How To Create Custom Maps in Canva For Free

If you’ve ever wanted to create your very own custom city map for free and make it look amazing—whether it’s for art, a personal project, or...

If you’ve ever wanted to create your very own custom city map for free and make it look amazing—whether it’s for art, a personal project, or even a gift—let me walk you through the entire process, because while it might sound a bit technical at first glance, it’s actually a lot of fun once you know exactly which steps to follow, and by the time you’re done, you’ll be stunned at how professional and creative your custom map design looks, all thanks to a few clever tools and a bit of patience.

So, to get started, you’ll need to visit a website called extract.bbbike.org (don’t forget, it’s three B’s in the name!), which is this brilliant online tool that allows you to extract detailed map data from virtually any city or region in the world, and all you have to do is search for the city you want—let’s say Austin, Texas for this example—then zoom in and move around the map until you’ve found the specific area you want to turn into your custom print, whether it’s a downtown neighborhood, a riverfront, or a quirky circular intersection that just looks great on paper.

Once you’ve picked your area, you’ll see a box that you can drag and resize to fit the part of the city you want; you can even turn it into a circle or custom polygon by adding and adjusting points, which allows for a lot of creative control, and it even shows you the file size so you don’t accidentally extract something too big or too small—aim for a file that’s not massive, but still detailed enough for your project.

Now, after you’ve got your area selected, you’ll need to make sure you select the right file format—choose “shape files” for this step—then enter the name of the city or neighborhood you’re extracting, plug in your email address (since the website will send you the download link), and hit the extract button, then wait a few minutes and keep an eye on your inbox for the extraction email, which will contain the files you need to move forward.

Once your files are ready, download and extract them to a folder on your computer (make sure you unzip everything if it’s in a compressed file), because you’ll be working with a bunch of different files, and the next step involves a second website: mapshaper.org, which is where you’ll transform those raw map files into something that’s perfect for Canva.

On mapshaper.org, simply drag and drop all the shape files from your extraction folder onto the site, wait for them to load, and you’ll be able to toggle different layers like roads, buildings, waterways, and more, using the eye icons to show or hide the features you want in your final map; you can really experiment here, turning different layers on and off to get the look you want, and when you’re happy, you’ll need to convert these map layers into SVG files—a vector format that Canva supports—by using the export feature and typing in the right code for SVG output (don’t worry, it’s usually just a quick copy-paste of the export command with “format=svg” at the end).

Now that you have your SVG layers saved, head over to Canva, click “Create a Design,” and choose a poster template (A2 or A3 works great), then upload your SVG files one by one; if any files are too large, you might need to go back and extract a smaller area, but usually, as long as you keep your initial selection reasonable, Canva will accept the files without a hitch.

Once your map layers are uploaded, just drag them onto your canvas, resize them as needed, and start customizing the look: select a layer, click “Edit,” then use the Effects and Duotone features to change the colors to whatever fits your style, whether you want classic black and white, a pop of neon, or a soft pastel look, and you can layer different map features, adjust transparency, and even set the background color to get that perfect print-ready aesthetic.

The beauty of using SVG files is that you can ungroup the elements if you want to recolor individual streets or water lines, or just keep things simple by changing the duotone for the entire layer, and once you’ve got the visual style you love, don’t forget to add a title, city name, or even a little personal note to your map, because this is your custom art piece, after all.

When you’re satisfied with how everything looks, just hit download, pick your preferred print resolution, and you’re ready to print, frame, or share your custom city map masterpiece—no expensive software, no paid assets, just a little creativity and a willingness to try something new with free online tools.

So, that’s how you create a custom city map in Canva for free, from extracting real map data online, converting it for Canva, and turning it into a stunning, personalized design you can be proud of; I hope this guide makes the process feel approachable, even if it seemed complicated at first, and inspires you to map out your favorite city, neighborhood, or travel memory—just have fun with it, and let your creativity guide you!