25 Epic Travel-Themed Board Games You’ll Love

By Lara
Last update:
Ticket to ride board game

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Have you ever dreamed of exploring the farthest reaches of the globe, but found yourself tethered to your living room couch? Well, fret no more, because we’ve got the perfect solution to satisfy your wanderlust and gaming cravings all in one go. Get ready to embark on a thrilling journey without leaving the comfort of your home, as we unveil our top pick of 25 travel-themed board games!

Forget about expensive flights, cramped hotel rooms, and questionable airplane food. With these travel board games, you can have it all – the excitement, the exploration, and the convenience of never having to put on pants (alright, maybe you should put those on when you’re playing with friends).

Get ready, for your armchair adventurers, as we take you on a virtual escapade through our handpicked collection of 25 travel-themed board games

Are you short on time? Check out the editor’s top three travel-themed games by budget.

Save these travel board games

Don’t forget to save these travel-themed board games to Pinterest!

25 Unique travel-themed board games

Travel-themed board games for large budgets


#1 Trekking the World

Travel-themed board game called 'Trekking the world'
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 2-5
  • Age: 10+
  • Playtime: 30-60 minutes
  • Best for: all travel lovers

Trekking the world is one of the best travel-themed board games for all travel lovers. First of all, because it’s a beautiful board. It consists of a map of the world with some of the major tourist highlights.

The aim of the game is to score the most points by visiting popular destinations and collecting souvenirs.

Everything is related to travel in this game.

Players start out at airports, scores are kept on suitcase sheets, and the tour cards also provide factual information about the destinations. So besides playing a fun game, you can also learn something new about the world in this game.


#2 Carcassonne

A travel board game called 'Carcassonne game'
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 2-5
  • Age: 7+
  • Playtime: 45 minutes
  • Best for: Travelers who love France

Carcassonne is based on the beautiful fortified and world heritage-listed city of Carcassonne, France. Making it one of the best travel-themed board games for people who love France. But also for people who don’t love France.

I don’t consider myself a Francophile, but I absolutely love Carcassonne (the game, I’ve never been to the city).

The aim of the game is to collect as many points by placing tiles, building, and claiming features, such as fields and cities.

Technically, Carcasonne is not a board game, because it doesn’t come with a board. But because it’s a tile placing game, you create your own board. And the board looks different at the end of each game.


#3 Viticulture essential edition

travel-themed board game 'Viticulture'
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 1-6
  • Age: 13+
  • Playtime: 45-90 minutes
  • Best for: People who love wine and Italy

Viticulture is set in pre-modern Tuscany. Each player has a vineyard and the aim of the game is to build a successful winery.


#4 History of the world

'History of the world' board game box
Photo courtesy of Amazon

History of the world comes with a beautifully detailed world map board. As the name already suggests, the game takes players through the history of the world as they are trying to expand their empires. The player with the most points by the end of history wins.

It’s a great game for people who love history and for people who love board games that take hours. Because one game of History of the world may take up to 3 hours to finish.


#5 Concordia

Board game about travel 'Concordia set'
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 2-5
  • Age: 12+
  • Playtime: 90 minutes
  • Best for: People who love Greece, Italy, and other Mediterranean countries

Concordia is a deck-building strategy game with quite a few different expansions to make the game even more exciting.

It comes with a beautiful two-sided board with decorated maps of Italy and the Mediterranean. Which side you’ll play on depends on the number of players.

Each player represents a roman empire that tries to conquer the world, build houses, provide food, and ultimately win the favor of the gods. The player with the most victory points wins the game.

Some of the expansions include:


#6 Imperial settlers

Travel board game 'Imperial Settlers'
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 1-4
  • Age: 10+
  • Playtime: 45-90 minutes
  • Best for: People who love ancient civilizations and history

Imperial settlers is another one of the great travel board games for people who love ancient civilizations.

Each player represents one of the four great empires (Roman, Japanese, Barbarian, or Egyptian) and tries to build a strong society.

The game is played in five rounds, and the player with the most points wins the game.


#7 Castles of Burgundy

Castles of Burgundy board game for travel lovers
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 2-4
  • Age: 12+
  • Playtime: 30-90 minutes
  • Best for: people who love France

This is another one of the great travel-themed board games for people who love France. Each player represents a French aristocratic family and needs to earn victory points in order to win the game. They can earn points by building castles, trading, exploiting mines, and gathering knowledge.


#8 Caper Europe

Caper Europe board game box
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 2
  • Age: 10+
  • Playtime: 25-35 minutes
  • Best for: People who love Europe

Caper is one of the few travel-themed board games that you can only play with 2 players. But that doesn’t make it any less fun!

It’s a game where players have to create the best criminal strategy in Europe. The aim is to gain the most points by getting control of certain locations in Europe, collecting stolen goods, and equipping your thieves with the best gear.

The thrill of playing the bad guy and becoming a criminal mastermind is what makes this such a fun game.


#9 Twilight struggle

Twilight Struggle board game about The Cold War
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 2
  • Age: 13+
  • Playtime: 2-3 hours
  • Best for: People who love history

Twilight struggle is a board game about the cold war between the US and USSR. It’s a strategy board game where players need to gain control over other countries in the world.

There are a few different ways to win or instantly lose the game. This means that players have to pay attention to various aspects of the game.

It’s a strategy game that requires quite a lot of thinking. But it’s great for people who are fascinated by history and by political decision-making.


#10 Brass

travel-inspired board game called 'Brass Lancashire"
Photo courtesy of Amazon

Brass is one of the best travel-themed board games for people who love England. There are two different editions, Birmingham and Lancashire, but the idea of the two is the same.

It is set in the industrial revolution and the aim of the game is to gain the most victory points. Each player represents an entrepreneur who needs to flourish during the industrial revolution.


#11 Railways of the world

Railways of the world board game box
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 2-6
  • Age: 13+
  • Playtime: Over 2 hours
  • Best for: People who love the US and Mexico

Railways of the World is another strategy travel-themed game where players need to build railways in order to collect points.

It’s actually quite comparable to Ticket to ride (#18). But with its own set of rules and different boards of course. The standard game comes with a two-sided board. The map of the US on one side, and the map of Mexico on the other, if you’re playing with two players.

It’s an awesome idea for people who love trains and train travel!


#12 Vikings: invasion of England

board game called 'Vikings'
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 2-4
  • Age: 12+
  • Playtime: 1-2 hours
  • Best for: People who love the Vikings, England, and history

Vikings is another one of the great travel-themed board games for people who love England and history. The board consists of the map of England, and the aim of the game is to either defend or defeat England (depending on which team you’re in).

It’s a fun and beautifully made strategy game and perfect for people who enjoy war games.


#13 Ancient civilizations of the inner sea

Box of a travel-themed boad game called 'Ancient civilizations of the inner sea'
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 1-6
  • Age: 14+
  • Playtime: 2-5 hours
  • Best for: People who love Mediterranean and North African countries

Ancient civilizations of the inner sea is one of the few travel-themed games that you can also play solo.

The aim of the game is to build or conquer as many ancient civilizations, from famous places such as Troy, Egypt, Mycenae, and Rome.

It comes with a beautiful board that covers the Mediterranean.


#14 Istanbul

Istanbul board game about travel
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 2-5
  • Age: 14+
  • Playtime: 40-80 minutes
  • Best for: People who love Turkey

The game is set in the Istanbul markets and the aim is to make money as a merchant. The game is set up in tiles, instead of a board. But since the tiles kind of make the playground, I still consider it one of the great travel-themed board games.


#15 Santorini

Santorini board game box
Photo courtesy of Amazon

Santorini is one of the best travel board games for people who love Santorini or New York if you buy the NYC version.

The aim of the game is to build a three-story building on the beautiful island of Santorini. It comes with actual small white and blue building blocks, so by the end of the game, the board resembles Santorini.


#16 Orléans

Orléans board game box
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 2-4
  • Age: 12+
  • Playtime: 90-120 minutes
  • Best for: People who love France

Orléans is another one of the best travel-themed board games for people who love France. The game is set in medieval Orléans (in France, not New Orleans in Louisiana).

It’s a strategy game where players need to gain economic growth by finding the right followers, such as knights, farmers, scientists, etc.


#17 Alhambra

Alhambra strategy tile game box
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 2-6
  • Age: 8+
  • Playtime: 45-60 minutes
  • Best for: People who love Spain

The game is set in 1278 in Granada, Spain. The Alhambra of Granada will be built and each player needs to collect buildings to gain points.


Travel-themed board games for mid budgets


#18 Ticket to ride

Ticket to ride travel board game about railways
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 2-5
  • Age: 8+
  • Playtime: 30-60 minutes
  • Best for: any traveler and people who love trains

I’ve said this a few times before, and I will keep repeating it until I have a new favorite board game.

But Ticket to Ride is one of my absolute favorite board games about travel. And that says a lot because I love board games.

The aim of the game is to collect the most points by building railway connections between cities.

It’s relatively easy to learn and explain, and what I love the most about Ticket to Ride is the various editions they have.

These are some of the different Ticket to Ride variations, but there are more.

The aim of the game is still the same, but the board and the cities between which to build railways will differ.

So depending on which part of the world you love the most, you can find a Ticket to Ride edition for it.


#19 Passport to Culture

Box of 'Passport to culture' a board game about travel
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 2-6
  • Age: 10+
  • Playtime: 60 minutes
  • Best for: Any traveler

Passport to Culture is one of the best travel board games for any type of traveler.

The aim of the game is to collect as many stamps as possible by traveling around the world. A goal many travelers can relate to.


#20 Seven wonders

7 wonders board game box
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 3-7
  • Age: 10+
  • Playtime: 30 minutes
  • Best for: people who love ancient cities

Seven Wonders is a strategy game where each player represents one of the 7 ancient cities. Over the course of three ages (or rounds), players need to find a way for their ancient city to survive the next age.

After the third round, the player with the most points (measured by cards and military conflicts) wins.


#21 Monopoly (country-specific editions)

Puerto Rico-opoly board game
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 2-7
  • Age: 7+
  • Playtime: 20-180 minutes
  • Best for: Any type of traveler

I’ll be honest here. I do not like Monopoly (I actually hate it). Yet, I still think it’s one of the best travel board games. Mostly because you can find Monopoly for literally any country. This makes it a great game to play for travelers who miss traveling.


#22 The world game

Box of 'The world game' a game about travel
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 2-5
  • Age: 8+
  • Playtime: 20-60 minutes
  • Best for: all travelers who love trivia and travel facts

The World Game is a geography trivia board game about travel, where players have to compete with each other by using the facts of their country card against others.

For example, by saying that your country has more neighboring countries than theirs or a larger population. The country with the highest numbers wins.

It includes a beautiful board of the world map with numbers that correspond with the cards, so you can also practice your geography skills.


#23 Bristol 1350

Bristol 1350 board game
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 1-9
  • Age: 13+
  • Playtime: 20-40 minutes
  • Best for: People who love the UK and history

Bristol 1350 is a relatively quick strategy game (especially considering the fact that some of the games on this list take up to 4 hours to complete!).

The game is set in Bristol in 1350 (who would have guessed that). And the black death is spreading around the city. Each player has to try and escape the city in order to survive and win the game.


#24 Lisboa

Lisboa game box
Photo courtesy of Amazon

  • Players: 1-4
  • Age: 12+
  • Playtime: 1-2 hours
  • Best for: People who love Portugal

Lisboa is set in Lisbon after the earthquake of 1755.

The aim is to rebuild Lisbon and collect the most point by the last round. The board covers the map of Lisbon, which is why this is one of the great travel-themed board games for people who love Portugal and Lisbon.


#25 Welcome to

Box of the travel board game called 'Welcome to'
Photo courtesy of Amazon

Welcome To is set in The United States in the 1950s. Each player tries to build the best new town in the country.

Technically it’s not a board game, because you use a score sheet and cards. But because the sheets are practically the board you play on, I still included it as one of the great travel board games.


Save these travel board games

Did you save these travel board games to Pinterest yet?

25 travel-themed board games

Final note on the travel-themed board games

If you’ve made it all the way to the bottom of the list, I’m assuming you haven’t decided which travel board games you should buy. If that’s the case, check out our top-picks!

AUTHOR

Hi, I’m Lara, a 29-year-old travel-lover (but who’s not these days?). I love reading, puzzling, world-heritage sites, researching, and making lists, which comes in quite handy when you’re making lists of travel gift ideas!

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