**European Economic Area (EEA) developers**

> [!NOTE]
> If your billing address is in the European Economic Area, effective on 8 July 2025, the [Google Maps Platform EEA Terms of Service](https://cloud.google.com/terms/maps-platform/eea) will apply to your use of the Services. Functionality varies by region. [Learn more](https://developers.google.com/maps/comms/eea/faq.md.txt).

A waypoint is a location along a route, including the beginning (origin) and end
(destination) locations for a route, and the origins and destinations for a
route matrix.

You have several options for specifying waypoint locations, as described in
[Specify locations](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/routes/specify_location.md.txt). In addition to setting the origin
and destination locations, you can also add intermediate waypoints that
you want the route to go through. You also have several options for
waypoint behavior:

| Waypoint option | Description |
|---|---|
| [Specify waypoint locations](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/routes/specify_location.md.txt) | Specify the beginning and end of the route, and points along the route. |
| [Set a stop along a route](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/routes/stop_over.md.txt) | Specify an intermediate waypoint as a stop along the route, such as for a pickup or drop-off, or request additional road-suitability analysis with `vehicleStopover`. |
| [Set a point for a route to pass through](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/routes/pass-through.md.txt) | Specify an intermediate waypoint that you want the route to pass through without stopping by setting `via` to `true`. |
| [Set intermediate waypoints](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/routes/intermed_waypoints.md.txt) | Set intermediate waypoints to specify locations between the origin and destination. An intermediate waypoint can be a stop, a pass-through, or a `via` waypoint. For more information, see the following sections. |
| [Specify vehicle heading for a waypoint](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/routes/location_modifiers.md.txt#specify_the_vehicle_heading) | Specify the heading of the vehicle when it arrives. You can't use this option with side of road. |
| [Specify side of road for a waypoint](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/routes/location_modifiers.md.txt#specify_a_side_of_the_road_preference) | Specify the side of the road that you prefer the vehicle to arrive on. You can't use this option with heading. |
| [Optimize the order of stops on a route](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/routes/opt-way.md.txt) | Specify the direction you want the vehicle to head when it arrives at each waypoint. |