Ticket to Ride: Europe

Players: 2-5
Duration: 30-60 min
Difficulty: Medium
Age: 8+

Video by Days of Wonder

General Description

Ticket to Ride: Europe is a railway strategy game created by Alan R. Moon. Players compete to build the most extensive train network connecting major European cities from the early 20th century. Collect train cards, claim routes, and complete your destination tickets to win.

Game Components

  • 1 Board with the map of Europe
  • 240 plastic train cars (45 per player in 5 colors)
  • 15 train stations (3 per player in 5 colors)
  • 110 train cards:
    • 12 of each color (8 colors)
    • 14 locomotives (wildcards)
  • 46 regular destination tickets
  • 6 long destination tickets (long distance routes)
  • 5 wooden scoring markers
  • 1 European Express bonus card
  • 1 rules summary

Game Objective

Score the maximum number of points at the end of the game. Points are earned by:

  • Claiming routes between cities
  • Completing destination tickets (connecting the indicated cities)
  • Earning the European Express (longest continuous route)
  • Not using stations (4 points for each unused station)

Setup

  1. Place the board in the center of the table
  2. Each player chooses a color and takes:
    • 45 train cars
    • 3 train stations
    • 1 scoring marker (place it on “Start”)
  3. Shuffle the train cards and deal 4 to each player
  4. Place 5 train cards face-up beside the board
  5. Long destination tickets (blue background):
    • Shuffle and deal 1 to each player (mandatory to keep)
  6. Regular destination tickets:
    • Shuffle and deal 3 to each player
    • Each player must keep at least 2 (may discard 1)
  7. The youngest player goes first

How to Play

On your turn, you must perform one of these actions:

1. Draw Train Cards

  • Draw 2 cards from the 5 face-up cards or from the deck
  • If you draw a face-up locomotive, that’s the only card you can take (counts as 2)
  • Immediately replace face-up cards
  • If 3 or more locomotives appear face-up, discard all 5 and place 5 new ones

2. Claim a Route

To claim a route between two cities:

  • Play cards matching the route’s color equal to its length
  • Locomotives can substitute any color
  • Gray routes accept any color (but all must be the same)
  • Place your train cars on the route and score points immediately

Scoring by route length:

  • 1 car — 1 point
  • 2 cars — 2 points
  • 3 cars — 4 points
  • 4 cars — 7 points
  • 5 cars — 10 points
  • 6 cars — 15 points

Double routes:

  • In 2-3 player games, only one of the two routes can be used
  • In 4-5 player games, each player can claim one

3. Draw Destination Tickets

  • Draw 3 tickets from the deck
  • You must keep at least 1 (may discard up to 2)
  • Tickets are kept secret until the end

4. Build a Station

Stations allow you to use another player’s route to complete your destinations.

Building cost:

  • First station — 1 card of any color
  • Second station — 2 cards of the same color
  • Third station — 3 cards of the same color

Station rules:

  • Place the station in any city without your station
  • Allows you to use one route from another player connecting to that city
  • You can only use one route per station
  • Unused stations are worth 4 points at the end

Tunnels

Tunnels add uncertainty to the construction cost.

Identification:

  • Routes with special borders (mountain symbols) on the board

How they work:

  1. Announce which tunnel you want to build
  2. Play the cards needed for the tunnel’s length
  3. Flip the top 3 cards from the train deck
  4. For each card that matches the color played (or locomotive):
    • You must pay 1 additional card of the same color (or locomotive)
  5. If you can’t or don’t want to pay:
    • Take back all cards
    • Lose your turn (you cannot take another action)

Example:

  • You want to build a 3-car green tunnel
  • You play 3 green cards
  • Cards revealed: 1 green, 1 blue, 1 locomotive
  • You must pay 2 extra green cards (1 for green + 1 for locomotive)
  • If you don’t have them, take back everything and lose your turn

Ferries

Ferries are maritime routes that require locomotives.

Identification:

  • Routes with water waves on the board
  • Some spaces have locomotive symbols

How they work:

  • For each locomotive symbol on the route, you must play a locomotive (mandatory)
  • The remaining spaces are paid with cards of the route’s color

Example:

  • A 4-space gray ferry with 2 locomotive symbols:
    • 2 mandatory locomotives
    • 2 cards of any color (same color between them)

End of Game

The game ends when a player has 2 or fewer train cars at the end of their turn.

  • Each player (including the one who triggered the end) plays one more turn
  • Then final scoring occurs

Final Scoring

  1. Route points — already scored during the game

  2. Destination tickets:
    • Completed — add the indicated points
    • Not completed — subtract the indicated points

  3. Unused stations — +4 points for each

  4. European Express — the player with the longest continuous route wins 10 bonus points
    • In case of a tie, all tied players receive the 10 points
    • Stations do NOT count for calculating the longest route

The player with the most points wins!

Basic Strategies

  • Prioritize your long ticket: It sets your initial strategy
  • Build critical routes first: Those with only one option
  • Accumulate locomotives: Essential for ferries and useful in tunnels
  • Don’t ignore destination tickets: They’re the biggest point source

Advanced Strategies

  • Manage stations: They’re your insurance against blocking, but worth 4 points
  • Have extra cards for tunnels: The cost can increase
  • Watch the ferries: Plan which locomotives you need
  • Observe rivals: Deduce their destinations from their moves

Risk Management

  • Don’t take impossible destinations: Better to discard than lose points
  • Build stations before getting blocked: Don’t wait until the last moment
  • Control bottlenecks: 1-2 car routes are critical

Tips for Beginners

  1. Start with your long ticket: Build its backbone first
  2. Balance building and cards: Don’t hoard too many unused cards
  3. Use stations as plan B: But try not to use them to earn the 4 points
  4. Watch remaining cars: The end comes quickly
  5. Don’t forget the longest route: 10 points can decide the game

History and Fun Facts

  • Created by Alan R. Moon
  • Published by Days of Wonder in 2005
  • Standalone version of the original Ticket to Ride (America, 2004)
  • The original won the Spiel des Jahres in 2004
  • Over 8 million copies sold across the entire franchise
  • Considered one of the best modern family games
  • Europe adds mechanics that make the game more strategic