KingZub

I usually play this way – I use all my warehouses to rob all the cards from all the players(sometimes it just happens that all the warehouses are placed on cities I will pass by). And when I have those 30+ cards in my hand I will enter into “building mode”. It is not aplicapbe 100% of the games, but the logic is that if someone have 2 warehouses more that you you don’t have to spare the ones you have left in your hand – using them will not harm you.

Never I said NEVER place your warehouse on a city that is the first/last on your ticket(e.g. you have Madrid – Moscow and you place your warehouse on Moscow). You can easily block yourself and if someone else build a route you need you cannot place a station on Moscow coz of your warehouse.

There are two routes that I always try to claim first(of course when my tickets are in this area:
Kharkov-Rostov
Berlin-Wien
Those two are build with green cards and if you want to have them build them first. Especially in a 4 or 5 player game. Going through alternative routes will be way more expensive and will slow you considerably.

Counter-picking races is a good way to win. Sometimes it is better to pick not the race that will win you the most points, but the race that will stop your opponents from going berserk on the map doing what ever they want to. For example when someone picks Elves you have to take the Sorcerers, if someone picks Trolls it will be better if you take a race that can beat them up and not let them spread their lairs.. and so on. The idea is not only to maximize your points but minimize the future points of you foes.

If you have the expansion Europe:1912 try using all the ticket cards you have: both from the original game and the expansion. It will add some spice to the game. 2 players can have one and the same ticket and will have to compete more. Or you can take two tickets that are the same and score double the points(I am sorry if someone already suggested that). Also I really like the idea of using roles in the game(Builder, Baron etc.)