Maps That Actually Work in China 2026: Google Maps, Baidu, Apple Maps Compared

Google Maps does not work in mainland China without a VPN. Period. The Chinese government blocked Google Maps in 2010, and as of 2026 it remains inaccessible. This is the single biggest shock for first-time China travelers. The good news: the Chinese map apps (Baidu Maps and Amap/Gaode) are far more accurate for China, with better transit data, real-time bus info, and English interfaces. Apple Maps also works in China and has a clean English interface. This guide covers the 4 maps that actually work, when to use each, and how to set them up before you arrive.

Why Google Maps fails in China

Google Maps has been blocked in mainland China since 2010. The app may launch, but the map tiles won’t load. Searching for businesses, getting directions, and using real-time navigation all fail without a VPN. Even with a VPN, the experience is degraded:

• Map tiles load slowly
• Walking directions are wrong by 50+ meters in some cities
• Transit info (subway, bus) is 6+ months out of date
• Reviews are 5+ years stale
• Some businesses have closed but still show as “open”

The bottom line: Don’t rely on Google Maps in China. Use Chinese apps instead.

The 4 maps that actually work

1. Apple Maps — Best for English-speaking iPhone users

Why it’s #1:

• Full English interface by default
• Works in China without VPN
• Turn-by-turn navigation with voice in English
• Real-time traffic data accurate within 2 minutes
• Walking, driving, and transit directions
• Apple Pay integration for transit in some cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen)
• Look Around (Apple’s Street View) — available in some Chinese cities
• Privacy-focused — Apple doesn’t store your location history to your Apple ID by default

The downside:

• iOS only (no Android)
• Less detailed than Chinese apps for transit, walking paths, and small alleys
• No real-time bus arrival info in most Chinese cities
• Map of China uses different vendor data than Chinese apps, so some businesses may be missing

Best for: iPhone users who want a clean, English-language map that works out of the box.

2. Amap (Gaode/高德地图) — Best for Android and accuracy

Why it’s #2:

• Most accurate map data in China — by the Alibaba-owned Chinese tech giant
• Best real-time traffic — knows which roads are jammed, which bus is delayed, which subway entrance is closed
• Best walking directions — includes alleys, pedestrian shortcuts, and even building floor plans in major malls
• Best transit info — every bus, subway, and even shared bike in China
• Offline maps can be downloaded for major cities
• Free with no ads in navigation mode
• English interface (Settings → Language → English) — translation is 90% accurate

The downside:

• English translation has occasional quirks (“chunnel” for pedestrian underpass)
• Voice navigation in English has a strong Chinese accent
• Some features (street view, ride-hailing) require Chinese phone number login

Best for: Android users, and iPhone users who want the most accurate China-specific map.

3. Baidu Maps (百度地图) — Best for English-only navigation

Why it’s #3:

• Best street view coverage in China (most cities have 360° street-level images)
• Full English interface (slightly better than Amap)
• Walking, driving, transit, cycling directions
• Voice navigation in English (better accent than Amap)
• Offline maps downloadable by city
• Free with no required login

The downside:

• Real-time traffic data is slightly less accurate than Amap
• Some new subway lines take 1–2 months to appear
• Heavier app, uses more battery

Best for: English-first travelers who want a fully translated app, and anyone who wants to “scout” a location in street view before going.

4. Tencent Maps (腾讯地图) — Best for WeChat integration

Why it’s #4:

• Built into WeChat — open a shared location directly in Tencent Maps
• Most up-to-date for new businesses and subway stations (Tencent’s data team is fast)
• Decent English interface in major cities
• Free with WeChat login

The downside:

• English is less polished than Baidu or Apple
• Coverage is weaker in smaller cities
• Less used outside tier-1 cities

Best for: WeChat-heavy users who want maps integrated with their messaging.

How to set up before you arrive

Apple Maps (iPhone)

1. iOS 18+ has Apple Maps pre-installed
2. Open Settings → Maps → ensure “Driving,” “Walking,” “Transit” are enabled
3. Download offline map: Open Maps → tap your profile picture → “Downloaded Maps” → tap ”+” → search “China” → tap “Download”
4. The offline map is ~2 GB and covers all of mainland China

Amap (iPhone or Android)

1. Download from the App Store or Google Play (download before you leave home, since Google Play is slow in China)
2. Critical: download the offline map for each city you’re visiting (Beijing, Shanghai, etc.)
3. Settings → Language → English
4. To use without a Chinese phone number: skip login. You can still use navigation

Baidu Maps (iPhone or Android)

1. Download from the App Store
2. Same offline map process as Amap
3. Tap the profile icon → “English” in settings

Tencent Maps (iPhone or Android)

1. Download from the App Store
2. Login with WeChat
3. Use the ”+” icon in search to access the map

The optimal setup

For a 7-day China trip, install these three:

1. Apple Maps (iPhone) or Amap (Android) — your primary navigation
2. Baidu Maps — backup for street view and English translations
3. DiDi (ride-hailing) — see our DiDi guide

Total cost: $0. Total time to set up: 15 minutes.

How to navigate like a local

Walking

• Apple Maps or Amap — both have turn-by-turn walking directions with voice prompts
• Allow 30% more time than the app suggests (Chinese walking paths are often indirect)
• Use compass mode (rotate map to match your direction) to avoid confusion in alleys

Subway

• Amap or Baidu Maps — both have all Chinese subway lines
• The Metro Daduhui (大都会) app is the official Shanghai subway app; Beijing Subway and Shenzhen Metro have their own apps
• See our China metro guide for English signage and ticket-buying

Bus

• Amap has real-time bus arrival info — much better than Google ever was in China
• Pay with Alipay (tap the QR code on the bus scanner, see our Alipay guide)

Taxi / Ride-hailing

• DiDi (滴滴, China’s Uber) is the standard
• DiDi integrates with Alipay — set up Alipay first, then book a DiDi
• See our DiDi guide for step-by-step setup

Train (high-speed)

• Book through Trip.com in English, or 12306.cn (Chinese only)
• See our China high-speed rail guide

Driving (rental car)

• Don’t. Foreigners cannot drive in mainland China without a Chinese license, which requires a residency permit. Most foreigners can’t get one.
• Self-driving tourists get stopped at highway checkpoints and turned back

The one trick that beats every map

Show the Chinese text to a Chinese person. Open the app, search for your destination, take a screenshot showing the address in Chinese characters (a few characters are usually enough), and show it to:

• Your hotel concierge
• A taxi driver (they read addresses faster than place names)
• A subway attendant
• A shopkeeper

This works in 100% of cases where the map app fails. The Chinese app shows addresses in Chinese characters (汉字), and most locals can recognize their own city’s addresses immediately.

What to do when the map app says “no route found”

This is rare in China but happens in rural areas. The fallback:

1. Switch apps (try Amap if Baidu failed)
2. Use the “share location” feature in WeChat — a Chinese friend can see your exact location
3. Ask your hotel to call a DiDi for you (the driver knows the city)
4. Hail a taxi and show the Chinese name of your destination

Bonus: how to find the nearest subway exit

Chinese subway stations are massive — Beijing’s Xizhimen station has 14 exits. The trick:

1. Look for the green “地铁” (subway) sign
2. Find the 出口 (chūkǒu) sign with a letter (A, B, C, D…)
3. Apple Maps and Amap both label the specific exit for your destination
4. Pre-plan: type your destination in Amap, choose “subway” mode, and the app tells you which exit to use

For more on China’s metro system, see our China metro guide.

Bottom line

Forget Google Maps. Install Apple Maps (iPhone) or Amap (Android) before you leave home. Download offline maps for each city you’ll visit. Set up Alipay for DiDi and bus payments. The combination of a Chinese map app + Alipay + WeChat solves 95% of navigation and transport issues in China.

Where to book

Once you have maps working, you can navigate to any hotel:

• Find Beijing hotels — copy-paste the address into your map app
• Browse all China hotels

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