When someone needs to find your business, event venue, or meeting point, typing an address into a navigation app is clunky. A QR code that opens Google Maps with your exact location — and optionally starts navigation — is much faster. Scan, tap "Directions," arrive.
Here's how to create one and where to use it effectively.
Get Your Google Maps Link
There are several ways to get the right link, depending on what you need:
Option 1: Share from Google Maps (recommended)
Open Google Maps (app or web). Search for your business or drop a pin on the exact location. Click the Share button. Copy the link. It will look like:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/AbCdEfGhIjKlMnOp
This is a short link that opens Google Maps directly to your location with the business name, photos, reviews, and a "Directions" button. This is the best option for businesses listed on Google.
Option 2: Coordinates link
If you want to link to exact GPS coordinates (for a location without a Google listing, like a park entrance or a parking lot):
https://www.google.com/maps?q=52.3676,4.9041
Replace the numbers with your latitude and longitude. You can find coordinates by right-clicking any point in Google Maps and selecting the coordinates.
Option 3: Directions link
If you want the QR to open Google Maps with directions already set:
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=52.3676,4.9041
This opens Maps in navigation mode with the destination pre-filled. The user just taps "Start" to begin navigating.
Create the QR Code
- Go to qree.app
- Paste your Google Maps link
- Customize the QR if desired
- Download as PNG or SVG
When scanned, the phone opens Google Maps (or offers a choice between Maps apps) showing your location.
Use Cases
Business Storefront
A QR code on your website, business card, or Google Business profile that gives instant directions. Especially useful for businesses in hard-to-find locations — inside malls, in alleys, upstairs in a building, or in areas where address-based navigation isn't precise enough.
Print it on the back of your business card: "Scan for directions." The front has your contact info, the back gets people to your door. Pair it with a Google Review QR code at your location to turn visitors into reviewers.
Event Invitations
Printed wedding invitations, party invites, or event tickets with a QR code that navigates to the venue. Guests don't need to search for the address — scan and go. This is particularly helpful for outdoor venues, parks, or locations that don't have a standard street address.
Delivery and Shipping Instructions
If your business receives deliveries at a specific dock or entrance that's different from the main address, a QR code on your delivery instructions opens Maps to the exact drop-off point. Include it in emails to delivery companies and on your receiving dock signage.
Tourism and Wayfinding
Hotels can place QR codes at the concierge desk or in room guides linking to nearby attractions, restaurants, or points of interest. "Scan for directions to the nearest metro station" saves the concierge a thousand conversations per month.
Walking tour guides can include QR codes at each stop that link to the next stop's location.
Parking Instructions
If your venue has specific parking that's not obvious, a QR code on the invite or event page opens Maps to the parking entrance — not just the venue address. This is a small detail that dramatically improves the arrival experience.
Flyers and Posters
For any event or business promoted via physical materials, adding a location QR code removes the friction of manually entering an address. Concert posters, farmers market flyers, open house invitations — they all benefit from a "scan for directions" QR code.
Google Maps vs Apple Maps
The Google Maps link format works cross-platform. On iPhones, it opens Google Maps if the app is installed, or the Google Maps website if it isn't. If you want to be extra compatible, you can also provide an Apple Maps link:
https://maps.apple.com/?q=52.3676,4.9041
But in practice, the Google Maps link works on all devices and is the safer default since Google Maps is the most widely used navigation app globally, including on iPhones.
Static vs Dynamic
For permanent locations (your business, your office), a static QR code is fine — the address doesn't change.
For temporary or changing locations (pop-up events, food trucks, rotating markets), use a dynamic QR code so you can update the destination each time without reprinting.
Dynamic also gives you analytics: how many people scanned for directions, when, and from what area. Useful for events to understand where attendees are coming from.
Tips
Test the link on both iOS and Android. Make sure the Maps link opens correctly on both platforms before printing.
Use the share link, not a search URL. Sharing from Google Maps gives you a clean, stable link. Copying a URL from the browser while searching can include session data that may not work for others.
Add context. "Scan for directions" or "Scan to navigate" next to the QR code. Without a label, people won't know the QR opens a map.
Combine with parking info. If your location has confusing parking, add a note next to the QR: "Free parking available behind the building" or "Street parking on Oak Street."
For multiple entrances, link to the specific entrance you want people to use, not just the general building address. Drop a pin on the exact door.
Create Your Location QR Code
Go to qree.app, paste your Google Maps link, and download your QR code in seconds.