Connect cities with coloured trains to complete routes and score points — longer routes score more, but rivals racing for the same cities can force you into a detour. That’s the heart of both Ticket to Ride (the original, North America) and Ticket to Ride: Europe, and it’s why so many people search for rules to either one. They share a core engine but play differently enough that we cover them both here, in full, on one page.
Jump to the rules for the game you own:
Also on our list: Best Board Games for Beginners · Every Ticket to Ride Version Ranked · Ticket to Ride vs Ticket to Ride Europe
Ticket to Ride (Original)
The original game everything else in the series is built on. Players race to connect cities across a map of North America, and the game is a shade simpler than Europe — no stations, no tunnels, no ferries, just cards, routes and a fight over who gets the good double-routes.
Note: This guide covers the core rules to get you started — not every edge case. Grab the official rules PDF from the publisher for full detail.
The Objective
Score the most points by claiming routes between cities, completing the Destination Tickets you keep, and — if you can manage it — building the single longest continuous path of trains on the board. Any Destination Ticket you fail to complete by the end of the game subtracts its value from your score instead of adding it.
Setup
On Your Turn — Choose 1 Action
Action 1
Draw Train Car Cards
Take 2 cards from the face-up display or the draw pile (your choice, mix and match). If you take a face-up Locomotive (wild card), that counts as both draws — you get only 1 card total that turn.
Action 2
Claim a Route
Play a set of matching Train Car cards equal to the number of spaces between two cities, then place your trains on it. The route is yours — no one else can use it.
Action 3
Draw Destination Tickets
Draw 3 new Destination Ticket cards and keep at least 1. Whatever you keep and don't finish costs you points at game end.
Double-Routes
Some cities are connected by two parallel routes side by side. In a 4 or 5 player game, both are open and two different players can each claim one. In a 2 or 3 player game, only one of the two can ever be used — once someone claims either route, the other is closed for the rest of the game.
Scoring
During the game — score points immediately when you claim a route, based on its length:
| Route Length | Points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 4 |
| 4 | 7 |
| 5 | 10 |
| 6 | 15 |
End of game bonuses:
- Completed Destination Tickets: +card value
- Uncompleted Destination Tickets: −card value
- Longest continuous path of trains: +10 points (ties both score the bonus)
End of Game
When any player has 2 or fewer trains left at the end of their turn, every other player — including that player — gets one final turn. Then reveal Destination Tickets and total all points. Highest score wins; ties go to whoever completed the most Destination Tickets, then whoever holds the Longest Path bonus.
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Ticket to Ride: Europe
Connect cities across Europe with coloured trains to complete routes and score points. Longer routes are worth more points. But watch out — rivals may be racing for the same cities, forcing you to find alternate paths. Europe adds train stations, tunnels and ferries on top of the original’s core rules — see how those differ from the original game above.
Full thoughts here: Ticket to Ride: Europe – Review · Buying your first box? Ticket to Ride vs Ticket to Ride Europe · Every Ticket to Ride Version Ranked
Note: This guide covers the core rules to get you started — not every edge case. For the full detail, grab the official rules PDF — we link the publisher’s own rulebook alongside a complete rules summary.
The Objective
Connect two cities on a Destination Route card using a chain of coloured train segments on the board. Completing routes earns points. Failing to complete a route by the end of the game costs you points equal to its value.
Setup
On Your Turn — Choose 1 Action
Action 1
Draw Train Car Cards
Take 2 cards from the face-up display or draw pile (your choice). If you take a face-up Locomotive (wild card), that counts as both draws — you get only 1 card total.
Action 2
Claim a Route
Play matching Train Car cards equal to the number of spaces between two cities. The route is now yours — no one else can use it.
Action 3
Draw Route Cards
Draw 3 Destination Route cards and keep at least 1. Uncompleted routes count as negative points at game end.
Action 4
Place a Train Station
Costs Train Car cards (1 card for your 1st station, 2 for your 2nd, 3 for your 3rd). A station lets you use one of another player's routes to complete your own destination.
Special Route Types
| Route Type | Rule |
|---|---|
| Grey | Use any single colour — all cards played must match each other |
| Ferry | Requires at least 1 (sometimes more) Locomotive card to complete |
| Underground (Tunnel) | After playing your cards, flip 3 from the draw pile — if any match your colour (including Locomotives), you must play extra cards or abandon the route |
Scoring
During the game — when you claim a route, score points immediately based on length:
| Route Length | Points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 4 |
| 4 | 7 |
| 6 | 15 |
| 8 | 21 |
End of game bonuses:
- Completed Destination Route cards: +card value
- Uncompleted Destination Route cards: −card value
- Longest continuous train: +10 points (train stations don’t count toward this)
- Each unused train station remaining: +4 points
End of Game
When any player has 2 or fewer trains left, finish the current round so everyone gets one more turn. Then total all points.
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Thumbnail image artificially generated for illustrative purposes.
