Explore Paris with ArcGIS Online

A web map is an interactive display of geographic information that you can use to tell stories and answer questions. Web maps contain a basemap, a set of data layers, and navigation tools to pan and zoom. Map Viewer allows you to create and navigate web maps, manage their layers, and customize their appearance.

In this tutorial, you'll learn the basics of working with maps in Map Viewer by creating a web map of Paris, France. You'll learn to:

• Create and navigate a web map
• Change a basemap
• Search for locations on a map
• Sketch a location on a map
• Create and use a bookmark
• Add a layer to a web map
• Save a web map

This tutorial was last tested on October 28, 2025.

View final result

Requirements

• You can complete this tutorial without an ArcGIS account. However, to complete the steps to save the map, you must have a free ArcGIS public account or a User or higher member role in an ArcGIS organization (see options for software access)

Explore Paris with ArcGIS Online

Navigate a map

First, you'll create a new map. Then, by panning and zooming, you'll navigate to Europe.

1. Go to ArcGIS Online.
2. If you have an ArcGIS account as described in the tutorial's requirements, click Sign In. Sign in with your account credentials.

   Note:

   If you don't have a suitable ArcGIS account, you can skip this step. You'll still be able to complete this tutorial, but you won't be able to save the map at the end.

   If you encounter an error or are unable to sign into your account, remember that passwords are case-sensitive. If you forget your ArcGIS password, you can reset your password from the sign in page. See Account Troubleshoot for more information.

3. On the ribbon, click the Map tab.

   

   A new map opens in Map Viewer.

   Map Viewer includes two vertical toolbars, the Contents (dark) toolbar and the Settings (light) toolbar. You can use the Contents toolbar to manage and view the map contents and work with the map. You can use the Settings toolbar to access options for configuring and interacting with map layers and other map components.

   Tip:

   You can click the Expand or Collapse button at the bottom of each toolbar to expand or collapse them.

4. Zoom to Europe. Use any of the following methods to zoom:
   • Click the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons to change the scale of the map and pan the map by dragging the map in any direction to change the extent of the map.
   • Scroll your mouse wheel.
   • Press Shift and draw a box around the area you want to zoom to.

   

Change the basemap

Next, you'll change the basemap. A basemap provides a background of geographical context for the content you want to display on a map. The default basemap, Topographic, includes political boundaries, natural features, and an indication of elevation and land cover. You'll change to a basemap that uses satellite imagery.

Note:

Depending on your organization's settings, your map may have a different default basemap.

1. On the Contents toolbar, click the Basemap button.

   

   The Basemap pane appears.

2. In the Basemap pane, click the Imagery Hybrid basemap.

   

   Your map updates to show the Imagery Hybrid basemap, which includes satellite imagery of the earth’s surface with labels of roads and important places.

   

3. Explore the new basemap by zooming and panning.

   As you zoom in, more labels appear and the imagery is replaced by more detailed versions. The basemap is a multiscale map, meaning that it shows different information at different scales.

Search for a location

Next, you'll navigate to a famous landmark in Paris, France: the Eiffel Tower. Instead of panning and zooming until you find it, you'll navigate to it directly by searching for it.

1. On the map, click the Search button.

   

   The Search pane appears.

2. In the Search pane, type Eiffel Tower and press Enter.

   

   The map zooms to Paris, where the Eiffel Tower is located. A pop-up appears over the famous landmark.

   

Sketch a location

In Map Viewer, you can create features on a map by sketching them. Next, you'll use the Sketch tool to mark the Eiffel Tower as a location of interest.

1. In the Search result pop-up, click Add to new sketch.

   

   A marker appears on the map. The Sketch pane and the sketch toolbar also appear.

   

   Because your sketch was automatically placed at the location of the Eiffel Tower, you don't need to make many changes, but you'll change the color of the sketch marker to make it easier to see.

2. In the Sketch pane, scroll down to the Style section. Under Vector marker, click the Fill color symbol.

   

   You can change the color by typing its six-character hexadecimal code (#).

3. In the Select color window, next to #, type 00ffff.

   

4. Click Done.

   The marker on the map changes to a bright cyan color, which is easier to see against the basemap.

5. Click anywhere on the map to deselect the point.

   

6. Close the Sketch pane.
7. On the Contents toolbar, click Layers.

   

   The Layers pane appears. It lists all the layers on the map that aren't the basemap. A new layer named Sketch is listed in the pane.

   

Create bookmarks

Next, you'll create bookmarks. Bookmarks provide shortcuts to places on a map and are useful if you want to return to an area of interest after navigating elsewhere. When you click a bookmark, the map zooms to that location.

1. On the map, click the Search button. In the Search pane, type Paris and press Enter.

   The map zooms out to show the entire city of Paris, France.

2. Close the Search result pop-up.
3. On the Contents toolbar, click the Bookmarks button.

   

4. In the Bookmarks pane, click Add bookmark.
5. For Title, type Paris.

   

6. Click Add.

   You now have a bookmark of this map extent. Next, you'll add a bookmark for the Eiffel Tower.

7. On the map, click the Eiffel Tower point.

   A pop-up for the point appears.

   

8. On the pop-up, click Zoom to three times.

   Each time you click Zoom to, the map zooms closer to the Eiffel Tower.

   

9. Close the pop-up.
10. In the Bookmarks pane, click Add bookmark. Add a bookmark with the title Eiffel Tower.
11. In the Bookmarks pane, click the Paris bookmark.

    

    The map zooms back out to show the extent of the city. You can also see the Eiffel Tower feature you created earlier. If you wanted to quickly navigate back to the Eiffel Tower, you could click the Eiffel Tower bookmark. For now, you'll remain at the full extent of the city.

Add a layer

Maps are made up of layers of data. You can add layers from different sources, such as files stored on your computer or data hosted on ArcGIS Online. The basemap you changed is one kind of layer, while the Sketch layer you created is another. Next, you'll add a layer of fountains in Paris from ArcGIS Online.

1. In the Contents pane, click Add and choose Browse layers.

   

   The Browse layers pane appears.

2. In the Browse layers pane, click My content (or Living Atlas, if you aren't signed in) and choose ArcGIS Online.

   

3. In the search bar, type fontaines Paris.
4. In the list of results, for Fontaines sur l'espace public à Paris by Esri France Content, click the Add button.

   

   The layer, which has more than 1,000 points, is added to the map.

   

   This layer contains data of water fountains (both drinkable fountains and fountains for urban landscaping) in public spaces in the city. It is provided by the city's water department—Mairie de Paris / Direction de la Propreté et de l'Eau—through Esri France.

5. On the map, click any fountain point.

   The fountain's pop-up appears.

   

   This pop-up provides more information about the fountain, including its address. These informational elements are called attributes.

6. Close the pop-up.

   Some fountains have purple symbols and some have gray. You'll look at the map's legend to see what these symbols mean.

7. On the Contents toolbar, click Legend.

   

   The Legend pane appears. It lists the symbols used by the layer as well as what they mean.

   

   The purple symbols represent potable fountains, meaning they are fountains with water that is safe to drink. The gray squares represent fountains that aren't potable, meaning they contain water people should not drink. The information about whether a fountain is potable or not is also contained in the layer's attributes.

   Note:

   To learn how to style a layer based on an attribute, try the tutorial Symbolize by size.

   You can use layers to learn more about a location. For instance, assume you wanted to know how many drinking fountains are in Parc du Champ de Mars, where the Eiffel Tower is located. You'll navigate back to the Eiffel Tower and use the layer you added to find out.

8. On the Contents toolbar, click Bookmarks. Click the Eiffel Tower bookmark.
9. Pan and zoom around the area. How many potable (purple) fountains are in Parc du Champ de Mars?

   

   Tip:

   To better see the boundaries of Parc du Champ de Mars, try changing the basemap back to Topographic.

Save the map

Lastly, you'll save your map so you can access it again later.

Note:

If you are not signed in to an ArcGIS account, you can't save the map. Skip to the end of the tutorial to read the conclusion.

1. On the Contents toolbar, click Save and open and choose Save as.

   

2. In the Save map window, for Title, type Fountains in Paris, France.
3. Optionally, change the Folder and add Categories.
4. For Tags, type location, Eiffel Tower, and water fountains, pressing Enter after each tag.
5. For Summary, type Map of Paris showing the location of the Eiffel Tower and public water fountains.

   

6. Click Save.

   The map is saved to your ArcGIS Online account. You'll see where the map is stored in your account so you can access it again later.

7. At the top of the page, next to the map title, click the menu button.

   

8. Click Content.

   The Content page appears. Your map is at the top of the list.

   

   Note:

   To open the map again, click the options button and choose Open in Map Viewer.

In this tutorial, you learned how to explore a map by panning, zooming, and searching. You also learned how to mark locations with sketch tools, create bookmarks, and add a layer to a map. Lastly, you learned how to save a map and locate it in your account content.

Using what you have learned, try creating a map of another location like your hometown or a city you'd like to visit someday.

You can find more tutorials in the tutorial gallery.

Acknowledgements

• Water fountain data: Mairie de Paris / Direction de la Propreté et de l'Eau, via Esri France.
• Adapted from a tutorial by Kathryn Keranen, teacher, author, and cofounder of the award-winning Geospatial Semester.
• Topographic map sources: Esri, TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community
• Imagery Hybrid map sources: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics, TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community