Personalised City Map Prints

The short answer: what a personalised city map print is

A personalised city map print is a map centred on a city or location you choose yourself in the online designer, rather than a fixed poster of a city someone else selected. You can set the position and zoom, then add a short line of text and, optionally, a date beneath the map. The result is a Custom City Map built around your connection to the place.

What you can personalise

You choose the location shown on the map, how tightly it is framed and the position within the design. A short line of text can be printed beneath the map, with an optional date to mark when the place mattered to you.

For a map covering a wider area around a particular place, the Neighbourhood Map is designed to show surrounding streets rather than focusing on a single address. If one city is not enough, Places We’ve Been shows multiple locations on one print.

Choosing the city when more than one has a claim

Choose the place that best explains the gift or memory, not automatically the place with the strongest official claim. That might be where you are from, where you live now, where you were happiest, or where a specific trip happened.

If two or more places genuinely belong in the story and choosing one would leave something out, use Places We’ve Been to hold several locations on one print. A wider view is also safer when you are buying for someone whose exact addresses or favourite streets you do not know.

How far to zoom: the whole city, a district or a street

The zoom level changes what the map says. Choose it according to whether the meaning belongs to the city as a whole, a particular area or one exact place.

The whole city

A whole-city view reads as a recognisable shape. It works when the connection is to the place as a whole: where someone grew up, lives now or spent an important period of life. This is the safer choice when you know the city but not the exact addresses that matter to the recipient.

A district or a few square miles

A district or a few square miles is often where the useful detail starts. It keeps enough of the surrounding area to give the map context, while bringing out the streets and places connected with everyday memories. Street names start to be readable at this level, which makes it a practical middle ground for a gift.

The Neighbourhood Map is the design for this middle level. It centres on a wider area rather than a single address, so the surrounding streets remain part of the print.

One street or address

A tight view of one street or address is intensely personal. It suits a first home, a childhood address or one place that carries a very specific memory. The trade-off is that it may be unrecognisable to anyone else in the room, so it is best when the exact location is the point of the gift.

If you want to use coordinates as an option, the guide to how to find coordinates for a print covers that separately. You do not need to decide on a precise address before choosing a city map: start with the memory, then adjust the view in the designer.

Which cities look best as a map — and what to do if yours doesn't

Some cities produce a stronger map image because of their physical and street patterns. A river, coastline, strong grid or distinctive medieval tangle can give the map a clear shape. Sprawling, low-contrast suburbs can produce a flatter image, even when the city has deep personal meaning.

That does not mean you should reject your city. Zoom in until the interesting part fills the frame, or centre the map on the river, harbour or old centre. The aim is to give the map a stronger visual structure while keeping the part of the city that matters to you.

You can browse the available city map prints before choosing the design that suits your location.

Choosing a style

The same city can be drawn in a stripped-back style or with fuller street detail. The choice usually follows the room and the look you want around it rather than the city itself. For help deciding between the options, read the guide to minimalist or detailed map styles.

What to write underneath

Keep the wording short. A line of roughly two to six words works best beneath a map. Longer lines have to be set smaller to fit the width of the print, which makes them harder to read from across a room.

Use a place name, a phrase connected to the memory or the recipient’s name. An optional date can mark when the trip happened, when someone moved there or another moment that gives the map its meaning. If the date is not important to the story, leave it off.

How to design yours

1. Choose a design, such as the Custom City Map.
2. Search for the city in the online designer.
3. Set the zoom and position so the map shows the whole city, the relevant district or the specific street you want.
4. Add your short line of text and optional date beneath the map.
5. Check the location and wording, then order. Prints are made to order.

If the print is a gift, you can also find more ideas among these personalised travel gifts.

Frequently asked questions

What is a personalised city map print?

It is a map centred on a city or location you choose in the online designer, with a short line of text and an optional date printed beneath it.

Which city should I choose for a map print?

Choose the place that best represents the memory: where you are from, where you live now, where you were happiest or where a specific trip happened. If several places matter equally, choose Places We’ve Been.

How zoomed in should a city map print be?

Use the whole city for a broad connection, a district or few square miles for readable surrounding streets, and one street or address for a highly personal location. The Neighbourhood Map is the middle-level option.

Can I put a date or a line of text on a city map print?

Yes. You can add a short line of roughly two to six words and, optionally, a date beneath the map. Longer wording is made smaller to fit the print width.