maps
Amap · 高德地图
The most accurate maps of China: walking, metro, bus and taxi routes. Google Maps is offset here and misses half the places.
- Language
- partly English
- Phone number
- not required
- Payment
- not needed
What Amap is for
Amap (高德地图, Gaode) is China’s main navigation app. It shows transit routes with metro exits, traffic, travel times and venue ratings.
Google Maps doesn’t open in China without a VPN, and with one it puts pins hundreds of metres off. Apple Maps on iPhone uses Amap’s data in China — a fine backup.
How to install
Download Amap
Install the app only from the official store or the developer’s website.
Install and allow location access
Without location Amap can’t route from where you are. No account is needed for search and routes.
Switch to English if offered
The AMap Global build has an English interface; in the Chinese build look for 设置 → 语言. Search is still more reliable in Chinese characters.
How to use it
Search the address in characters
Copy the Chinese name of the hotel or place and paste it into search. In Latin letters Amap often finds the wrong place or nothing.
Choose how to travel
路线 (route) → tabs: 驾车 car, 公交地铁 metro and bus, 步行 walking, 打车 taxi.
Check the metro exit
The route shows the exit letter (A, B, C…) — at big stations that saves ten minutes of wandering.
Tip
Save your hotel address in Chinese as a screenshot: you can show it to a driver or passer-by even when the internet drops.
If it won’t work
The dot jumps — turn on precise location and Wi-Fi: GPS drifts between tall buildings. Can’t find a place — ask the hotel or restaurant for the address in Chinese; it’s usually on their website or receipt.
In-depth guide on the topic
Connectivity
Which maps to use instead of Google Maps
Amap, Baidu and Apple Maps: searching, routing, the right metro exit.
Open the guideDidn’t find the guide you needed?
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