Google Maps photos play a powerful role in how people explore places, plan visits, and understand locations before arriving. From retail stores and airports to cultural landmarks and scenic views, photos help millions of users make faster and more confident decisions every day.
As a passionate Google Local Guide, one of my favorite contributions has been capturing and sharing photos—especially immersive 360-degree views—of the places I’ve visited around the world. With more than 12,000 photo contributions and over 85 million views, each image tells a story of exploration, culture, and connection.
In this post, I’m sharing my top 10 most viewed photos on Google Maps. These aren’t just numbers—they reflect global curiosity, digital footprints, and visual memories that help millions of people discover places before they arrive.
🔑 Key Takeaways
- High-traffic places such as malls, airports, and retail stores attract massive visibility
- 360-degree photos consistently perform better due to immersion
- Everyday locations can outperform famous landmarks
- Older photos can continue gaining views for many years
- Consistency matters more than camera quality
📸 Top 10 Most Viewed Google Maps Photos
1. Marshalls – San Bruno, California, USA
📸 Views: 3.5 million
📅 Uploaded: November 2018
This exterior photo of a Marshalls store at 1268 El Camino Real remains my most viewed contribution. It highlights how everyday retail locations are among the most frequently searched places on Google Maps.
👉 View this photo on Google Maps
2. War Memorial Opera House – San Francisco, USA (360° Photo)
📸 Views: 1.5 million
📅 Uploaded: September 2016
Captured using a smartphone 360-degree app, this immersive photo showcases one of San Francisco’s most iconic cultural venues.
👉 View this 360° photo on Google Maps
3. Nando’s PERi-PERi – Washington, D.C., USA
📸 Views: 1.1 million
📅 Uploaded: November 2017
Restaurants are highly visual destinations on Google Maps. This exterior photo helps users quickly recognize the location and decide where to eat.
👉 View this photo on Google Maps
4. Boat View – Preah Sihanouk, Cambodia
📸 Views: 1.0 million
📅 Uploaded: May 2022
This scenic boat view from Preah Sihanouk demonstrates how travel and coastal visuals resonate strongly with Google Maps users.
👉 View this photo on Google Maps
5. Choeung Ek Genocidal Center – Phnom Penh, Cambodia (360° Photo)
📸 Views: 993K
📅 Uploaded: May 2014
This 360-degree photo documents an important historical site in Cambodia, now recognized as part of the country’s UNESCO World Heritage listings.
👉 View this 360° photo on Google Maps
6. National Aquarium – Baltimore, Maryland, USA
📸 Views: 926K
📅 Uploaded: February 2018
Tourist attractions benefit greatly from visual previews, especially for families and travelers planning visits in advance.
👉 View this photo on Google Maps
7. Best Buy – Springfield, Pennsylvania, USA (Exterior)
📸 Views: 911K
📅 Uploaded: April 2018
Clear exterior photos of major retail chains help users identify entrances, parking areas, and store layout before visiting.
👉 View this photo on Google Maps
8. Philadelphia International Airport – USA (360° Photo)
📸 Views: 772K
📅 Uploaded: January 2020
Captured using a Ricoh Theta V, this 360-degree airport photo helps travelers orient themselves and understand terminal environments.
👉 View this 360° photo on Google Maps
9. Gloucester Premium Outlets – New Jersey, USA
📸 Views: 755K
📅 Uploaded: May 2018
Shopping destinations remain popular on Google Maps, with users frequently browsing photos before visiting outlet malls.
👉 View this photo on Google Maps
10. Best Buy – Springfield, Pennsylvania, USA (Indoor – Pixel Products)
📸 Views: 591K
📅 Uploaded: April 2018
This indoor photo featuring Google Pixel smartphones showcases in-store product layout and retail experience.
👉 View this photo on Google Maps
🔍 Why These Photos Continue to Perform Well
- They represent places people search for every day
- They provide clear and helpful visual context
- 360-degree photos increase engagement and time spent viewing
- They remain relevant long after being uploaded
📷 Why 360-Degree Photos Matter on Google Maps
360-degree photos allow users to virtually stand inside a place. Compared to standard images, they provide better spatial understanding and higher engagement.
Related: My Google Local Guides Journey
- Connect Live Tokyo 2025 Recap: A Celebration of Impact and Connection
- My 10-Year Journey from Google Maps Maker to Connect Live Attendee: A Cambodian Local Guide’s Story
🚀 How to Start Contributing Photos on Google Maps
Getting started as a Google Maps photo contributor is simple. The key is to focus on clarity, accuracy, and usefulness.
Step-by-step:
- Open Google Maps on your phone
- Visit a place and take clear exterior photos first
- Add interior or 360-degree photos when possible
- Upload photos consistently
- Track your photo views over time
📷 Tips for Taking Helpful & High-Quality Google Maps Photos
Photos and videos help tell the story of a place. As a Local Guide, your images should be relevant, clear, and in focus.
- Use natural light whenever possible
- Try different angles and upload only the best shots
- Zoom out enough to show the full subject
- Buildings: horizontal exterior shots
- Food: top-down shots for clarity
- Respect people’s privacy
- Avoid identifiable faces
- Ask permission when appropriate
- Be extra careful at sensitive places such as schools or hospitals
Dark, blurry, repetitive, duplicate, or copyrighted images may be removed from Google Maps. Local Guides who repeatedly violate content or privacy guidelines may be removed from the program.
In short: Take clear, well-lit photos that accurately represent a place, respect privacy, and focus on helping others understand the location before they arrive.
One helpful photo can reach thousands—or even millions—of people.
Join the Google Maps Local Guides Community
Are you a Local Guide? Share your photo story. Upload one helpful image today—a shop entrance, a landmark, or a 360° view. Your photo could help thousands of people explore places with confidence.
Let’s make the world easier to explore, one photo at a time 🌍📸.