Travel Tips · Apps
Set Up Your Everyday Apps
Know which apps to download: WeChat, Alipay, Amap, DiDi, and train-booking tools, with setup checks and practical translation options.
For a first trip to mainland China, start with WeChat, Alipay, and Amap. They cover much of the everyday work of contacting people, paying, and finding your way. Add DiDi for cars and either Railway 12306 or Trip.com for intercity bookings. A translation tool completes the kit. These are actual app names to look for in your official app store, not categories you must work out after landing.
The apps worth putting on your phone
| App and Chinese name | What you will use it for | What to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| WeChat / 微信 | Messaging hotels, guides, and contacts; Weixin Pay; attraction and service mini programs. | Register with your phone number. Open the payment wallet and complete the separate card setup if you intend to pay. |
| Alipay / 支付宝 | Merchant payments, selected transport services, and service mini programs. | Register, set the interface language, add a supported card, and complete requested identity checks. |
| Amap / 高德地图 | Local place searches, walking directions, metro routes, and identifying entrances. | Use its international language options where available. Save your hotel and search its Chinese name if an English result is unclear. |
| DiDi / 滴滴出行 | Ordering a car with a recorded destination, driver, plate number, and fare information. | Choose English, set up payment, and check how your account receives SMS. It can also be accessed through WeChat or Alipay. |
| Railway 12306 / 铁路12306 | China Railway’s own train search and ticket service. | Set up passenger details using your passport and complete identity verification before the day you need to book. |
| Trip.com | An English-language alternative for hotels, domestic flights, and train booking. | Save passport details carefully; review any service fees and distinguish a request from an issued ticket. |
| Baidu Translate / 百度翻译; Pleco | Baidu Translate for text, voice, and photo translation; Pleco for looking up Chinese words. | Test translation with a menu. Download dictionary resources before travel; some Pleco add-ons are paid. |
Set up WeChat and Alipay before the airport
WeChat is both a communication app and the home of Weixin Pay. There is no separate WeChat Pay app to install. A hotel may send directions through a WeChat chat, while an attraction may take reservations inside a mini program. Adding a contact and activating a payment wallet are separate tasks.
Alipay is a useful second payment route even if you prefer WeChat for conversation. Register with an overseas mobile number that can receive verification messages. Prepare your passport and a supported card for the checks the app requests. You normally pay a merchant from the linked card; you do not need to buy a balance from someone or load a prepaid tourist wallet merely to start. At checkout, confirm whether you should scan the merchant’s code or show your own payment code to the cashier; a contact QR code serves a different purpose.
Make Amap useful with your own destinations
Amap is the English name for Gaode Map, 高德地图. Its international services now include multiple language options, but individual listings and interfaces may still show Chinese. Save a verified hotel pin, compare the address with the booking, and try a route from your arrival station. A correct building pin is not always the vehicle entrance.
Use DiDi when you want a booked car. In the standalone service, look for Me → Settings → General → Language and choose English; wording can differ between versions and mini programs. Set the pickup point, check the destination and car category, and match the number plate before boarding. A call or message from the driver is often about which side of the road you are on.
Choose a booking tool, then test the difficult part
Use Railway 12306 when you want to book directly with China Railway. Trip.com is an alternative if an English booking and support interface suits you better. Neither makes an unissued train request into a ticket: check that an actual train and seat are confirmed. For hotels, save the Chinese property name and branch address, not just the English confirmation title.
Baidu Translate is a concrete option for menus and short conversations. Pleco is particularly useful for looking up an ingredient or a character you keep seeing; a dictionary is not the same as a full-sentence translation service. Do not rely only on Google-based tools without checking how your chosen connection works in mainland China.
A five-minute departure check
- Open WeChat and Alipay, confirm you can sign in, and inspect the linked-card status.
- In Amap, open the hotel pin and a route from your exact arrival station.
- In your train or hotel app, open a real reservation and download the confirmation.
- Translate a sample menu and save the phrases you need for food, directions, and check-in.
- Keep hotel addresses, bookings, and a payment backup available if the phone stops working.
Practical guidance reviewed 12 October 2026. Confirm current rules, opening arrangements, and availability with the relevant authority or provider before travel.
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