🚇 Public Transport

A widely used journey-planning app covering public transport routes, timings, and live updates in major Chinese cities. About Moovit: Moovit is an international transit app (owned by Intel/Mobileye) that provides route planning, real-time arrival estimates, and service alerts for public transport, with coverage of metro and bus systems in many major Chinese cities alongside hundreds of cities worldwide. Key Features: Multi-Modal Route Planning: Combines metro, bus, and walking directions into one suggested route. Live Arrival Times: Real-time updates on when the next train or bus is expected, where data is available. Offline Maps: Download transit maps for use without an active internet connection. Works Globally: Same app and interface whether navigating a Chinese city or another city abroad. How to Get Started: Download the Moovit app and allow location access, or manually set your city. Enter your starting point and destination to see suggested routes. Compare route options by time, number of transfers, and walking distance. Follow live updates during your trip to catch each connection on time. Important Notice: Local Chinese apps like Amap (Gaode) or Baidu Maps often have more complete and up-to-date transit data for Chinese cities than international apps — Moovit is a useful backup, but check whether a local mapping app serves you better for daily use in China.

A global journey-planning tool that combines flights, trains, buses, ferries, and driving directions into one multi-modal route planner. About Rome2Rio: Rome2Rio is a travel search engine that shows all reasonable ways to get from one place to another, combining multiple transport modes and operators into a single search, useful for planning longer journeys across China's vast rail and flight network. Key Features: Multi-Modal Route Options: Combines flights, trains, buses, ferries, and driving into comparable route suggestions. Price and Duration Comparison: See estimated costs and travel times across different route options. Booking Links: Links out to airlines, train operators, and bus companies to complete bookings. Long-Distance Planning: Particularly useful for China's extensive high-speed rail and domestic flight network. How to Get Started: Visit the Rome2Rio website or app and enter your starting point and destination. Review the suggested routes, comparing price, duration, and number of transfers. Click through to the relevant airline, train, or bus operator to book your chosen option. Use the app's information to plan connections between different transport legs. Important Notice: Rome2Rio shows suggested routes and estimated prices, but you typically book each leg directly with the relevant operator (such as China Railway's official 12306 platform for trains) rather than through Rome2Rio itself — treat it as a planning tool rather than a booking platform.

Navigate buses, subways and walking routes across Chinese cities in real time, using the map app that actually works in China — Google Maps doesn't. About Baidu Maps: Baidu Maps (百度地图, Baidu Ditu) is one of China's two dominant mapping and navigation apps (alongside Amap/Gaode), developed by Baidu, and the tool most residents and long-term visitors rely on for getting around, since Google Maps is not accessible inside mainland China. It offers turn-by-turn navigation for driving, walking, cycling and public transport, along with real-time traffic data, street-level panoramic views covering most Chinese cities, and AI-powered route recommendations. Key Features: Real-Time Public Transit Routing: Get live bus arrival times and subway transfer guidance, including which carriage lines up closest to your exit. Multi-Mode Navigation: Switch between driving, walking, cycling and public transport directions from the same search. Panoramic Street View: Street-level photos covering roughly 95% of Chinese cities, useful for confirming you've found the right entrance or stop. Usable Without a Chinese Number: Baidu Maps can be used with an international phone number, though some features (ride-hailing, location sharing) are more limited without a Chinese SIM. How to Get Started: Download Baidu Maps from your app store, or search "Baidu Ditu" if browsing a Chinese app store directly. Search for your destination — pasting a Chinese address copied from a hotel or booking confirmation works well if you can't type Chinese. Tap the route button (路线) and choose your travel mode (car, bus, walking) from the icons at the top. Follow the turn-by-turn or transit-transfer directions to your destination. Important Notice: Baidu Maps does not have a full English interface, which can make it harder to use for visitors who don't read Chinese — recognizing the mode icons (walking, bus, car) and copy-pasting addresses helps bridge the gap, but for ride-hailing specifically, a dedicated app like Didi's international version is usually easier.