1 Beijing Genius Map
This app is a blessing for the directionally challenged. It functions like Google Maps with a searchable high-detail street-level map and GPS locator but, most importantly, it works offline. Perfect for those without unlimited 3G.
6.50RMB on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad
2 Explore Beijing Subway map
The best of numerous metro guides for the iPhone. Includes a street map, route planner, first and last train times, and a clear diagram showing all stations and lines, including the newly opened Line 15.
13RMB on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad
3 China Drive
If you’ve jettisoned your bike, had enough of braving the subway and decided to get your Chinese driving licence, this is a real gem of an app. It helps you prepare for the 1,300-plus questions you could be asked in the written test, including such brain-teasers as ‘What should a driver do when he needs to spit?’
Free on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad
4 Beijing Subway Guide
The only really decent English-language Beijing metro guide on the Android platform. As well as a map, this app tells you the shortest route between stations, including estimated transfer time. If your character reading is tip top, download the free Mandarin version.
8.50RMB on Android
5 Beijing Air
Thinking about stretching your legs and walking to work but worried about your lungs? This app shows the Chinese capital’s real-time air quality index, as monitored by the US
embassy in Beijing. Especially useful for those days when the pollution situation is ‘crazy-bad’.
8.50RMB on Android