How To 

How To Optimize Your Trade Routes In Civilization VI

Trade can be very important in Civilization 6, and setting up your trade routes to get the most out of them is going to help you in the long run. Trade routes can provide more to you than just gold, they can help you with culture, food, faith, just about everything you'd need.

Step 1)Explore early.
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If you are planning to set up trade with other civilizations, you are going to need to find them as soon as possible. You'll need to find their most productive cities to really get the most out of this, so if you explore everywhere early then once you start getting multiple trade routes available to you you'll have lots of options on where to send those traders.

Step 2)Keep as many trade routes running as possible.
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Every harbor and commercial district will provide you with the ability to open one more trade route. Certain wonders will also provide you with more trade routes as well. Also build enough traders to keep every trade route you can open.

Step 3)Trade with productive cities.
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Each district in a city will provide bonuses to any other city that is trading with it. If another civilization has a very productive city with a lot of districts inside of it, then have each of your individual cities set up a trade route with it to optimize how much you'll get from that civilization. This tends to be best to do with other civilizations capital cities.

Keep in mind, if you are going for a cultural or religious victory then it's best to set up trade routes with other cities that are going to provide you with either culture or faith, which comes from theater and holy site districts being in the city you are trading with.