Transport in China
Transport guides for foreign visitors in China, including airport rides, metro, taxi, DiDi, maps, and Chinese phrases for drivers.
Transport in China gets easy quickly. The first ride is the awkward one because pickup points, app messages, and Chinese addresses all matter.
Transport questions visitors actually ask
- Should I take taxi, metro, DiDi (滴滴, Didi), or hotel pickup from the airport?
- How do I use DiDi (滴滴, Didi) in China as a foreigner?
- What can I use instead of Google Maps in China?
- What Chinese phrases should I save for drivers?
Late-night rule: if the metro is closed, use the official taxi queue, confirmed hotel pickup, or a clearly marked airport night bus. Do not follow random ride offers inside the terminal.
Intercity rule: use high-speed rail for major city-to-city trips. Use long-distance buses for smaller towns, scenic areas, and places where the train station is not close to the destination.
First-arrival rule: if you are tired, offline, or carrying heavy luggage, choose reliability over saving a few dollars.
Two details that catch people out later
- How do you use the metro? Tickets, city-specific payment methods, security, direction, transfers, last trains, luggage, and failed gates.
- Can your power bank board a domestic flight? Check the CCC mark, recall status, Wh rating, carry-on rule, and airline approval before security.