Twenty years ago, Google Maps revolutionized the way people travel from point A to point B. Over time, Google Maps has transformed how people interact with the world and is an essential tool relied upon by over 2 billion people every month. In early February 2025, we celebrate two decades of Google Maps.
On February 8, 2005, the first version of Google Maps was released for desktop, with the main feature of providing directions to the desired destination. Over the years, new features and services have been added: Google Earth (a service using 3D satellite images) was introduced in 2005, Street View—a service offering 360-degree street-level imagery—was launched two years later, and the first mobile Google Maps app came out later that same year (initially for Blackberry and Palm). In recent years, the evolution of Google Maps has been closely tied to Gemini, Google’s AI platform. Leveraging Gemini’s capabilities in creation and synthesis, combined with data on over 250 million places around the world, Google Maps now offers inspiration and suggestions to users on things to do and places to visit with just a natural query.
Google Maps in Numbers, 20 Years Later:
● 20 billion: The number of kilometers traveled daily with the help of Google Maps navigation worldwide, compared to 1 billion five years ago.
● 250 million: The number of businesses and places with information available on Google Maps. In comparison, in 2015, this number was 150 million.
● 20 million: The total distance of roads with Street View images available on Google Maps.
● 500 million: The number of people contributing reviews, photos, ratings, and traffic information.
● 2 billion: The number of people using Google Maps every month, double the number from five years ago.
In Romania, Google Maps launched its localized version in April 2010, and the first Street View images from the country were published on Google Maps at the end of that same year. Since then, the Street View coverage in Romania has been constantly updated and expanded: images have been added from the water (Danube and Danube Delta), underground (Turda Salt Mine), as well as from museums (Brukenthal National Museum) and buildings (Palace of Parliament).
In 2023, Street View images were added from the Via Transilvanica: nearly 900 kilometers of the trail can now be explored digitally through panoramic images.
Street View projects in Romania have introduced world-first image capture methods: in the Danube Delta, the roads of the Letea village were photographed using a cart mounted with a 360° camera, and for Via Transilvanica, a recumbent bike was specially built for the project, equipped with a panoramic camera installation.
Places in Romania with the Most Reviews on Google Maps
In the past 20 years, Google Maps has accumulated information on 250 million places and businesses, fueled by a community of service users who constantly add updates, photos, reviews, and ratings. This global community was born in 2015 with the launch of the Local Guides program, allowing users to make voluntary contributions to keep the information on Google Maps up to date.
Here are some rankings, by different categories, of places in Romania that have received the most reviews on Google Maps over time, from platform users who visited those places:
Top 10 Most Reviewed Restaurants in Romania
| Restaurant | Location | No. of Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caru’ cu bere | Bucharest | 57,336 | 4.45 |
| Restaurant Hanu’ lui Manuc | Bucharest | 25,087 | 4.48 |
| Pescăria lui Matei | Constanța | 17,055 | 4.6 |
| Păstrăvăria Albota | Sibiu County | 16,468 | 4.52 |
| Sergiana | Brașov | 15,634 | 4.56 |
| Mici La Dedulesti | Argeș County | 15,619 | 4.05 |
| Mamma Mia | Iași | 14,364 | 4.32 |
| Hard Rock Cafe Bucharest | Bucharest | 13,578 | 4.64 |
| Hanu’ Berarilor Casa Oprea Soare | Bucharest | 12,955 | 4.41 |
| Berăria Poftă sau Foame | Brașov | 11,705 | 4.42 |
Top 10 Most Reviewed Cafés in Romania
| Café | Location | No. of Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origo | Bucharest | 4,561 | 4.75 |
| Cafeneaua Piața Unirii | Iași | 3,586 | 4.47 |
| Panner Mont Maison | Brașov | 3,030 | 4.68 |
| Cafe Wien | Sibiu | 2,923 | 4.61 |
| Starbucks AFI Cotroceni | Bucharest | 2,687 | 4.18 |
| Miau Cafe | Bucharest | 2,454 | 4.36 |
| M60 | Bucharest | 1,952 | 4.44 |
| The Urbanist | Bucharest | 1,879 | 4.46 |
| Segafredo Zanetti Espresso Arad | Arad | 1,859 | 4.34 |
| Starbucks Citi Park Mall | Constanța | 1,797 | 4.33 |
Top 10 Most Reviewed Tourist Attractions in Romania
| Tourist Attraction | Location | No. of Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salina Turda | Turda | 28,867 | 4.51 |
| Delfinariul Constanța | Constanța | 26,725 | 4.62 |
| Podul Minciunilor | Sibiu | 21,943 | 4.67 |
| Piața Victoriei | Timiș | 21,727 | 4.68 |
| Piața Constituției | Bucharest | 20,974 | 4.44 |
| Piața Sfatului | Brașov | 19,187 | 4.79 |
| Piața Mare | Sibiu | 18,231 | 4.74 |
| Cetatea de Scaun a Sucevei | Suceava | 17,404 | 4.71 |
| Arcul de Triumf | Bucharest | 16,715 | 4.65 |
| Faleza Cazinoului | Constanța | 15,514 | 4.54 |
Top 10 Most Reviewed Museums in Romania
| Museum | Location | No. of Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muzeul de Istorie Naturală “Grigore Antipa” | Bucharest | 19,234 | 4.75 |
| Palatul Culturii Iași | Iași | 15,074 | 4.82 |
| Muzeul “Astra” | Sibiu | 13,230 | 4.77 |
| Memorialul Victimelor Comunismului și al Rezistenței | Sighetul Marmației | 12,150 | 4.7 |
| Muzeul Național al Satului “Dimitrie Gusti” | Bucharest | 11,656 | 4.61 |
| Casa și Muzeul Memorial „Ion Creangă” din Humulești | Humulești | 10,277 | 4.55 |
| Muzeul Național de Artă | Bucharest | 9,418 | 4.64 |
| Muzeul Simțurilor | Bucharest | 8,698 | 4.44 |
| Casa „Ceaușescu” | Bucharest | 6,903 | 4.58 |
| Muzeul Național de Istorie a României | Bucharest | 6,872 | 4.38 |