Best Co-op Board Games for Couples | Ticket to Ride San Francisco | Fun, Strategy & Replayability
by Eliza
Hey friends! Today’s post is about Ticket to Ride San Francisco, a compact and fast version of the classic Ticket to Ride board game. If you love quick games that are easy to learn but still fun and competitive, this one might be for you. So, let’ start!
Ticket to Ride San Francisco (2022)
Into to the box and to the game
Ticket to Ride San Francisco is a compact, city focused version of the classic game. Instead of spanning the whole USA or Europe like the original editions, it zooms in on San Francisco, making gameplay quicker and perfect for shorter sessions. There are also other small city versions, like New York, London, and about 15 others, each offering the same fun of route building in a tight, fast-paced format.
This edition follows the same progression as the big Ticket to Ride games: draw destination tickets, claim routes, and place your plastic trams on the map. The map of 1960s San Francisco captures a fun, hippie era vibe, complete with the city’s iconic trams and streets. The box is small but stunning, with a compact board, colorful tram pieces, and destination cards. Everything fits neatly inside, making setup easy and the game perfect for casual play or a cozy game night.
How to Play
Setup Each player starts with 20 tram pieces, two transportation cards in hand, and one or two destination tickets showing locations around San Francisco. Place the board and cards where everyone can reach them, and get ready to build your routes!
On Your Turn You have a few options
- Draw transport cards, take two cards from the deck or pick from the face-up cards. You can also take an open ferry card, which counts as any color.
- Claim a route, use your cards to build a tram line along a colored route on the board. Grey routes can be claimed with matching sets of any color. Some ferry routes require specific cards.
- Draw destination tickets, take two new tickets and keep at least one.
Whenever you complete a route that connects to a landmark like the Embarcadero, or the Golden Gate Bridge, you take a souvenir token from that location.
Ending the Game The game ends when a player has only two or fewer tram pieces left. Everyone gets one final turn, including the player who triggered the end.
Scoring Count points for: claimed routes, completed destination tickets, and Souvenirs. Subtract points for any unfinished tickets. The highest score wins!
Pros
- Quick and easy to learn! Perfect for a short, fun game night.
- Beautiful artwork and compact board, very visually appealing.
- Great for 2 to 4 players without feeling too long or complicated.
- Collecting souvenirs adds a fun extra layer of strategy.
- Affordable and great value for money.
Cons
- Limited player interaction compared to bigger Ticket to Ride editions.
- Shorter routes mean the game can feel a bit fast and sometimes luck plays a bigger role.
- Only covers San Francisco, if you want a big country adventure, you’ll need another edition.
POV
Ticket to Ride San Francisco is one of the most beautiful games in my collection, both the box and the board are simply stunning! It’s my go to when I want something fun, easy, and relaxing in under an hour. Perfect for a cozy game night or anytime I want a clever, satisfying route building game without committing to a long session. A classic every board game collection should have.
Until next time, happy gaming!
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