Pedestrian Routing with HERE Routing API

Pedestrian routing is essential for modern urban mobility, enabling safe and efficient navigation for walkers and hikers. In this article, we will explore how to implement pedestrian routing using the HERE Routing API v8 and HERE Maps API for JavaScript, highlight recent platform updates, and share best practices for code quality and migration.

Why Pedestrian Routing Matters

Navigating on foot is more than finding the shortest path - it’s about safety, efficiency, and context. With HERE Routing API, developers can build pedestrian navigation experiences that adapt to real-world conditions, from urban complexity to indoor venues.

Here are few things that have been improved in HERE Routing API v8 and might impact your pedestrian routing experience:

Seasonal closures can now be avoided using avoid[features]=seasonalClosure which greatly improves pedestrian ETA
It is recommended to use POST for complex queries and requests with long query strings (>8,000 characters).
Added routing support to the indoor module, enabling routing within venues
HERE SDK 4.24.1.0 release
- Displaying an indoor map with HERE Maps API for JS
- more about Indoor maps
HERE Maps API for JavaScript version 3.2.0.0 introduces modernized architecture and new defaults

Transport Mode: Pedestrian

To enable pedestrian routing, set transportMode=pedestrian. In the code snippet below you can see more than one attributes exposed, read about them in HERE Routing API Reference

https://router.hereapi.com/v8/routes?
origin=52.547019,13.328605
&destination=52.495002,13.501983
&transportMode=pedestrian
&return=summary
&apikey={YOUR_API_KEY}

Response Sample:

JSON1```
2{
3  "routes": [
4    {
5      "id": "2ab1a5ec-c1a4-4405-a061-f070d518196f",
6      "sections": [
7        {
8          "id": "377d1b30-b7cd-4f44-b2a7-e129f5fbe996",
9          "type": "pedestrian",
10          "departure": {
11            "time": "2026-04-28T10:13:59+02:00",
12            "place": {
13              "type": "place",
14              "location": {
15                "lat": 52.5468883,
16                "lng": 13.3284806
17              },
18              "originalLocation": {
19                "lat": 52.5470189,
20                "lng": 13.3286049
21              }
22            }
23          },
24          "arrival": {
25            "time": "2026-04-28T14:23:25+02:00",
26            "place": {
27              "type": "place",
28              "location": {
29                "lat": 52.4949296,
30                "lng": 13.5019337
31              },
32              "originalLocation": {
33                "lat": 52.4950019,
34                "lng": 13.5019829
35              }
36            }
37          },
38          "summary": {
39            "duration": 14966,
40            "length": 14801,
41            "baseDuration": 14966
42          },
43          "transport": {
44            "mode": "pedestrian"
45          }
46        }
47      ]
48    }
49  ]
50}
51```

Walking Speed

Not everyone walks at the same pace. Customize walking speed using pedestrian[speed] in meters per second (number from 0.5 to 2; Defaults to 1; Walking speed in meters per second & influences the duration of walking segments along the route).

https://router.hereapi.com/v8/routes?origin=52.547019,13.328605
&destination=52.495002,13.501983
&transportMode=pedestrian
&return=summary
&pedestrian[speed]=2
&apikey={YOUR_API_KEY}

Response Sample

JSON1```
2{
3  "routes": [
4    {
5      "id": "025848e0-e04f-4f31-9619-0d55eb876374",
6      "sections": [
7        {
8          "id": "7065fc53-3925-4bc5-a75f-a03633044703",
9          "type": "pedestrian",
10          "departure": {
11            "time": "2026-04-28T10:16:45+02:00",
12            "place": {
13              "type": "place",
14              "location": {
15                "lat": 52.5468883,
16                "lng": 13.3284806
17              },
18              "originalLocation": {
19                "lat": 52.5470189,
20                "lng": 13.3286049
21              }
22            }
23          },
24          "arrival": {
25            "time": "2026-04-28T12:24:00+02:00",
26            "place": {
27              "type": "place",
28              "location": {
29                "lat": 52.4949296,
30                "lng": 13.5019337
31              },
32              "originalLocation": {
33                "lat": 52.4950019,
34                "lng": 13.5019829
35              }
36            }
37          },
38          "summary": {
39            "duration": 7635,
40            "length": 14801,
41            "baseDuration": 7635
42          },
43          "transport": {
44            "mode": "pedestrian"
45          }
46        }
47      ]
48    }
49  ]
50}
51```

HERE Maps API for Javascript Sample

The HERE Maps API for JavaScript has improved. Here is the updated version using version 3.2.0.0:

Conclusion

If you are interested in Urban mobility, Retail & Logistics, Automotive or just for testing out things, setting up routes for pedestrians is easier than ever with HERE Routing API v8. Remember to Use POST for advanced queries; migrate to Maps API for JavaScript 3.2.0.0 for future compatibility; add avoid[features]=seasonalClosure for better pedestrian routing accuracy and consider HERE SDK and HERE Indoor Map for indoor routing and advanced navigation features.