TransportOct 9, 20267 min readHelloChina

How to Use Amap in English: Navigation Guide for Foreigners

Google Maps barely works in China. How to use Amap in English: download, language settings, address search, and metro, taxi and walking directions.

Amap (Gaode Map, 高德地图) is the navigation app to install for China — Google Maps barely works there. It has a full English interface covering menus, buttons, and turn-by-turn directions, and setup takes about ten minutes. (Details checked October 2026; menu labels shift with app updates — verify in the app.)

Key facts

What: Amap (高德地图, Gaode Map) is one of China's two dominant map apps, with the most complete English translation for foreigners.
Why switch: Google Maps is slow, restricted, and outdated in mainland China; local apps have current metro lines, roads, and points of interest.
Setup time: About 10 minutes — download before you fly, switch language via profile → settings → language.
Cost: Free; no Chinese phone number needed for basic navigation, search, and route planning.
Key trick: Copy-paste the Chinese name of your destination — English search fails for hotels, restaurants, and smaller sights.
Rule of thumb: Download offline city maps and carry a power bank — a dead phone in China means no maps, no payments, and no metro QR code.

Why doesn't Google Maps work well in China?

Let's get this out of the way first, because every visitor asks. Google services are restricted in mainland China, so Google Maps loads slowly or not at all even with a VPN, and its map data for China is outdated — missing new metro lines, new roads, and most points of interest. Apple Maps works better than Google Maps, but it still lags behind local apps for transit directions and walking routes.

Amap (also called Gaode Map, 高德地图) is one of China's two dominant map apps, alongside Baidu Maps. Amap has the edge for foreigners because its English translation is more complete. It covers driving, metro, bus, walking, and cycling directions across the country, integrates ride-hailing, and shows real-time traffic. If you install one navigation app for China, make it this one.

How do I download Amap and switch it to English?

Download. Search "Amap" or "高德地图" in your phone's app store before you leave home — app stores can be awkward to use on Chinese networks, and you'll want the app ready on arrival. The app is free. You don't need a Chinese phone number to use basic navigation, though some features (like saving favorites across devices) ask you to log in.

Switch the language. Open the app, tap the profile icon (usually bottom-right, labeled 我的), then the settings gear (设置), then find 语言设置 (language settings) and choose English. The exact menu labels shift with app updates, but the path is always: profile → settings → language. If you can't find it, the trick is to look for the gear icon — that's universal.

A note on translation quality. The English interface covers menus, buttons, and directions well. That's the core of how to use Amap in English day to day — the settings change above plus the search tricks below are really all it takes. Place names are the weak spot: many appear in pinyin (romanized Chinese) or a mix of pinyin and English. "The Bund" might show as "Waitan," and a restaurant could be listed only in Chinese characters. This is normal and workable once you know the search tricks below.

How do I search in Amap when English search fails?

Searching in English works for famous landmarks — "Forbidden City," "Yu Garden," "Terracotta Warriors" usually return the right result. But for hotels, restaurants, and smaller sights, English search often fails or returns the wrong place.

The reliable method is copy-pasting the Chinese name:

Find the Chinese name of your destination — from your hotel booking confirmation, the hotel's own website, or a review site. It looks like this: 上海外滩茂悦大酒店.
Copy it, paste it into Amap's search bar, and hit search.
Amap will find the exact place. Tap it, and the detail page usually shows an English or pinyin version you can recognize next time.

Three habits that make this painless:

Screenshot everything. When your hotel emails a confirmation, screenshot the Chinese address. When a friend recommends a restaurant, ask them to send the Chinese name. Keep these in your phone's photo album for the trip.
Use the "nearby" function. If you're standing somewhere and want food, search "restaurant" or use the food category icon — results sort by distance, and you can pick by photos and ratings without typing anything.
Learn to recognize your hotel's characters. You don't need to read Chinese. Just match the shapes: compare the characters on a street sign or taxi display with your screenshot. Pattern-matching is enough.

How do I get metro, taxi, and walking directions in Amap?

This is where Amap earns its place. Tap any destination, then tap the route button, and you'll see tabs for driving, transit (metro/bus), walking, and cycling — with times and step-by-step instructions for each.

Metro and bus. Amap's transit directions are excellent: it tells you which station entrance to use, which line and direction, where to transfer, how many stops, and the fare. Times are realistic because they account for walking inside stations. In big cities this is more accurate than any English-language alternative. Our getting-around guide covers metro basics like buying tickets and rush-hour strategy.

Ride-hailing. Amap has ride-hailing built in — you can request a car without installing a separate app. It aggregates several providers and shows prices upfront. Payment goes through Alipay or WeChat Pay, so set those up before you need a car at midnight. The payments guide walks through binding a foreign card.

Walking. Walking directions are solid in city centers and include pedestrian-only shortcuts that car-based apps miss. One caution: in old-town areas with dense hutongs or alleyways, GPS accuracy drops — when the blue dot starts jumping, stop and look for landmarks instead of following the arrow blindly.

A note on real names. For trains and long-distance buses, Amap shows schedules but you can't buy tickets in it. Book rail tickets on the official 12306 platform — our 12306 guide explains passport registration step by step.

Does Amap work offline, and how do I save battery?

Download offline maps. Before a day of sightseeing — or before heading somewhere with spotty signal, like rural areas or the Great Wall — download the city's offline map: search the city name, and look for the download option on the city page. Offline maps cover navigation and search; real-time traffic and transit times need a connection.

Battery. Navigation apps drain batteries fast, and a dead phone in China means no maps, no translation, no payments, and no metro QR code. Carry a power bank every day, no exceptions. Dim your screen, and close the app (not just the screen) when you're following a simple straight route. For connectivity setup before you fly, see our staying-online guide.

What if Amap's English setting or search isn't working?

"I can't find the English setting." Update the app first — older versions had spottier translations. Then follow profile → settings (gear icon) → language.
"Search returns nothing." You're probably searching in English for a non-famous place. Get the Chinese name and paste it.
"The app wants a Chinese phone number." Basic navigation and search work without logging in. Only account features (favorites sync, reviews) need a login — skip them if you don't have a local number.
"Place names look wrong." Pinyin spellings vary (Xi'an vs Xian, Guangzhou vs Canton). If a search fails, try the pinyin without the apostrophe, or paste Chinese characters.

FAQ

Does Amap have an English version?

Yes. Amap (Gaode Map) includes a full English interface — menus, buttons, and turn-by-turn directions are all translated. Switch it in profile → settings → language settings. Place names may still appear in pinyin or Chinese characters, which is why the copy-paste search trick in this guide matters.

Is Amap better than Baidu Maps for foreigners?

For most visitors, yes. Both are excellent local map apps, but Amap's English translation is more complete and its interface is slightly easier to navigate without reading Chinese. Baidu Maps works fine too — if you already have it installed, there's no urgent reason to switch.

Can I use Amap without a Chinese phone number?

Yes, for navigation, search, and route planning — no login required. Some extras like saving favorites or using the built-in ride-hailing may prompt you to log in, which is easier with a local number but not always mandatory.

Does Amap work offline?

Partially. Download a city's offline map in advance and you'll get navigation and place search without a connection. Real-time traffic, live transit times, and ride-hailing need mobile data, so keep your eSIM or roaming active — see our staying-online guide before you fly.