How to Play Ticket to Ride: Rules Made Simple

So you just picked up Ticket to Ride and you’re staring at that beautiful map wondering where to begin? Don’t worry—this game looks more complicated than it actually is. In my experience teaching dozens of new players, most people fully grasp the rules within their first game and are strategizing like pros by their third.

The Quick Answer: On your turn, you do one of three things—draw train cards, claim a route, or draw destination tickets. Collect matching colored cards, use them to place your trains on routes, and connect cities on your destination tickets to score points. First to use most of their trains triggers the end, and whoever has the most points wins.

Now let’s break down everything you need to know to get playing tonight.

What is Ticket to Ride?

Ticket to Ride is a route-building board game designed by Alan R. Moon and published by Days of Wonder in 2004. It won the prestigious Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) award and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide, making it one of the most successful modern board games ever created.

The premise is simple: you’re a railroad tycoon in early 20th century America, racing to connect cities across the country by claiming railway routes. The game supports 2-5 players, takes 45-60 minutes, and is suitable for ages 8 and up. If you’re looking for a great family board game, Ticket to Ride consistently tops the list.

Setting Up the Game

Before your first turn, you’ll need to set everything up correctly:

1. Unfold the board and place it where everyone can reach
2. Give each player 45 train cars in their chosen color (blue, red, green, yellow, or black), plus a matching scoring marker
3. Place scoring markers on the “1” space of the scoring track
4. Shuffle the train cards and deal 4 to each player face-down
5. Place 5 train cards face-up next to the draw pile
6. Shuffle the destination tickets separately
7. Deal 3 destination tickets to each player—everyone must keep at least 2 but may keep all 3

Pro tip: Keep the Longest Route bonus card visible near the board. This 10-point bonus goes to whoever has the longest continuous path of connected trains at game end—it’s often the deciding factor in close games.

The Three Actions You Can Take

Here’s where Ticket to Ride shines with its elegant simplicity. On your turn, you pick one of these three actions:

Action 1: Draw Train Cards

Train cards come in eight colors (matching the routes on the board) plus rainbow-colored locomotive wilds. When drawing cards:

• Draw 2 cards total from either the face-up display or the top of the deck
• If you take a face-up card, immediately replace it from the deck
• Exception: If you take a face-up locomotive (wild), that’s your only card this turn—it counts as both draws
• Drawing blindly from the deck never has restrictions, even if you draw a locomotive

One rule that catches new players: if three locomotives ever appear in the face-up display, immediately discard all five face-up cards and deal five new ones.

Action 2: Claim a Route

This is the heart of the game. To claim a route between two cities:

1. Discard train cards from your hand matching the route’s color and length
2. Place your plastic trains on every space of that route
3. Immediately score points based on route length

The scoring scale rewards longer routes heavily:

Important rules about routes:

• Gray routes can be claimed with any single color (all cards must match)
• Locomotives are wild and can replace any color
• Double routes (parallel tracks) work differently by player count: in 2-3 player games, only one can be claimed total; in 4-5 player games, both can be claimed but not by the same person
• You can never claim a route someone else already owns

Action 3: Draw Destination Tickets

Need more objectives? Draw 3 new destination tickets from the deck and keep at least 1 (you may keep 2 or all 3). These secret objectives connect two cities—if you complete the connection using your routes, you score the printed points. If you fail, you lose those points.

In my experience, drawing extra tickets is a calculated risk. Early game, it’s usually worth it if the new tickets align with routes you’re already building. Late game, only grab more if you’re confident you can finish them.

How the Game Ends and Final Scoring

The end triggers when any player has 2 or fewer trains remaining at the end of their turn. Everyone (including that player) gets one final turn, then you tally scores:

1. Route points – Already tracked during the game
2. Completed destination tickets – Add the printed value
3. Incomplete destination tickets – Subtract the printed value (this hurts!)
4. Longest Continuous Path – The player with the longest unbroken chain of trains earns 10 bonus points

Highest total wins. In case of a tie, the player who completed more destination tickets wins.

Tips for Your First Game

These practical tips will help you avoid common beginner pitfalls:

1. Keep your destination tickets secret – Don’t telegraph where you’re building
2. Prioritize longer routes – The points-per-train ratio is much better for 5 and 6-length routes
3. Watch for bottlenecks – Routes like Houston-New Orleans or Las Vegas-Los Angeles get claimed fast
4. Don’t hoard cards forever – You need to actually build routes to score
5. Pay attention to opponents’ train counts – Don’t get caught with unfinished tickets when the game ends

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Having taught this game many times, here are the errors I see most often:

• Taking too many destination tickets – Failed tickets cost you double (you lose points instead of gaining them)
• Ignoring the longest route – That 10-point bonus decides many close games
• Forgetting the locomotive rule – Taking a face-up wild costs your entire draw action
• Mixing colors on gray routes – Even though gray routes accept any color, all cards played must be the same color
• Building too slowly – If another player ends the game early, incomplete tickets will crush your score

Player Count Considerations

Ticket to Ride plays well at all counts, but the experience differs:

• 2 players: More strategic and chess-like, with less blocking
• 3 players: A nice balance of strategy and competition
• 4-5 players: Maximum tension! Routes get scarce fast, and timing becomes crucial. This is where Ticket to Ride really shines—it’s considered one of the best 5 player board games available

What’s Next After Your First Game?

Once you’ve mastered the base game, Ticket to Ride offers a whole world of expansions and standalone versions:

• Ticket to Ride: Europe – Adds tunnels, ferries, and stations for more strategic options
• Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries – Designed specifically for 2-3 players
• Map Collection expansions – Play on maps of India, Africa, UK, and more

For families with younger children (ages 6+), Ticket to Ride: First Journey simplifies the rules while keeping the fun core gameplay. It’s an excellent stepping stone before graduating to the full game.

Final Thoughts

Ticket to Ride has earned its reputation as the perfect gateway game. The rules genuinely are simple—draw cards, claim routes, complete tickets—yet the strategic depth keeps you coming back for years. The satisfying click of placing trains, the tension of racing for a crucial route, and the reveal of destination tickets at game end create memorable moments every session.

Gather your family or friends, deal out those cards, and start building. You’ll be a railroad tycoon before you know it.

Looking for more great family gaming options? Check out our guide to best board games for 10 year olds or browse our complete best family board games roundup.