Overview & preparation
Getting around: the basic options
Use metro, DiDi, taxis or buses for the main journey. A shared pedal bicycle can cover a short final leg if your account, route and return point all work.
Before you set off
- ✓Keep your destination address available in Chinese as well as English.
- ✓Expect app, ticketing and payment requirements to vary.
- ✓A metro station can have several exits; a pickup location can differ from the address you searched for.
When you need the actual next step
- ✓Use the ride or metro action guide for booking, pickup, tickets, entry and recovery.
- ✓For a shared bicycle, check a permitted destination parking point before unlocking. After locking, confirm the order has ended; a parked bike can still be charging.
- ✓Do not accept unsolicited rides from strangers. Use recognized services and official airport or station signage.
Free sample · From the complete guide
Try this part of your Guangzhou journey
Your first Guangzhou metro ride
Find the exact station
For Baiyun T2 use Airport North / 机场北. At T3, the B2 station is intercity rail, not Line 3. Airport South / 机场南 is suspended with T1. In the city, save the destination station, line and exit before traveling.
Choose a marked payment route
Tap a contactless overseas Mastercard, Visa, Amex or JCB—or UnionPay—on the gate bearing the matching logo. Use the same physical card or same device wallet on exit. Alternative: buy a single-journey ticket or use the official Guangzhou Metro/Alipay/WeChat metro QR, if activated for Guangzhou.
Check line and direction
Read the line number, current station and terminal-station name on the platform sign. A shared platform may send trains in opposite directions; ask staff with your destination if uncertain. Watch the in-train screen for the next stop.
Change lines and choose the exit
Follow Transfer / 换乘 signs without leaving the paid area unless the station directs you. At your final station, check the exit letter against the hotel or attraction's exact entrance; Guangzhou blocks and road crossings can make the wrong exit costly.
Close the journey
Tap the same card/device or scan the same metro QR on exit. If the gate does not open, use the station service counter to resolve the entry record. Do not pay a second person to open the gate.
Visual example · Find the card-enabled gate
Tap an image to enlarge the original.
About this excerpt
Selected from Take Guangzhou Metro Without an App. Guide updated October 5, 2026. App labels and local arrangements can change.
Inside the Full Guide
Included in the Full Guangzhou Guide, together with this city’s Quick Cards.
- Take Guangzhou Metro Without an App
- Use DiDi and Official Taxis in Guangzhou
- Related Quick Cards
All three journey stages
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