2025 Essential APP Guide for Foreign Travelers in China: Payments, Bookings, and Transportation

Hi, I’m Sophie Park, a traveler from Korea. As a first-time visitor to China, I’ve been exploring this vast and intriguing country, immersing myself in its culture and beauty. During my trip, I discovered that life in China is highly digitized — from payments to booking transportation, everything revolves around mobile apps. So, I created this guide to help fellow foreign travelers like me navigate China’s essential apps for payments, communication, transportation, and bookings. I hope my personal experience will make your journey easier and more enjoyable.

Essential APP Overview in China

Here are the key apps I used during my travels. They all support multiple languages and made my trip much smoother:

Payment Tools: WeChat & Alipay

WeChat

WeChat is one of the most widely used apps for both payments and communication in China. As a first-time visitor, I was initially concerned about ordering food at restaurants, as many menus do not have English translations. However, by scanning the QR code on the table, I could easily browse the picture-based menu and select my meals without understanding the language. Once I got used to it, the process became quick and convenient, with no language barriers to worry about.

• How to use: Download WeChat, link your international credit card or prepaid card, and use the Wallet feature to make payments.
• Tip: I found WeChat accepted even at small shops and street vendors, making it very convenient.
• Supported languages: English, Korean

Alipay

Alipay is another payment app I highly recommend. Not only is it great for shopping, but it also allows you to hail taxis and pay for metro and bus rides. As a tourist, Alipay became an essential tool, especially for avoiding language barriers when ordering taxis. My first time using Alipay for a ride, the driver located me via the app’s navigation system, and the entire payment process was seamless.

• How to use: Download Alipay, link your international credit card, and use it for shopping, rides, and transportation.
• Tip: Alipay makes paying for taxis, metro rides, and tickets super easy without needing to download additional apps.
• Supported languages: English, Korean

Navigation Tools: Apple Maps & Amap

Apple Maps

Apple Maps was my go-to navigation tool while traveling in China, especially since it offers support in English and Korean. As someone unfamiliar with Chinese, Apple Maps gave me peace of mind, providing accurate directions even in smaller cities.

• How to use: Open Apple Maps, enter your destination, and get directions for public transport, walking, or driving.
• Tip: Perfect for international visitors unfamiliar with Chinese, particularly Korean-speaking users.
• Supported languages: English, Korean, Japanese, Thai

Amap

Amap is the navigation tool most locals use. It offers highly detailed directions for public transport and walking.

• How to use: Download Amap, enter your destination, and get detailed navigation advice.
• Supported languages: Chinese, English

Booking Tool: Trip.com

Trip.com is one of the most popular platforms for booking travel in China, supporting multiple languages like Korean, English, and Chinese. As a traveler, I used Trip.com to book hotels, train tickets, and attraction tickets. The entire process was efficient, and the multi-language support made it easy to navigate without knowing Chinese. Below are the main types of bookings I recommend using this app for:

• Hotel Bookings
  Booking hotels through Trip.com is straightforward. Whether you’re looking for international chains or local boutique stays, this platform will help you find the right accommodation. The multi-language interface ensures ease of use when selecting rooms. Book your hotel in China now and enjoy a comfortable stay!
• Train Ticket Bookings
  Trip.com offers easy train ticket bookings for China’s high-speed rail network. You can check train schedules and purchase tickets directly through the app. Electronic tickets allow you to scan a QR code at the station, skipping long queues. Book your train tickets now and enjoy fast and efficient travel!
• Attraction Tickets
  Use Trip.com to pre-book tickets for China’s top attractions, like the Great Wall, Summer Palace, and more. This saves you the hassle of waiting in line at the ticket counter. Pre-book attraction tickets for fast entry without waiting in line!

VPN Tools

We don’t recommend specific VPN tools like ExpressVPN or NordVPN, as I found them unreliable during my time in China. To access international websites, I used a VPN registered by a local, but be aware that the registration process was entirely in Chinese, so it might be difficult to do on your own. If you want to know whether a particular VPN works in China, feel free to leave a comment, and we’ll help test it for you. If your VPN offers a refund policy, we can assist you with testing it.

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