---
title: ToolRouter — Tool Detail
description: Detailed documentation for a ToolRouter tool including skills, parameters, and examples.
url: https://toolrouter.com/tools/places-search
---
# Places Search

Search for restaurants, cafes, shops, hotels, and any point of interest worldwide. Covers 200+ countries with ratings, hours, contact info, and reviews. Find places by name, category, or location.

- **Version:** 0.01
- **Categories:** data, productivity

## Skills (3)

### Search Places (`search_places`)

Search for places by name, type, or category with optional location filtering

**Parameters:**

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|------|------|----------|-------------|
| `query` | string | Yes | What to search for — e.g. "sushi restaurants", "coffee shops", "hotels" |
| `location` | string | No | City name like "London, UK" or coordinates like "51.5074,-0.1278" |
| `radius_meters` | number | No | Search radius in meters (default: 10000) [default: 10000] |
| `limit` | number | No | Max results to return (default: 10, max: 20) [default: 10] |
| `open_now` | boolean | No | Only return places that are currently open |
| `sort` | string | No | Sort order for results (relevance, rating, distance) [default: "relevance"] |
| `min_price` | number | No | Minimum price level (1-4) |
| `max_price` | number | No | Maximum price level (1-4) |

**Returns:** Array of places with name, address, coordinates, categories, rating, price level, and source

**Examples:**

*Find sushi restaurants in London:*

```json
{
  "query": "sushi restaurants",
  "location": "London, UK"
}
```

*Search for coffee near coordinates:*

```json
{
  "query": "coffee",
  "location": "40.7128,-74.0060",
  "limit": 5
}
```

### Nearby Places (`nearby_places`)

Find places near specific coordinates with optional category filtering

**Parameters:**

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|------|------|----------|-------------|
| `latitude` | number | Yes | Latitude of the center point |
| `longitude` | number | Yes | Longitude of the center point |
| `radius_meters` | number | No | Search radius in meters (default: 1000) [default: 1000] |
| `category` | string | No | Category to filter by — e.g. "restaurant", "hotel", "cafe", "pharmacy" |
| `limit` | number | No | Max results to return (default: 10, max: 20) [default: 10] |

**Returns:** Array of nearby places with name, address, coordinates, categories, rating, and distance

**Examples:**

*Find restaurants near Times Square:*

```json
{
  "latitude": 40.758,
  "longitude": -73.9855,
  "category": "restaurant",
  "limit": 5
}
```

*What is nearby in central Paris:*

```json
{
  "latitude": 48.8566,
  "longitude": 2.3522
}
```

### Place Details (`place_details`)

Get full details for a specific place including reviews, hours, and contact info

**Parameters:**

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|------|------|----------|-------------|
| `place_id` | string | Yes | Place ID from a previous search result (Foursquare fsq_id or Google place_id) |
| `source` | string | No | Which source the ID is from (auto-detected if omitted) (foursquare, google) |

**Returns:** Full place details including name, address, hours, phone, website, reviews, and rating

**Examples:**

*Get details for a Foursquare place:*

```json
{
  "place_id": "4b7b5ee0f964a52004432fe3"
}
```

*Get details for a Google place:*

```json
{
  "place_id": "ChIJN1t_tDeuEmsRUsoyG83frY4",
  "source": "google"
}
```

## Quick Start

```bash
# Via CLI
TOOLROUTER_API_KEY=tr_live_xxx npx -y toolrouter-mcp call places-search search_places --query sushi restaurants --location London, UK

# Via REST API
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer tr_live_xxx" \
     -d '{"tool":"places-search","skill":"search_places","input":{"query":"sushi restaurants","location":"London, UK"}}' \
     https://api.toolrouter.com/v1/tools/call
```

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Can I search by city name, place type, or exact coordinates?

Yes. `search_places` supports text queries with an optional city or coordinate-based location, while `nearby_places` is for radius searches around exact latitude and longitude coordinates.

### What details come back in search results?

Search results include the place name, address, coordinates, categories, rating, price level, and source. If you need deeper information like hours, phone, website, and reviews, open the place with `place_details`.

### Can I filter for open places, price range, or distance?

Yes. The search flow supports open-now filtering, radius controls, sorting, and minimum or maximum price levels, which makes it practical for local discovery rather than just broad lookup.

### Do I need a source-specific ID to get full place details?

Only for the final details lookup. Search results give you the place ID, and `place_details` can use that ID with auto-detection or an explicit source when you already know it comes from Foursquare or Google.

---

## Get Started with ToolRouter

**Already connected?** Call any tool with `use_tool({ tool, skill, input })`. Browse tools with `discover` or visit https://toolrouter.com/llms-full.txt

**New to ToolRouter?** Connect with one command (no API key needed — auto-provisions on first use):

```bash
# MCP (Claude Code, Codex CLI)
claude mcp add toolrouter -- npx -y toolrouter-mcp

# MCP (Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, VS Code, Gemini CLI, Claude Desktop)
{"mcpServers":{"toolrouter":{"command":"npx","args":["-y","toolrouter-mcp"]}}}

# Claude Chat / Claude Cowork / Claude Mobile — add as a connector:
# Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector → URL: https://api.toolrouter.com/mcp

# ChatGPT — add as an app:
# Settings → Apps → Advanced settings → enable Developer mode → Create app → MCP Server URL: https://api.toolrouter.com/mcp

# CLI (works instantly, no restart needed)
npx -y toolrouter-mcp tools                    # browse all tools
npx -y toolrouter-mcp search "seo"             # search by keyword
npx -y toolrouter-mcp call seo analyze_page --url https://example.com
```

Free tools work immediately. For paid tools, visit https://toolrouter.com/claim to add credits.

All platforms: https://toolrouter.com/connect | Full catalog: https://toolrouter.com/llms-full.txt | Docs: https://toolrouter.com/docs