Using Maps in China 2026: Gaode/AMap vs Google Maps for Visitors2026 在中国用地图：游客用高德/百度还是谷歌

1 The short answer: which map should you use in China? 一句话结论：在中国该用哪款地图？

For daily use in China, install Gaode (AMap) as your main map and keep Baidu Maps as a backup. Google Maps works for a broad overview and for sharing a link home, but on the ground its routing, transit, and business listings are thin and often out of date, so it should not be the app you actually navigate with. AMap covers addresses, transit, and ride apps in Chinese that the others miss.在中国日常使用，请把高德（AMap）装成主地图，再把百度地图留作后备。谷歌地图适合看大面概览、或把链接发回家，但在实地，它的路线、公交和商户信息又薄又常过期，所以它不该是你真正用来导航的 App。高德覆盖了中文的地址、公交，以及别的地图缺的打车入口。

The reason is simple: the map data that powers daily life in China lives in local apps. Street names, small shops, metro exits, and ride pickups are tagged in Chinese, and AMap reads them best. This guide explains what each app does, how to set them up before you fly, and how to search when you cannot read the signs.原因很简单：支撑中国日常生活的地图数据，都活在本地 App 里。街名、小店、地铁出口、打车上车点，都是用中文标注的，而高德对这些读得最准。本指南会讲每款 App 做什么、出发前怎么装好，以及当你看不懂招牌时怎么搜。

• Use AMap for.用高德做。 Day to day navigation, transit, and ride hailing inside China.
• Use Baidu for.用百度做。 A second opinion on routes and a backup when AMap looks thin.
• Use Google Maps for.用谷歌做。 Sharing your location with friends abroad and a rough overview only.

If you are still sorting out how to get online so these apps load, our internet connectivity guide联网指南 covers the data you need on arrival.如果你还在琢磨怎么上网、好让这些 App 能加载，我们的「联网指南」会讲落地所需的流量。

2 Why Google Maps is limited in China 为什么谷歌地图在中国受限

Google services are filtered on local networks, so Google Maps often loads slowly or not at all without a workaround, and even when it does open, its China map data is incomplete. Many side streets, metro stations, and small businesses are missing or misplaced, which is exactly the information a visitor needs to find a hotel entrance or a meeting spot.谷歌的服务在本地网络上是被过滤的，所以谷歌地图常常加载很慢、甚至打不开；即便打开，它在中国的地图数据也不完整。许多小街、地铁站和小商户要么缺失、要么错位，而偏偏这些正是游客找酒店入口或约碰面点最需要的信息。

That gap is why visitors who arrive relying only on Google Maps end up lost at the last hundred meters. The app may drop a pin on the right block but fail to show the correct gate, the footbridge, or the shop on the second floor. Local apps handle those details because they are built on Chinese map data from the start.正因这个缺口，只靠谷歌地图抵达的游客，往往会在最后一百米迷路。App 也许把图钉落在正确的街区，却显示不出正确的门、天桥，或二楼那家店。本地 App 能处理这些细节，因为它们从一开始就是建在中国地图数据上的。

• Expect gaps.预期有缺口。 Side streets, metro exits, and small venues are often missing on Google Maps.
• Slow loads.加载慢。 Google services are filtered locally, so the app may stall without a connection workaround.
• Keep it for sharing.留着用来分享。 It is still handy for sending your spot to friends outside China.

None of this means you are stuck. The fix is to install a local map before you land, which takes two minutes on a home connection and saves a confused first afternoon.这不代表你没招。办法就是落地前装好一款本地地图，在家里连正常 Wi-Fi 两分钟就搞定，能省下迷糊的第一个下午。

3 Gaode (AMap) vs Baidu Maps: what visitors should know 高德（AMap）与百度地图：游客该知道什么

Gaode, also called AMap, is the most visitor friendly of the local maps. Its interface translates well, it shows metro lines and exits clearly, and it feeds directly into ride hailing, so you can plan a trip and book a car in the same app. For most foreigners it is the best default.高德（AMap）是本地地图里对游客最友好的。它的界面翻译得不错，地铁线路和出口标得清楚，还直接接入打车，于是你能在同一个 App 里规划行程、叫到车。对大多数外国人来说，它是最佳默认。

Baidu Maps is a strong second. It has excellent search and good walking directions, and it sometimes finds a venue that AMap misses. Many locals keep both, and we suggest you do the same: if one app shows a blank block, switch to the other for a second reading.百度地图是强有力的第二选择。它的搜索很强、步行导航也不错，有时还能找出高德漏掉的地方。许多本地人两个都装，我们也建议你如此：若一个 App 显示一片空白，就换另一个再读一次。

• AMap strength.高德强在。 Clean transit views, good translation, and built in ride hailing.
• 百度强在。Baidu strength. Sharp search and walking routes, a reliable second opinion.
• Run both.两个都装。 When one shows a gap, the other often fills it in.

Both apps are free to install and work with an ordinary internet connection. Neither needs a local account to browse maps, though saving places is smoother once you sign in.两款 App 都免费安装，用普通的联网就能用。浏览地图都不需要本地账号，不过登录后存地点会更顺。

4 Set up before you fly 出发前装好

Do this at home on normal Wi-Fi, not in a taxi with one bar of signal. Download AMap and Baidu Maps from your app store, open each once to let it fetch the base map for China, and switch the language to English if the option appears. Pre loading the map tiles means the app still shows your position in a tunnel or a crowded plaza where the network is weak.请在家里、用正常的 Wi-Fi 做这件事，而不是在只剩一格信号的出租车里。从应用商店下好高德和百度地图，各打开一次让它们把中国的基础地图抓下来，如果界面有英文选项就切到英文。预先载好地图瓦片，意味着在隧道里或网络很弱的人群广场上，App 仍能显示你的位置。

Save a few key places before you leave: your hotel, the airport, and one or two sights. Typing a hotel name into the search box is easy once you have signal, but having it pinned already means you can summon a ride the moment you land. The tool above walks through the setup step by step.出发前先存好几个关键地点：你的酒店、机场，再加一两处景点。等有了信号再在搜索框里打酒店名固然简单，但提前钉好意味着你一落地就能叫车。上方的工具会分步带你完成设置。

Set up maps alongside the other pre-trip setups so everything is ready before you fly.把地图和其他出发前的准备一起做好，这样落地时一切就绪。

• Visa.签证。 Before anything else, confirm your China visa guide and arrival rules.
• Payments.支付。 Link a card to Alipay and WeChat Pay so maps and ride apps are painless.
• Connectivity.联网。 Read our eSIM vs SIM vs roaming guide so maps load on arrival.

With those three done at home, the maps work the moment you land.这三件在家里搞定，地图一落地就能用。

If a setup screen asks for a phone number to sign in, you can usually skip it for basic browsing. Only the extras, like syncing saved spots across devices, want an account.如果设置界面要你填手机号登录，基础的地图浏览通常可以跳过。只有像跨设备同步收藏点这类附加功能才要账号。

5 How to search and navigate when you cannot read Chinese 看不懂中文时怎么搜、怎么走

You do not need to read Chinese to use these apps. Type a place in English and AMap will usually recognize major sights and hotels by their common English names, then show the Chinese name on screen so you can match it to a sign or show it to a driver. For a smaller spot, copy the Chinese name from your hotel or a listing and paste it into the search box.用这些 App 并不需要会读中文。用英文打一个地名，高德通常能按常用的英文名称认出主要景点和酒店，再把中文名显示在屏幕上，好让你对招牌、或拿给司机看。若是更小的地方，就从酒店或某个列表里复制中文名，粘进搜索框。

For walking directions, follow the blue line and the listed distance, and use the in app compass when you are turned around. When you call a ride, the app drops a pickup pin and shows the car approaching, so you meet the driver at the named spot rather than guessing. Our first 24 hours guide「抵达后 24 小时」指南 has the airport to hotel step where maps earn their keep on day one.步行导航就跟着蓝线和显示的距离走，转晕了就用 App 里的指南针。叫车时，App 会落一个上车图钉、并显示车在靠近，于是你在它指定的点上碰头，而不是瞎猜。我们的「抵达后 24 小时」指南有从机场到酒店那一步，地图在第一天就物有所值。

• Paste Chinese.粘中文。 For small venues, copy the Chinese name and paste it for the best match.
• Show the screen.给司机看屏幕。 The on screen Chinese name settles any address confusion with a driver.
• Trust the pin.信图钉。 Meet rides at the named pickup point the app shows, not just where you stand.

6 Offline maps and what to do without internet 离线地图，以及没网时怎么办

Even with a good connection, download offline map areas for the cities you will visit. In the app, find the offline maps option, select Beijing or Shanghai or your destination, and save it. Then a weak signal in a subway tunnel or a packed square will not leave you staring at a blank screen, because the streets are already on your phone.即便信号不错，也请下载你要去那些城市的离线地图区域。在 App 里找到「离线地图」，选北京、上海或你的目的地，存下来。这样在地铁隧道或拥挤广场信号弱时，你不会对着空白屏幕发呆，因为街道已经在你手机里了。

If you truly lose connection, fall back to what you saved: your pinned hotel, a screenshot of the route, or a cached map area. Open the map before you set out so the tiles are loaded, and keep a battery buffer, because a dead phone is the one thing no map can fix. For the bigger picture on staying connected, our internet connectivity guide联网指南 explains the data side.如果真的断了网，就退回你存好的东西：钉好的酒店、路线的截图，或缓存的地图区域。出发前先打开地图，让瓦片载好，并留点电量，因为没电的手机再好的地图也救不了。关于保持联网的全貌，我们的「联网指南」会讲流量那一侧。

• Save cities.存城市。 Download offline areas for every city on your plan before you fly.
• Screenshot routes.截路线。 Keep a picture of key routes in case the screen goes blank.
• Charge up.充满电。 A dead phone beats any map, so keep a battery buffer through the day.

7 Other map tools and final tips 其他地图工具与最后提醒

Beyond AMap and Baidu, a few extras help. Apple Maps and Google Maps still work for a high level view and for sharing with people abroad, and your hotel concierge can message you a pin in either app. Translation apps can also read a Chinese address aloud, which smooths the last conversation with a driver or a guard at a gate.除了高德和百度，还有几个补充好用。苹果地图和谷歌地图仍适合看高层视图、或与国外的人分享，酒店前台也能在任一 App 里给你发个图钉。翻译 App 还能把中文地址念出来，让你和司机或门口保安的最后那句对话顺畅些。

The habit that saves the most confusion is to confirm the written Chinese name of every place before you rely on it. Sights with the same English name can sit in different districts, and a pin dropped on the wrong one wastes an hour. Match the name on your screen to the name on the building, and you will rarely go far wrong.最能减少困惑的习惯，是在依赖某个地点前，先确认它的中文写法。同名景点可能分处不同城区，图钉落错一个就白费一小时。把屏幕上的名字和楼上的名字对一下，你很少会走大偏。

• Confirm the name.确认名字。 Match the on screen Chinese name to the building before you set off.
• Keep a backup app.留个后备 App。 A second map settles disputes when the first shows a gap.
• Share with home.跟家里分享。 Google or Apple Maps are fine for sending your spot to friends abroad.

Set up AMap and Baidu before you fly, pin your hotel, and download offline areas, and getting around Chinese cities stops being a puzzle. For the apps that round out your phone, our must have apps guide必装 App 指南 lists the rest.出发前装好高德和百度、钉好酒店、下载离线区域，在中国城市里找路就不再是难题。关于把手机补全的其他 App，我们的「必装 App 指南」列了其余的。

Frequently asked questions常见问题