Country Route at a Glance
Travel from one country to another by land, one border at a time. You start in Portugal and must reach Poland: name a neighbour to move into it, then a neighbour of that, until you arrive. The shortest route scores 100 points; every extra move or hint costs some. Five maps and a daily route, free.
- Maps
- Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, World
- Daily route
- Three world routes, new every day
- Each round
- 5 routes (daily: 3)
- Lives
- 3 per route
- Points
- 100 for the shortest route
- Cost
- Free, no sign-up
How to Play Country Route
- Pick a map. You see where you start, where you are going, and how many moves the shortest route takes.
- Move by typing the name of a country that borders the one you are in, or by tapping it on the map. You can go back the way you came.
- Name a country that does not border where you are and you lose one of three lives. Lose all three and the route is shown.
- Reach the target in the fewest moves for 100 points. Each extra move costs 20, a hint (the outline of the next country on a shortest route) costs 25.
Which borders count
Only land borders, and only on the map you play. The United Kingdom and France are not neighbours: the Channel Tunnel is not a border. Island countries, from Iceland to Japan, have no land neighbours, so routes never start or end there. A few borders exist only through a small piece of a country cut off from the rest, and walking them would take you through a third country without naming it: Spain and Morocco (through Ceuta and Melilla), Russia with Poland and Lithuania (through Kaliningrad), Azerbaijan and Turkey (through Nakhchivan) and Angola and the Republic of the Congo (through Cabinda) do not count here.
Moves and points
A move is crossing one border. Portugal to Poland is four moves: Spain, France, Germany, Poland. Finish in the shortest number of moves for 100 points; each move over costs 20 points, down to 10 for any route you finish. A hint shows the outline of the next country on a shortest route from where you are, for 25 points. Every route you finish counts as a right answer on the leaderboard; your best points per map are kept on your device.
The daily route
Every day there are three new routes on the world map, the same for everyone, so you can compare with a friend or a class. They change at midnight where you are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I go back?
Yes. Moving back into a country you came from is a normal move. It costs a move, so it lowers your points, but it never costs a life.
Why is Russia not a neighbour of Poland here?
Poland and Lithuania border Kaliningrad, a part of Russia cut off from the rest of the country. Walking from Poland into Russia and on to Finland would really go through Lithuania or Belarus, so that border does not count in the game.
Why is the United Kingdom not connected to France?
They share no land border. The Channel Tunnel runs under the sea, so the UK's only land neighbour is Ireland.
How is the shortest route found?
The game searches the whole border network outward from the start, one border at a time, until it reaches the target. That gives the fewest moves, which is the par shown for each route.
Does it work for a class?
Yes. Make a class challenge from the Teachers page and every pupil gets the same routes in the same order, with one live board for the class.
Made by Kashif Sulehria in Lahore, Pakistan. Updated November 2, 2026.