I’m trying to build an Android application that shows popular places around the user’s current location. I noticed that the official Foursquare mobile app displays really good nearby venue recommendations and I want to implement something similar in my project.
Does anyone know which specific Foursquare API endpoint they use for this feature? I’ve looked through their documentation but there are several different APIs available and I’m not sure which one gives the best results for finding top rated venues nearby.
Any help or guidance would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance!
I used Foursquare’s API heavily for a similar project last year. The other suggestions work, but I got the best results combining /venues/trending with /venues/search - it actually matches what you see in their app. The trending endpoint grabs real-time popularity data, which is key for dynamic recommendations. Set your radius to 1000-2000 meters in cities and use intent=browse. Their rate limits aren’t bad, but definitely cache your calls when users stay in the same area.
yeah, I’ve tried Foursquare’s API for this, and honestly, the /venues/explore endpoint is the way to go! it ranks spots based on popularity and check-ins, not just how close they are. just drop your lat/lng and set limit=20 - you’ll find some cool places!
To find the best nearby venues using the Foursquare API, you should utilize the /v3/places/search endpoint. Make sure to specify your latitude and longitude using the ll parameter, along with a defined search radius. To prioritize popular locations over merely distance-based ones, include sort=POPULARITY in your request. If you’re targeting particular venue types, you can also apply category filters to refine your search results.