Ticket to Ride is a cross-country train adventure in which players collect and play matching train cards to claim railway routes connecting cities throughout North America. The longer the routes, the more points they earn.
Additional points are awarded to those who can fulfill their Destination Tickets by connected two distant cities, and to the player who builds the longest continuous railway.
Object of the Game
Goal: Score the highest amount of total points
Points may be scored by:
Claiming a route between 2 cities on the map
Successful completion of a continuous route between 2 cities on your Destination Ticket
Completing the longest continuous path of routes
Points are deducted if you fail to complete the route on your Destination Ticket
There is an appointed time for everything;
And there is a time for every event under Heaven,
...a time to laugh
- Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 4
Game Features
Basic information for this game is provided here to be used as a guide and may differ from the game box recommendations. These ratings are based on averages from thousands of players in the gaming community.
The Complexity rating is comprised of a combination of attributes related to game-play difficulty and game rule understanding. The scale ranges from 1 to 5, with 1 = easy and 5 = difficult.
A solitaire option to challenge experienced players is available for Ticket to Ride. See Tactical Tips below for more information.
Players
1 - 5; Best = 4
Time
30 - 60 minutes
Age
8+
Complexity
1.88
Game Play
Card Drafting, Hand Management, Route & Network Building and Set Collection
Category
A family game incorporating trains, travel and geography
Bible
Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 4 There is an appointed time for everything...a time to laugh
Education
US Geography, European Geography, Early 20th century dependance on train transportation.
Ticket to Ride Overview
An 2:02 overview video
How to Play
A 9:52 instructional video explaining BOTH Ticket to Ride and Ticket to Ride Europe
Strategy
Remember these basic Ticket to Ride strategies:
- Destination Tickets: Shorter distances between cities are better
- Blocking: Friendly games may transform into vicious brawls if you're not careful!
- Route Building: Create an East-West connection early
- Card Draws: Choice of face-down vs. face-up cards
Read more suggested strategies regarding Ticket to Ride here*.
*Downloading files requires registration for your own FREE account on Board Game Geek. To view content, no registration is required.
Solitaire Play
Ticket to Ride and Ticket to Ride Europe have a SoloPlay variant developed with rules and guidelines found here*.
These rules and game-play are designed to challenge experienced Ticket to Ride players with the goal of beating the game design, not necessarily scoring the highest number of points. As a by-product of using the SoloPlay rules, your multi-player game should improve as you hone your strategic thinking skills. Using this SoloPlay option, try different strategies and explore alternate play preferences!
Expansions & Extras
You can even play Ticket to Ride Middle Earth - visit here to download the necessary files*! Gameboard, destination tickets and character cards are included.
The Ticket to Ride family of games includes the many expansions and variants. Click here to see the latest list of available options!
*Downloading files requires registration for your own FREE account on Board Game Geek. To view content, no registration is required.
