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First dates

First date ideas that are actually good

First date ideas that make conversation easy — the rules of a good first date, ideas by type (drinks, walks, markets, activities, rainy day, cheap), what to avoid, and first-date spots in London, Berlin, New York, Prague, Vienna and Amsterdam.

Updated

A good first date isn't the most impressive one. It's the one where you can actually talk, where either of you can leave after an hour without it being awkward, and where — if it's going well — you can easily keep going.

The five rules

  1. Drinks or coffee, not dinner. One drink is 45 minutes; dinner is two hours you can't easily cut short.
  2. Pick somewhere with a "next step" nearby — a park, a second bar, a river walk.
  3. Make sure you can hear each other. If you'd need to shout at 7pm on a Friday, choose somewhere else.
  4. Weeknights are underrated — calmer, cheaper, less pressure.
  5. Invite specifically. "Thursday at 7 at that wine bar by the river?" works far better than "drinks sometime?"

Ideas by type

Classic and easy: a wine bar · a historic café · a cocktail bar with booths · a beer garden in summer · a rooftop bar on a weeknight.

Walk and talk: a viewpoint walk ending at a bar · a river or canal path · a big city park on a sunny afternoon · a botanical garden · a cemetery with famous graves (genuinely good for conversation).

Daytime: a Saturday farmers' market · a flea market · coffee and a bookshop · a free museum late opening · a street-food market.

Active: bouldering with a bar · a board-game café · a dance taster class · mini golf or bowling · a social run followed by brunch.

Rainy day: a museum · a game café · a cosy café with a long menu · a pottery or cocktail class.

Cheap: a walk with a view · a market · a museum's free evening · a picnic in summer.

What to avoid on a first date

  • Cinema — two hours of silence.
  • Long tasting menus — expensive and impossible to leave early.
  • Loud clubs — you'll learn nothing about each other.
  • Anywhere near your home — keep it neutral. See first-date safety.

First-date spots by city

Each city guide lists long-running places locals actually use:

  • London — Gordon's Wine Bar, Tate Modern on Friday nights, Columbia Road on Sunday. Guide →
  • Berlin — Prater Garten, Café am Neuen See, Street Food Thursday at Markthalle Neun. Guide →
  • New York — Bemelmans Bar, the Met on Friday nights, the High Line. Guide →
  • Prague — Café Louvre, Vinograf, the Letná beer garden. Guide →
  • Vienna — Café Sperl, the Schweizerhaus, a Prater walk. Guide →
  • Amsterdam — Brouwerij 't IJ, Vondelpark, Noordermarkt. Guide →

If it's going well

Have a second place in mind. "There's a nice spot round the corner — one more?" is the most natural way to turn a 45-minute drink into an evening. If it's not going well, "Really nice to meet you — I'm going to head off" is enough. No excuse needed.

Quick answers

What is a good first date?

Something short, public, cheap and easy to extend — a drink at a wine bar or café with a park nearby. Avoid dinner and cinema on a first date; one is too long to leave politely and the other means two hours of not talking.

What is a good cheap first date?

A walk with a destination (a viewpoint, then a drink), a farmers' market on a Saturday morning, a free museum late opening, or a beer garden in summer.

What's a good rainy-day first date?

A historic café, a wine bar, a board-game café, a bouldering gym with a bar, or a museum.

Who should pay on a first date?

Splitting is common in most European cities, especially among younger people. A simple approach is for whoever invited to get the first round, or to offer to split.

More guides

  1. City guidesCity guides — where to meet people and where to go on a first datePractical city guides for meeting people offline — run clubs, language exchanges, dance socials, speed dating, first-date spots and local safety numbers for London, Berlin, New York, Prague, Vienna and Amsterdam.
  2. The main guideHow to meet people offline — a practical guide for adultsHow to meet people in real life as an adult — why recurring activities work, the best places to meet people (run clubs, classes, language exchanges, volunteering), how to turn acquaintances into friends or dates, and what the research says about loneliness.
  3. SkillsHow to start a conversation with someone you like in real lifeA practical, respectful guide to starting a conversation with a stranger offline — where it works, what to actually say, how to read interest, and how to exit gracefully.
  4. SafetyFirst date safety — a practical checklist (with emergency numbers by country)A calm, practical first-date safety checklist — checking someone out, choosing a place, sharing your location, Ask for Angela and Luisa ist hier, spotting romance scams, and emergency numbers for the UK, US, Germany, Austria, Netherlands and Czech Republic.