Essential Apps for Traveling in China

You do not need to turn your phone into a Chinese app store before traveling to China.

But having a few key apps set up before you arrive can make an enormous difference.

In China, your phone may be used for much more than navigation or messaging. It can also become your wallet, train ticket office, taxi app, metro pass, translation tool and hotel booking desk.

For most first-time visitors, five or six well-chosen apps are enough.

This guide explains which ones are worth downloading, what each is actually useful for, and which apps you can probably skip.

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The Short Version: Which Apps Do You Actually Need?

If this is your first trip to China, start with these:

| App | What you'll use it for | Priority | | --- | --- | --- | | Alipay | Payments, transport, taxis, mini-programs | Essential | | WeChat | Messaging, payments, mini-programs | Essential | | Amap / Gaode Maps | Maps, walking, public transport, navigation | Essential | | 12306 | Official Chinese train tickets | Essential if taking trains | | Trip.com | Hotels, trains, flights and easier English booking | Very useful | | Didi | Ride-hailing | Useful | | Translation app | Menus, signs and communication | Very useful |

If you want the simplest possible setup, you can travel comfortably with:

Alipay + WeChat + Amap + Trip.com + a translation app

Then add 12306 if you plan to travel by train.

Didi is useful, but it is not strictly necessary because ride-hailing services can also be accessed through Alipay and WeChat.

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1. Alipay

Best for: Payments and everyday travel

If you download only one Chinese everyday-life app before your trip, Alipay is probably the most useful place to start.

Its main purpose for travelers is mobile payment.

Foreign visitors can register using an overseas mobile number and link supported international bank cards, including cards from major networks such as Visa and Mastercard.

But Alipay is much more than a wallet.

Depending on your location and account, you can also use it for services such as:

• Metro and bus transport codes
• Ride-hailing
• Bike sharing
• Attraction tickets
• Mini-programs
• Translation
• Hotel and travel services

That means one app can replace several standalone apps for a short trip.

Why it matters

QR-code payments are extremely common in China.

Large hotels and shops may accept international cards directly, but many smaller restaurants, cafés, convenience stores and other everyday businesses are built around mobile payments.

You should still keep another payment method available, but having Alipay ready will make everyday transactions much easier.

Read next: How to Set Up Alipay Before Traveling to China

Read next: How to Pay in China as a Foreigner

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2. WeChat

Best for: Communication, payments and mini-programs

WeChat is difficult to describe as just one kind of app.

It is a messaging app, payment platform and gateway to a huge number of services used in everyday life in China.

For travelers, its most useful functions are usually:

• Messaging people in China
• WeChat Pay
• Scanning QR codes
• Accessing mini-programs
• Restaurant ordering
• Ride-hailing
• Booking or queueing systems
• Customer service communication

You may visit a restaurant where the menu opens as a WeChat mini-program after scanning a QR code, or encounter a business whose easiest contact method is WeChat rather than email.

Do you need both WeChat and Alipay?

You can survive with only one.

But we recommend installing both.

Why?

Because different businesses and mini-programs may work better in one ecosystem than the other, and having two payment apps gives you a useful backup if a card or transaction fails.

For many international visitors, Alipay is easier to think of as the primary travel tool, while WeChat becomes increasingly useful once you start interacting with local businesses and people.

Read next: How to Use WeChat Pay as a Foreigner

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3. Amap / Gaode Maps

Best for: Navigation in China

If you normally use Google Maps for everything, this is one of the biggest changes to prepare for.

For travel within mainland China, a local navigation service is much more useful.

Amap, also known as Gaode Maps (高德地图), is one of China's major mapping and navigation platforms.

It provides:

• Walking routes
• Metro and bus directions
• Driving navigation
• Cycling routes
• Live traffic information
• Nearby restaurants and businesses
• Ride-hailing
• Hotel and destination search

Amap launched an English version for international users in 2025 and has since expanded multilingual support.

By 2026, its international-facing services included multiple languages and additional travel tools covering arrival information, navigation, local recommendations and useful public-service information.

Why we recommend it

The biggest advantage is not simply language.

Amap is built around China's current road networks, public transport systems, businesses and place data.

That makes it much more useful on the ground than relying entirely on an international map platform that you normally use at home.

Save Chinese place names too

Even with an English or multilingual map, save the Chinese name of:

• Your hotel
• Railway stations
• Airports
• Restaurants
• Attractions

This becomes very useful when communicating with drivers or local staff.

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4. China Railway 12306

Best for: Official train tickets

If you plan to travel between cities by train, 12306 is worth understanding.

It is China Railway's official ticket-booking platform.

Foreign travelers can use valid passports to purchase real-name tickets, and the official English website supports services including ticket purchases, changes and refunds.

For electronic tickets, your passport normally acts as the identity document connected to your booking.

Why use 12306?

The biggest advantage is simple:

It is the official railway booking system.

You are buying directly from China Railway rather than through an intermediary.

It is particularly useful if you:

• Take several train journeys
• Want direct access to official ticket inventory
• Need to change or refund tickets
• Want to manage your train bookings yourself

The downside

For a first-time visitor, 12306 can feel less intuitive than an international travel platform.

Registration and passport verification may also require a little more setup.

That is why some travelers prefer Trip.com for their first booking.

There is no rule saying you must choose only one.

A practical approach is to understand 12306 as the official source, while using whichever booking interface you find easier.

Read next: How to Use 12306 as a Foreigner

Read next: How to Take China's High-Speed Trains as a Foreigner

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5. Trip.com

Best for: An easier all-in-one travel booking experience

Trip.com is particularly useful for international visitors because it brings several parts of a China trip into one familiar interface.

You can use it for:

• Hotels
• Train tickets
• Flights
• Airport transfers
• Attraction tickets
• Car services

Its English-language experience is generally easier for international travelers than many domestic Chinese booking platforms.

Trip.com or 12306 for trains?

Both can work.

The difference is mainly about convenience versus booking directly through the official railway system.

12306

• Official China Railway platform
• Direct railway booking
• Useful for managing tickets yourself
• Worth learning for frequent train travel

Trip.com

• Easier international-facing interface
• Combines trains with hotels and flights
• Convenient for first-time visitors
• May include service fees depending on the booking

If your itinerary includes one or two straightforward train journeys, Trip.com may be the simpler option.

If you will travel extensively by rail, learning 12306 is worthwhile.

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6. Didi

Best for: Ride-hailing

Didi is one of China's main ride-hailing platforms.

Think of it as roughly the role Uber plays in many other countries.

Foreign travelers can use the Didi Greater China service with supported overseas phone numbers and international bank cards.

Typical ride options may include:

• Regular ride-hailing
• Taxis
• Premium vehicles
• Larger vehicles, depending on the city

Do you actually need the Didi app?

Not necessarily.

This is one app you can skip if you want to keep your phone simple.

Ride-hailing can also be accessed through platforms such as Alipay and WeChat.

For example, Chinese government guidance for foreign visitors specifically lists Alipay, WeChat and the Didi Greater China app as ways to book ride-hailing services.

So there are two reasonable approaches:

Simple setup: use ride-hailing inside Alipay.

Frequent taxi user: install Didi as well.

Why ride-hailing is useful

It removes one of the biggest language problems of taking a taxi:

you enter the destination before the driver arrives.

You do not need to pronounce a Chinese street address correctly.

Still, save your hotel's Chinese name and address in case you need to communicate with the driver.

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7. A Translation App

Best for: Menus, signs and everyday communication

You do not need to speak Mandarin to travel independently in most major Chinese destinations.

But a good translation app is extremely useful.

Look for features such as:

• Camera translation
• Voice translation
• Conversation mode
• Offline Chinese language packs
• Text input
• Chinese character recognition

Camera translation is particularly useful for:

• Restaurant menus
• Signs
• Notices
• Product labels
• Ticket machines

Download offline language support

Do this before your trip if your preferred translation app allows it.

Even if you have mobile data, there will eventually be a basement restaurant, railway platform or mountain area where the connection is poor.

Offline translation is a useful backup.

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Apps You May Want, but Probably Don't Need on Day One

Once you become comfortable traveling in China, you may encounter many more apps.

Some are excellent.

But that does not mean you need to download all of them before your first trip.

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Dianping

Best for: Finding restaurants and local businesses

Dianping is one of China's most useful platforms for restaurant reviews, cafés, shops and local services.

It can be excellent for discovering where locals actually eat and spend time.

The main limitation for international visitors has traditionally been language accessibility, although multilingual and international-facing features have been improving.

For a first trip, it is useful rather than essential.

It becomes much more interesting if food and local neighborhoods are a major part of how you travel.

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Meituan

Best for: Local services and food delivery

Meituan is deeply integrated into everyday life in China.

It covers services such as:

• Food delivery
• Restaurant deals
• Attraction tickets
• Hotels
• Local services
• Bike sharing

It is enormously useful if you live in China.

For a short international trip, however, it is usually more complicated than necessary.

Many of the services a visitor actually needs can already be accessed through Alipay, WeChat, Trip.com or standalone travel apps.

Think of Meituan as an app to explore later, rather than something you must install before landing.

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Xiaohongshu / RED

Best for: Inspiration and local recommendations

Xiaohongshu — often called RED internationally — can be useful for discovering:

• Cafés
• Restaurants
• Photo locations
• Neighborhoods
• Shops
• Exhibitions
• New openings
• Local trends

It is closer to a social discovery platform than a traditional travel guide.

If you enjoy researching places through social media, it can be very useful.

But it is not part of the basic infrastructure you need to make your trip work.

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Do You Need a Separate Metro App?

Usually, no.

China has metro systems in dozens of cities, but downloading a separate app for every city quickly becomes unnecessary.

For many trips, you can rely on:

• Amap for route planning
• Alipay for supported transit QR codes
• Ticket machines or ticket counters
• Local transport cards where needed

Payment and ticketing systems vary by city, so check the local system when you arrive.

For a short trip, there is rarely a reason to install five different metro apps in advance.

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What About Google Maps?

Do not make Google Maps your only navigation plan for mainland China.

Google services do not operate in mainland China in the same way they do in many other countries, and access depends on how you connect to the internet.

More importantly, a map being accessible does not necessarily make it the best source of current local navigation data.

For walking, public transport, current businesses and local road information in mainland China, use a map service designed around China's local data.

For most international visitors today, Amap is the easiest place to start.

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What About Apple Maps?

If you use an iPhone, Apple Maps can also be useful while traveling in China.

It offers an English-language experience familiar to international Apple users and can be a convenient alternative for basic navigation and public transport.

You do not need to choose only one map app.

A sensible setup for an iPhone traveler is:

Apple Maps for familiarity + Amap for deeper local information

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You Don't Need a Separate App for Everything

One reason China's app ecosystem can seem intimidating is that visitors see long lists like:

Alipay, WeChat, Didi, Amap, 12306, Meituan, Dianping, Taobao, JD, Ele.me, Xiaohongshu...

and assume all of them are required.

They are not.

Chinese super-apps often contain smaller services called mini-programs, which means many tasks can be completed without installing another standalone app.

For example, depending on the service and city, Alipay or WeChat can help you:

• Pay
• Take public transport
• Call a car
• Order food
• Buy tickets
• Access local services

For a traveler, fewer well-configured apps are usually better than twenty unfamiliar ones.

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Our Recommended Setup for Different Trips

First trip to China

Install:

• Alipay
• WeChat
• Amap
• Trip.com
• Translation app

Add:

• 12306 if taking trains

That is enough for most travelers.

Multi-city train trip

Install:

• Alipay
• WeChat
• Amap
• 12306
• Trip.com
• Translation app

Didi is optional.

Longer stay

Add apps gradually when you discover a reason to use them:

• Dianping
• Meituan
• Xiaohongshu
• Other local services

You do not need to prepare for every possible situation before you arrive.

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Before You Fly: App Checklist

Payments

• [ ] Alipay installed
• [ ] Account registered
• [ ] Identity verification completed if requested
• [ ] International bank card added
• [ ] WeChat installed
• [ ] WeChat account accessible

Navigation

• [ ] Amap installed
• [ ] Hotel saved
• [ ] Hotel's Chinese name and address saved
• [ ] Airport or railway station checked

Transport

• [ ] 12306 installed or website bookmarked if taking trains
• [ ] Train bookings confirmed
• [ ] Didi installed or ride-hailing located inside Alipay

Travel bookings

• [ ] Trip.com or another booking platform ready
• [ ] Hotel reservations saved offline
• [ ] Flight and train information screenshotted

Translation

• [ ] Translation app installed
• [ ] Chinese offline language pack downloaded if available

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If You Only Remember One Thing

Do not wait until you arrive in China to download and configure everything.

The apps themselves are not especially difficult.

The frustrating part is usually:

• Account registration
• SMS verification
• Passport verification
• Bank security checks
• Finding a password
• Discovering that your phone number does not receive a code

All of those are much easier to solve at home with reliable internet and access to your normal accounts.

Download the essentials, log in and test them before your flight.

Then stop preparing.

You do not need to learn how every app in China works before you arrive.

Start with the tools that help you pay, navigate, communicate and move around.

Everything else can come later.

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Official and Reference Sources

This guide was checked against information published by:

• The State Council of the People's Republic of China
• China Railway 12306
• Shanghai Municipal Government international services
• Amap / Gaode Maps public service information

App functions and availability may change over time. Check the current version of each app before departure.