Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the most common genitourinary tumors in China, traditionally diagnosed and monitored through cystoscopy and tissue biopsy, which are considered as the gold standard. However, the invasive nature and high cost of cystoscopy often lead to poor patient compliance, limiting its utility in routine screening. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), a promising liquid biopsy approach, offer the advantages of being non-invasive, convenient, and cost-effective, with broad applications in early cancer diagnosis, prognostic evaluation, and personalized treatment. Compared to other liquid biopsy methods, CTCs preserve intact cellular information, which holds potential clinical value for predicting prognosis and therapeutic efficacy in patients with bladder urothelial carcinoma. This review systematically summarizes the enrichment and detection techniques of CTCs, explores their clinical applications in the diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer, and discusses the future prospects and challenges of CTC technology in light of recent research advances.