In general, players collect train cards, claim routes on the map, and try to connect the cities shown on their tickets. In more detail, the game board shows a map of Europe with certain cities being connect by colored paths. Each player starts with four colored train cards in hand and two tickets; each ticket shows two cities, and you're trying to connect those two cities with a contiguous path of your trains in order to complete the ticket.

Ticket to Ride: First Journey features the same gameplay as the first Ticket to Ride: First Journey game, but with the players claiming track in Europe instead of in the United States.