Master the apps, master China
China runs on a parallel digital ecosystem. Google, WhatsApp, and most Western apps are blocked. Download everything before you land, set up WeChat Pay or Alipay with your foreign card, and consider a VPN for accessing apps from home.
China's dominant ride-hailing app operating in hundreds of cities. English interface available, pays through WeChat Pay or Alipay.
Books app-dispatched car or taxi rides in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Xi'an.
Aggregates licensed ride services in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Xi'an.
Books cars in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Wuhan.
Books cars in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Hangzhou and 56 other cities as of July 2026.
Delivers restaurant meals in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Wuhan.
Provides restaurant delivery inside JD in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Hangzhou.
China's second dominant mobile payment platform, accepted everywhere from street vendors to high-end restaurants. More tourist-friendly setup than WeChat Pay.
China's most accurate navigation app, supporting 16 languages including English voice guidance. Covers driving, transit, cycling, and walking.
China's original dominant map app with the deepest POI database, especially strong in smaller cities.
China's all-in-one super app for messaging, payments, ride booking, food ordering, and mini-programs for virtually every local service.
The go-to English-language platform for booking high-speed trains, flights, hotels, and attraction tickets across China.
The gold-standard Chinese dictionary with offline lookup, handwriting input, and camera-based instant translation for menus and signs.
Reliable mobile internet at better prices than most travel eSIMs, with polished iOS and Android apps and support for making and receiving phone calls.
One of the biggest travel eSIM brands, with a very large destination catalog.
Known for unlimited-data plans in many destinations, at a higher price per gigabyte.
The Great Firewall is the headline issue: a Chinese SIM routes through the domestic internet, so Google, Gmail, Google Maps, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are blocked unless you have a VPN, and VPN apps are far easier to install before you arrive than after. Also, prepaid tourist SIMs expire at the end of their validity period, and topping up generally requires WeChat Pay or a carrier mini-program.
The most foreigner-friendly carrier, with tourist plans and the best-documented English support. The usual first pick for city trips.
The largest network, with the best rural and remote coverage (Tibet, Yunnan, Xinjiang) at a slightly higher cost.
The third option, with occasionally competitive tourist packages.
The essential apps for China are Didi, DiDi China, Meituan, Alipay, Amap (Gaode Maps).
We've curated 15 apps across 7 categories for traveling in China, including 7 essential apps.
Didi is the top-rated ride hailing app in China. China's dominant ride-hailing app operating in hundreds of cities. English interface available, pays through WeChat Pay or Alipay.
Asia's world city, where East meets West at full speed
Rail-first travel, flexible IC cards, official Shinkansen booking, and disaster alerts
From K-pop streets to ancient palaces, navigate like a local
Where East meets West on the casino floor and in the streets
Where ancient temples meet neon night markets
