Best Apps for Traveling in China: Complete 2026 Guide

Astrill VPN

The most consistently reliable VPN for China. Astrill has been operating in the Chinese market for over a decade and regularly updates its protocols to stay ahead of the Great Firewall. Their OpenWeb and StealthVPN protocols are designed specifically for China.

Cost: ~$20/month or ~$120/year
Setup: Download and install before arriving. Set up the Astrill app with OpenWeb protocol. Keep it updated.
Tip: Purchase a longer plan before arriving—the website is often blocked from within China for new sign-ups.

ExpressVPN

A popular choice that works in China but requires more frequent troubleshooting as protocols get detected and blocked. Their Lightway protocol has been more stable recently.

Cost: ~$13/month or ~$100/year
Setup: Install before arriving.
Limitation: More likely to be blocked during politically sensitive periods. Always have a backup.

Alipay (支付宝)

The most foreign-friendly payment app in China. Alipay now allows international travelers to link Visa, Mastercard, and UnionPay international cards directly, without needing a Chinese bank account.

What it does: QR code payments at millions of merchants nationwide, taxi payments, utility bills, train ticket booking (through the Alipay mini-program), hotel booking, money transfers, and more. It's essentially a super-app with hundreds of integrated services.

How to set up as a foreigner:

1. Download Alipay from your app store (before arriving)
2. Register with your foreign mobile number (one that works internationally for SMS verification)
3. Go to "Me" → "Settings" → "Payment Settings" → "International Card"
4. Add your Visa/Mastercard. The current max per-transaction is around ¥6,500 and annual limit around ¥50,000
5. For higher limits, consider the TourPass feature or verify with your passport

Download: Apple App Store (non-China region) or Google Play Store

WeChat Pay (微信支付)

WeChat's payment feature is even more ubiquitous than Alipay in some regions, especially for person-to-person transfers and smaller merchants. However, the foreign card setup process is slightly more cumbersome.

What it does: QR payments, money transfers between friends, mini-program payments (like ordering coffee or hailing a Didi from within WeChat)

How to set up:

1. Download WeChat and register with your foreign number
2. Have a Chinese friend send you a "red envelope" or transfer (this activates your wallet) OR
3. Link a foreign card through "Me" → "Services" → "Wallet" → "Cards"
4. Passport verification may be required for higher transaction limits

Note: Foreign card support on WeChat Pay is more limited than Alipay. Many users find it easier to use Alipay for merchant payments and WeChat for communication.

Didi (滴滴出行)

The Uber of China—and arguably better. Didi operates in over 400 Chinese cities and offers multiple service tiers from budget rides to executive cars. It supports foreign card payment through Alipay integration.

How to use as a foreigner:

1. Download the Didi app or access it through the Alipay mini-program (simpler for foreigners)
2. If using the standalone app, register with your foreign number
3. Link Alipay as payment method—this is the easiest route
4. Enter your destination in Chinese characters or pinyin (the app has an English mode)
5. Confirm pickup location using the map pin

Cost: Significantly cheaper than Uber in Western countries. A 15-minute city ride typically costs ¥15-30 ($2-4 USD).
Tiers (from cheapest): Express (拼车), Fast (快车), Premier (专车), Luxe (豪华车)

Trip.com (携程国际版)

The international version of Ctrip—China's largest travel booking platform. This is your go-to app for booking high-speed rail tickets and domestic flights as a foreigner.

What it does: Book high-speed train tickets (tier G, D, C trains), domestic and international flights, hotels, tours, and attraction tickets.

Why use it over 12306: The official 12306 app is Chinese-only with no English interface. Trip.com offers an English interface, accepts foreign credit cards directly, and handles ticket delivery (you can collect paper tickets at the station with your passport number).

Tip: Trip.com charges a small booking fee (usually ¥20-40 per ticket). For the budget traveler, you can use the 12306 app with translation tools, but Trip.com is well worth the fee for the convenience.

Amap (高德地图) / AutoNavi

The most popular navigation app in China, owned by Alibaba. Excellent for driving directions, public transit routing, and walking navigation. The app has a partial English mode (switched via settings).

Best for:

• Public transit directions (subway, bus, light rail with real-time updates)
• Walking navigation in cities (accurate to the building level)
• Taxi/Didi destination sharing (you can share your destination from Amap directly into Didi)
• Business search (find restaurants, shops, ATMs near you)

Cost: Free

Baidu Maps (百度地图)

Similar to Amap but owned by Baidu. Slightly better for non-driving scenarios and has more detailed campus maps (universities, large parks). Also has a subway-only mode that shows every metro line in China.

Key difference from Amap: Baidu Maps uses different map projection coordinates (the so-called "Baidu coordinates") that are slightly offset from actual GPS. If sharing a location with a foreigner using Google Maps, they'll see a different point.

Tip: For most travelers, Amap is the better choice. Install both if you want a backup.

Google Translate

Surprisingly useful in China despite being blocked. Download offline language packs (Chinese Mandarin Simplified + your language) before you arrive. The offline camera translation feature works without internet and is excellent for reading menus, signs, and product labels.

Best features:

• Camera mode: Point at Chinese text and see instant translation overlay
• Conversation mode: Two-way real-time translation for speaking with locals
• Offline packs: Works without VPN for basic text translation

Limitation: Camera translation quality varies. For complex Chinese characters or stylized fonts, accuracy drops. Good for understanding the gist, not for precision.

Microsoft Translator

An excellent alternative that works well in China without a VPN. Microsoft's servers are generally accessible from the mainland.

Best features:

• Camera translation with good accuracy on printed text
• Conversation mode supports multiple participants
• No VPN needed for basic functionality
• Works well with WeChat (you can share translations directly)

Tip: For restaurant menus specifically, Microsoft Translator often handles food names better than Google Translate because it recognizes dish name conventions.

Papago (Naver)

Developed by Korean company Naver, Papago has surprisingly good Chinese translation quality—often better than Google for Chinese-to-English translations. It requires a VPN for some features but works for basic translations without one.

Best for: Chinese-to-English translation quality. If you need to understand a nuanced Chinese text, Papago frequently outperforms other options.

WeChat (微信)

The single most important app in China. It's not just messaging—it's your digital identity. Many interactions in China happen through WeChat: adding a restaurant's WeChat for reservations, scanning QR codes to pay, joining WeChat groups for recommendations, and communicating with your hotel or tour guide.

Why you need it:

• Everyone uses it. Business cards are being replaced by WeChat QR codes
• Restaurants have QR code menus and ordering through WeChat mini-programs
• Museums and attractions require WeChat mini-programs for ticket booking
• Many services (Didi, bike sharing, food delivery) are accessible through WeChat without installing separate apps

Setting up: Download from app store (international version supports English interface). Register with your foreign mobile number. Add your hotel or tour guide's WeChat before arriving if possible.

Xiaohongshu (小红书 / Little Red Book)

Part Instagram, part Pinterest, part Yelp—Xiaohongshu is where young Chinese go to find travel recommendations, restaurant reviews, and lifestyle tips. It has become the most influential travel research platform in China.

Why it matters for travelers:

• Real user reviews with photos of restaurants, hotels, and attractions
• Detailed travel guides written by Chinese travelers (often more thorough than Western travel blogs)
• Search for "Beijing [attraction name]" to see current wait times, best photo spots, and entry tips
• The built-in translation feature can translate Chinese posts to English

Tip: Search in English keywords—many posts are tagged with English hashtags. For example, "Beijing travel" or "Shanghai food" returns useful results even if written in Chinese.

Meituan (美团)

China's super-app for local services. Originally a group-buying platform, Meituan now handles food delivery, restaurant reservations, movie tickets, hotel booking, bike sharing, and more.

Key uses for travelers:

• Food delivery to your hotel (like Uber Eats but faster)
• Restaurant search with ratings, photos, and estimated prices
• Deals and coupons for local restaurants (50-70% off is common for group deals)
• Reserve tables at popular restaurants

Challenge: The app is almost entirely in Chinese. Use the screenshot + Google Translate method, or ask your hotel concierge to help you order. Some users find the Alipay mini-program version of Meituan slightly more accessible.

Dianping (大众点评)

Owned by Meituan, Dianping is China's Yelp—focused on restaurant reviews and recommendations. It has the most comprehensive restaurant database in China, with millions of user reviews.

How to use: Search by area or cuisine type. Look for restaurants with ratings above 4.0 stars. The number of reviews matters more than the rating—a restaurant with 3.8 stars and 5,000 reviews is often better than one with 4.5 stars and 50 reviews. The app has recently added some English support in major cities.

Trip.com (Ctrip)

As mentioned above, the international version of Ctrip is the best option for foreigners booking hotels in China. It offers competitive prices (often better than Booking.com or Agoda for Chinese hotels), a wide selection including smaller local hotels, and reliable customer service in English.

Why Trip.com over Booking.com:

• More Chinese hotel inventory, especially for local and boutique hotels
• Better prices (Chinese hotels often offer lower rates on domestic platforms)
• Easier booking flow for Chinese properties that require local ID for reservations
• Integration with train and flight bookings

Fliggy (飞猪 / Alitrip)

Alibaba's travel booking platform. Similar to Trip.com but integrated with Alipay for seamless payment. Good for hotel bookings, especially Alibaba-connected properties.

Note: Fliggy is more Chinese-language oriented than Trip.com. Use it as a backup or price comparison tool.

VPN Setup Tool: Clash / V2RayNG

For tech-savvy travelers, setting up a Shadowsocks or V2Ray proxy server on your own cloud VPS (DigitalOcean, Vultr, Alibaba Cloud) gives you the most reliable VPN connection. Clash (for iOS/macOS) and V2RayNG (for Android) are the most popular clients.

Difficulty: Medium. You need basic server setup knowledge. But once configured, it's more reliable than commercial VPNs during firewall tightening periods.

Tip: If you're not technical, stick with Astrill. If you are, set up a personal V2Ray server on an Alibaba Cloud ECS instance in Hong Kong—it's the most reliable connection for mainland China access.

Do I need to download these apps before arriving?

Yes. The Google Play Store, Apple App Store (China region), and most Western websites are blocked in China without a VPN. Download and, where possible, set up accounts before you arrive.

Can I use my foreign SIM card in China?

Yes, but roaming charges apply. Your phone will connect to Chinese networks (China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom). For longer stays, buy a Chinese SIM card or eSIM (see our eSIM guide). Note that with a foreign SIM on roaming, you may still face firewall restrictions on certain services.

Will Google Maps work at all?

Google Maps loads but is unreliable for navigation. Business listings are outdated, walking directions are often wrong, and real-time traffic data is unavailable. Use Amap for actual navigation. Keep Google Maps offline as a backup.

What if I can't set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with my foreign card?

This sometimes happens with smaller banks. Solutions: (1) Try a different card (Visa works more often than Mastercard). (2) Use Alipay TourPass—a prepaid version that doesn't require a Chinese bank account. (3) Ask a Chinese contact to send you money via WeChat transfer. (4) As a last resort, carry sufficient cash and use hotel concierge services for larger payments.

Can I use Uber or Lyft in China?

No. Didi acquired Uber China in 2016. The Uber app won't work on the mainland. Use Didi instead.