Local Place Search

Place Search (Search API)

Requires API Key: Get one at https://api.search.brave.com

Plan: Included in the Search plan (with locations option). See https://api-dashboard.search.brave.com/app/subscriptions/subscribe

Standalone: Unlike local-pois and local-descriptions, this endpoint does not require POI IDs from a prior web search. You provide a location and an optional query directly.

Quick Start (cURL)

Search by Query + Coordinates

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curl -s "https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/local/place_search" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "Accept-Encoding: gzip" \
  -H "X-Subscription-Token: ${BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY}" \
  -G \
  --data-urlencode "q=coffee shops" \
  --data-urlencode "latitude=37.7749" \
  --data-urlencode "longitude=-122.4194" \
  --data-urlencode "radius=5000"

Search by Query + Location String

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curl -s "https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/local/place_search" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "Accept-Encoding: gzip" \
  -H "X-Subscription-Token: ${BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY}" \
  -G \
  --data-urlencode "q=sushi restaurants" \
  --data-urlencode "location=tokyo japan" \
  --data-urlencode "country=JP" \
  --data-urlencode "search_lang=en"

Browse General POIs (No Query)

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curl -s "https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/local/place_search" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "Accept-Encoding: gzip" \
  -H "X-Subscription-Token: ${BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY}" \
  -G \
  --data-urlencode "latitude=48.8566" \
  --data-urlencode "longitude=2.3522" \
  --data-urlencode "radius=3000" \
  --data-urlencode "country=FR"

Endpoint

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GET https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/local/place_search

Authentication: X-Subscription-Token: <API_KEY> header

Parameters

Location (optional but recommended)

Providing a geographic anchor improves precision. You can use coordinates (latitude + longitude) or a location string. Omitting both is allowed when a q is given — results are sourced globally and may be less precise. Omitting all three (q, latitude/longitude, and location) returns HTTP 422.

Search

Additional Options

Response Format

Top-Level Fields

Treat a missing bucket as empty. For typical POI-style queries only results is populated, so clients that don't render rich SERPs can ignore the rest — except for address- or street-shaped queries, which can return an empty results and put every match in addresses/streets.

LocationResult Fields

Each item in results is a LocationResult:

Geographic Place Fields (cities, countries, regions, neighborhoods)

All four buckets share one shape, differing only by the type identifier. The published spec names them CityResult / CountryResult / RegionResult / NeighborhoodResult.

AddressResult Fields (addresses and streets)

Same model is used for both buckets. Items in addresses have type: "address" (street + number); items in streets have type: "street" (entire street).

Mixed Ordering (mixed)

mixed is an ordered list of ResultReference objects telling clients how to interleave items from the different buckets on a single SERP.

Clients that only render POIs can ignore mixed entirely and read results directly.

Example Response

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{
  "type": "locations",
  "results": [
    {
      "type": "location_result",
      "title": "Blue Bottle Coffee",
      "url": "https://yelp.com/biz/blue-bottle-coffee-sf",
      "provider_url": "",
      "id": "loc4CQWMJWLD4VBEBZ62XQLJTGK6YCJEEJDNAAAAAAA=",
      "description": "Coffee Shop",
      "postal_address": {
        "type": "PostalAddress",
        "displayAddress": "315 Linden St, San Francisco, CA 94102"
      },
      "contact": { "telephone": "+15106533394" },
      "rating": {
        "ratingValue": 4.3,
        "bestRating": 5.0,
        "reviewCount": 1024,
        "is_tripadvisor": true
      },
      "opening_hours": {
        "current_day": [
          { "abbr_name": "Tue", "full_name": "Tuesday", "opens": "07:00", "closes": "18:00" }
        ],
        "days": [
          [{ "abbr_name": "Mon", "full_name": "Monday", "opens": "07:00", "closes": "18:00" }]
        ]
      },
      "coordinates": [37.7763, -122.4215],
      "categories": [],
      "serves_cuisine": ["Cafe", "Coffee Shop"],
      "price_range": "$$",
      "icon_category": "cafe",
      "thumbnail": {
        "src": "https://example.com/thumb.jpg",
        "original": "https://example.com/original.jpg"
      },
      "zoom_level": 7
    }
  ],
  "cities": [],
  "countries": [],
  "regions": [],
  "neighborhoods": [],
  "addresses": [],
  "streets": [],
  "mixed": [
    { "type": "results", "index": 0, "all": false }
  ],
  "location": {
    "coordinates": [37.7749, -122.4194],
    "name": "San Francisco",
    "country": "US"
  }
}

For a query that matches a city name, the response additionally surfaces a city entry in cities:

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{
  "cities": [
    {
      "type": "city",
      "name": "San Francisco",
      "country": "US",
      "coordinates": [37.7749, -122.4194],
      "thumbnail": { "src": "https://example.com/sf.jpg" }
    }
  ],
  "mixed": [
    { "type": "cities", "index": 0, "all": false }
  ]
}

Enriching Results with POI Details and Descriptions

POI id values from results can be passed to sibling endpoints for richer data:

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# Get full POI details (hours, reviews, photos, web result mentions)
curl -s "https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/local/pois" -G \
  --data-urlencode "ids=loc4CQWMJWLD4VBEBZ62XQLJTGK6YCJEEJDNAAAAAAA=" \
  -H "X-Subscription-Token: ${BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY}"

# Get AI-generated descriptions
curl -s "https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/local/descriptions" -G \
  --data-urlencode "ids=loc4CQWMJWLD4VBEBZ62XQLJTGK6YCJEEJDNAAAAAAA=" \
  -H "X-Subscription-Token: ${BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY}"

Use Cases

• Map-based exploration: Search for POIs within a visible map viewport using coordinates + radius. No prior query needed.
• Location-aware apps: Build "nearby" features — pass device GPS coordinates and a query to find relevant businesses.
• Travel planning: Search for attractions, restaurants, and hotels by location string (e.g., paris france) without needing exact coordinates.

Notes

• Finds places, not pages: This endpoint searches a geographic index of physical places. Use web search for general information retrieval.
• Choosing a radius: A tighter radius (below ~20 km) gives more focused results. Raise it to reach specific or well-known places further afield; for common category searches (e.g., restaurants), the default bias or tighter works best.