cycling and hiking with offline maps and community recommendations.Hidden Gem
- CalTopo—Professional-grade topographic maps used by search and rescue teams. Free and incredibly detailed.Hidden Gem
Astronomy & Sky
- Stellarium Web—Planetarium in your browser — see the exact night sky from anywhere on earth, any time.Hidden Gem
- Heavens Above—Track satellites, the ISS, and astronomical events from your location.Hidden Gem
- NASA Eyes—Real-time 3D visualisation of NASA missions, planets, and the solar system.Hidden Gem
Travel Planning
- Rome2Rio—Find every way to get from A to B — flights, trains, buses, ferries. Global coverage.Hidden Gem
- The Man in Seat 61—The best guide to long-distance train travel anywhere in the world. Legendary site.Hidden Gem
Hiking & Trails
- Wikiloc—GPS trails uploaded by real hikers worldwide. Find routes anywhere on earth.Hidden Gem
- Outdooractive—Europe's best outdoor activity platform. Hiking, cycling, skiing routes.Hidden Gem
- Gaia GPS—Professional-grade hiking GPS app with offline maps. Used by serious hikers.
- Trail Run Project—Trail running routes from around the world with difficulty and elevation data.Hidden Gem
Weird & Wonderful Maps
- Atlas Obscura Places—The world's most unusual, hidden, and fascinating places. All mapped.Hidden Gem
- MapCrunch—Drop into a random Google Street View location anywhere in the world.Hidden Gem
- Noise Pollution Map—See how loud any area in Europe is. Useful for choosing where to live.Hidden Gem
- Temblor—Earthquake risk maps for any address in the world. Essential before buying property.Hidden Gem
- Flood Map—See what happens to any coastal location if sea levels rise. Sobering.Hidden Gem