Useful Chinese Phrases for Traveling
Being able to say where you want to go is a basic expression to learn in any language. If you have watched Shanghai Calling, a movie about a group of American people living in Beijing as expats, a simple action of telling a taxi driver your destination can be a tricky task (watch trailer here). In this article, you will learn Chinese online by familiarizing yourself with useful Chinese phrases for traveling so that when you travel and have to speak in Chinese, you will know what to say.
Travelling from the Airport your Hotel
Of course, you can simply show your taxi driver your hotel card with its address on it. If you want to address the taxi driver in Chinese, use the term 师傅 shīfu, and not 先生 xiānsheng which means “mister”. You may hear this question 要去哪儿？yāo qù nǎr being directed to you, which means “Where do you want to go?” Simply saying the name of the place in Chinese is sufficient. Hotel in Chinese is 酒店 jiǔdiàn. Let’s learn the names of some of the best hotels in Beijing.
| English Name | Chinese Name | Pinyin |
| Beijing Rosewood Hotel | 北京瑰丽酒店 | Běijīng Guīlì Jiǔdiàn |
| The Peninsula Beijing | 王府半岛酒店 | Wángfǔ Bàndǎo Jiǔdiàn |
| Waldorf Astoria Beijing | 北京华尔道夫酒店 | Běijīng Huáěrdàofū Jiǔdiàn |
| Four Seasons Beijing | 北京四季酒店 | Běijīng Sìjì Jiǔdiàn |
| NUO Hotel Beijing | 北京诺金酒店 | Běijīng Nuòjīn Jiǔdiàn |
| The Opposite House | 瑜舍 | Yúshè |
| Hotel Eclat | 北京怡亨酒店 | Běijīng Yíhēng Jiǔdiàn |
| Aman Summer Palace | 颐和安缦 | Yíhé Ānmàn |
| Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing | 北京王府井文华东方酒店 | Běijīng Wángfǔjǐng Wénhuá Dōngfāng Jiǔdiàn |
| PuXuan Hotel and Spa | 璞瑄酒店 | Púxuān Jiǔdiàn |
Travelling to Popular Tourist Destinations
Next, let’s learn how to say the names of popular tourist attractions in Chinese that you may want to go to.
| English Name | Chinese Name | Pinyin |
| Forbidden City | 故宫 | Gùgōng |
| The Summer Palace | 颐和园 | Yíhéyuán |
| Badaling Great Wall | 八达岭长城 | Bādálǐng Chángchéng |
| Temple of Heaven | 天坛 | Tiāntán |
| National Museum of China | 中国国家博物馆 | Zhōngguó Guójiā Bówùguǎn |
| Beihai Park | 北海公园 | Běihǎi Gōngyuán |
| Lama Temple | 雍和宫 | Yōnghégōng |
| Wangfujing | 王府井 | Wángfǔjǐng |
| Shichahai | 什刹海 | Shíchàhǎi |
| Houhai Park | 后海公园 | Hòuhǎi Gōngyuán |
Travelling to Other Places
Lastly, let’s learn how to say names of some other places in Chinese that you may need to go while travelling.
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
| airport | 机场 | jīchǎng |
| hospital | 医院 | yīyuàn |
| bank | 银行 | yínháng |
| police station | 警察局 | jǐngchájú |
| pharmacy | 药店 | yàodiàn |
| mall | 商场 | shāngchǎng |
| post office | 邮局 | yóujú |
| coffee shop | 咖啡店 | kāfēidiàn |
| bar | 酒吧 | jiǔbā |
| restaurant | 餐厅 | cāntīng |
Other than telling someone where you want to go, you may also want to ask where someplace is located. For example:
A: 请问，药店在哪儿？
A: Qǐngwèn, yàodiàn zài nǎr?
A: Excuse me, where is the pharmacy?
B: 在二楼。
B: Zài èrlóu.
B: On the second floor.
Useful directional words are listed below.
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
| front | 前面 | qiánmian |
| back | 后面 | hòumian |
| left | 左边 | zuǒbian |
| right | 右边 | yòubian |
| upstairs | 楼上 | lóushàng |
| downstairs | 楼下 | lóuxià |
| across | 对面 | duìmiàn |
| next to | 旁边 | pángbiān |