Ticket to Ride Europe

1 Overview

Ticket to Ride Europe uses the same core loop as the USA map, draw cards, claim routes, complete destination tickets, with three new mechanics: tunnels, ferries, and stations. The map covers European cities from London to Moscow, with the Mediterranean to the south and Scandinavia to the north.

Europe is generally considered slightly more forgiving than the USA map due to stations giving players a safety net for difficult tickets.

2 Tunnels

Tunnel routes cross mountain terrain (marked with a tunnel symbol). When you attempt to claim a tunnel:

1. Declare your intent and show the cards you plan to play
2. Draw the top 3 cards from the draw deck and flip them face-up
3. For each card drawn that matches your declared color (or is a Locomotive), pay 1 additional card of that color from your hand
4. If you cannot pay the extra cost, your turn ends, your original cards return to your hand, the 3 drawn cards go to the discard

You can complete a tunnel for free if all 3 drawn cards match colors you're not playing (no extra cost triggered).

3 Ferries

Ferry routes cross water (marked with a ship symbol). To claim a ferry:

• Pay at least the number of Locomotives shown on the route
• Pay the remaining route length with same-color cards

Example: A 4-segment ferry requiring 1 locomotive is claimed with 1 Locomotive + 3 cards of any one color.

If you use a Locomotive for a non-ferry route, it acts as a wild card. For ferries, Locomotives are mandatory for the locomotive-required segments.

4 Stations

Each player starts with 3 station pieces. Build a station on any unoccupied city by paying cards to the bank:

• 1st station: 1 card of any one color
• 2nd station: 2 cards of the same color
• 3rd station: 3 cards of the same color

A station lets you use ONE of that city's routes (built by any player) to complete your own destination tickets. You don't use the route, you borrow it for scoring purposes only.

End-game penalty: Each unused station is worth −4 points. Building a station early that you end up not needing costs 4 points. Build stations when you genuinely need them, not preemptively.

5 Scoring

• Routes: standard length-based points (1 segment = 1 pt, 2 = 2, 3 = 4, 4 = 7, 6 = 15, 8 = 21)
• Completed destination tickets: + face value
• Failed destination tickets: − face value
• Longest continuous route: +10 points
• Unused stations: −4 points each

6 Strategy: Europe vs. USA

Plan for Tunnels Early

Tunnel attempts can fail. If a critical route in your plan goes through a tunnel, have backup cards or an alternate route in mind. Tunnel failures waste a turn and reveal your intentions.

Don't Overbuild Stations

Stations are expensive in both cards and end-game points (−4 each unused). Build them only when you're genuinely stuck, not as insurance "just in case."

Locomotives Are More Valuable in Europe

Ferries require Locomotives; tunnels reduce their cost when drawn. Locomotives are scarcer and more valuable in Europe than on the USA map. Don't spend them freely on grey routes when a ferry or tunnel may need them soon.