The 100+ best ideas for your first date in Switzerland

The first date

You certainly associate a lot of feelings with it

Anticipation? Excitement? Butterflies in your stomach? Nervousness? Or perhaps also some uncertainty and pressure?

One question that will inevitably come up sooner or later is: what on earth should you do with your date? He or she has agreed to a meeting and now you are faced with the difficult task of planning the perfect date

Not that easy. After all, it should ideally serve as a basis for further meetings. And at the same time it must not be 08/15, so that it remains in your memory for a long time

To save you the sleepless nights and to break the eternally circling thoughts a little, we have created a helper for you. In this article you will find 20 ideas for your first date in Switzerland

Have fun with the planning

Enjoy a brunch

As we all know, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. And at the same time, brunch is becoming more and more popular in Switzerland. So maybe a delicious brunch would be the perfect idea for you?

It doesn't necessarily have to be an "ordinary" brunch in your favorite café around the corner. Although it certainly has its advantages if you take your date out in an environment you know.

If you're looking for something more special, there are plenty of interesting places to brunch throughout Switzerland. For example, you could have your first date on a ship, on a mountain top, in a streetcar, on a farm, in a castle or even in the zoo.

Swiss Activities Tip: At Zurich Zoo, a brunch is served every Sunday at the Kaeng Krachan Elephant Park in the Thailodge. The feast starts at 9:15 am and goes smoothly into a delicious Thai buffet at 11:30 am. Here you can get to know each other better in a relaxed vacation atmosphere.

Brunch booking on Swiss Activities:

• James Bond Brunch on the Schilthorn incl. ticket Schilthornbahn
• Brunch on Lake Constance

Attend a course

You can also approach the approach of letting love go through the stomach from a practical side. For example, take your date to a cooking class and learn how to make sushi, Spanish tapas, oriental appetizers or the perfect chocolates.

If you're more into coffee or cocktails, there are plenty of barista and cocktail classes where you can put your skills to the test

Afterwards, you'll have the opportunity to enjoy your delicious creations right away. At this point, the first nervousness should be a thing of the past and you can exchange ideas in an informal way

Take a private wine tour

If you like wine and would like to spoil your date a little, there are numerous wine regions in Switzerland at your feet. From the vineyards of the Bündner Herrschaft to the Schaffhausen Blauburgunderland and the Lavaux wine terraces on Lake Geneva.

On a private wine tour, a professional will guide you through the vines and tell you everything there is to know about wine. When you book your tour, you can mention right away that you're planning a first date. Maybe your guide will have a great idea to surprise your date with.

Swiss Activities Tip: Of course, you have the option to explore wine on your own. In Lavaux, there are endless walking trails where you can stroll through the vines of this enchanting UNESCO World Heritage Site. And along the way, there are more than enough opportunities to stop and enjoy a glass of wine.

Book wine tour on Swiss Activities:

• Wine Tours in the Bündner Herrschaft

Organizes a picnic

And on we go with food

With a picnic, you're completely free to choose whatever ambiance you want. Is there a secluded spot by a river, a small clearing in the woods, or even a beach you'd like to show your date?

Then fill your basket with delicious ingredients, a picnic blanket, napkins and whatever else you need and you're good to go. By the way, you can perfectly control how close you want to get to your date with the size of the picnic blanket.

Hike a Food Trail

As a final idea for a culinary start to your potential relationship, we suggest you take a food trail. On a food trail, you'll hike from one culinary highlight to the next.

Depending on what's on offer, you'll visit different restaurants along the way. For example, you start with an appetizer in a restaurant. Then you continue to lunch and finish the trail with a dessert in a final location.

It's up to you to decide whether you want to take a leisurely stroll along a river or head up into the mountains.

Swiss Activities Tip: Food Trails are also available by bike or e-bike. At Lake Walen, for example, you can combine breakfast, a main course and dessert with an extended e-bike tour at your own pace.

Book Food Trails on Swiss Activities:

• Culinary Tour Bündner Herrschaft by E-Bike
• Culinary Tour at Lake Walen with the E-Bike
• Culinary Hike on the Churer Höhenweg

Solves a riddle

Few things bond more than a common mission.

Want to find out if your date is a team player and how he or she handles tricky tasks? Then a joint puzzle fun is just the right thing for your first meeting.

You can organize this in many different ways. Indoors you can use an Escape Room and outdoors there are numerous Escape Games or Foxtrails.

Together you can save the world, find an insidious criminal or open the door to a magical portal. Besides, you have the opportunity to get to know each other better.

Swiss Activities Tip: With Krimispass you have the opportunity to slip into the role of a detective at selected locations in Switzerland. You can choose from six tricky cases that you solve independently. Register for free via the Krimispass website and the puzzle will land in your mailbox shortly afterwards.

Book Escape Rooms and Games on Swiss Activities:

• Escape Games in Switzerland
• Escape Rooms in Switzerland

Explore Switzerland on a panoramic train ride

Switzerland is blessed with an incredible abundance of train miles and stunning landscapes. You may not notice it sometimes when you're engrossed in your work or an exciting book on the road. But it can be very rewarding to take a look out the window while riding the train.

Why not on a first date, too?

On no other route is the view as beautiful and varied as on one of the many panoramic routes. If you want to spend a leisurely day with your date on the train, we recommend a ride on a panoramic train. You can either bring your own picnic or enjoy a meal in the on-board restaurant.

Swiss Activities Tip: On all Swiss panorama trains the GA, the Half-Fare Card and the Day Pass of the SBB are valid. So you only need to add the reservation fee on certain trains and your trip can start. Please note that these trains sometimes cover long distances. So it will completely fill your day to take a trip with the panorama train. To shorten the trip, you can also travel only a part of the route.

Swiss Activities article about panoramic trains:

• The 5 most beautiful panorama trains in Switzerland
• Glacier Express experience report

Take a carriage ride

A little more comfortable and romantic is a carriage ride. You can have an informal chat, with as much or as little distance between you as is right for you.

The beauty of carriage rides is that you can plan them all year round. In the winter, depending on snow conditions, you'll be snuggled up warm in a sleigh. In the other seasons, a "regular" carriage will take you through the countryside.

Swiss Activities Tip: Carriage rides can be perfectly combined with a culinary experience. So you can extend your carriage ride with a fondue, an extensive farmer's brunch or a cozy barbecue.

Visit the animals at the zoo

Zoos are by no means just a destination for families. Adults can also spend a nice, interesting and eventful day here

For your first date, a visit to the zoo is suitable because you are always distracted. This way you can easily enjoy the grimaces of the monkeys and don't give the awkward silence a chance to disturb your date.

And if your conversations suddenly become very animated and interesting, you retreat to a comfortable bench. Or take a break in the restaurant and get to know each other better surrounded by exotic animals

Swiss Activities Tip: Have you ever been to a penguin parade? If you plan your zoo visit in winter, you should definitely not miss this cute performance. In Zurich and Basel zoos, a penguin parade takes place every day between November and February when the thermometer drops below 10 degrees.

Video Penguin Parade Zurich Zoo

Explore the city in a Tuk Tuk

The sleek tuk tuks are not only found in Asia. In more and more European cities they are on the rise and offer an ideal opportunity to get to know a city better. Like the carriage ride, tuk tuk excursions can be combined with a delicious meal.

So if you want to take your date out for a special experience, a leisurely spin is perfect. You can chug through the streets for about an hour and talk casually. If you combine it with a fondue or a burger and wine, the whole thing will take a little longer.

Swiss Activities Tip: You can also drive a tuk tuk yourself. All you need is a category B driver's license and a short instruction. So if you want to make the route with your date yourself, this is the perfect opportunity.

Booking e-tuk tuk rides on Swiss Activities:

• E-Tuk Tuk Tour in Zurich
• E-Tuk Tuk with fondue and wine in Zurich
• E-Tuk Tuk with burger, side dishes and wine in Zurich

Watch the stars

What could be more romantic than gazing at the stars together and losing yourself in the vastness of the universe? You'll have the chance to show off your knowledge of constellations

You can either visit an observatory or the planetarium at the Museum of Transport in Lucerne. Or you can grab a comfortable blanket and walk up a hill to look for shooting stars. It's best to find a comfortable spot as far away from disturbing light sources as possible.

Swiss Activities Tip: Stars are history. If you want to impress your date, try this. Find out how many light years away from Earth a particular star is, and then calculate back to what happened to us at that time. So, from a star 106 light years away, you could look down on Earth and observe World War I. Or from a star 4500 light years away you would see the building of the pyramids. Can you find the star from which you could see the dinosaurs?

Book admission to Planetarium Lucerne on Swiss Activities:

• Admission to the Planetarium at the Museum of Transport Lucerne

Go out into nature

Switzerland is incredibly rich in natural treasures. Mountain lakes, rivers, nature parks, blossoming orchards, mountain panoramas, gorges, waterfalls and much more wants to be discovered in a variety of ways. You can use this perfectly as a basis for your first date.

It doesn't matter how sporty or adventurous you are. There is something for every preference.

Take a hike to your favorite mountain lake. Enjoy a leisurely bike ride through blossoming orchards. Visit a thundering waterfall. Or try your hand at an exciting via ferrata.

Make sure you know in advance how sporty your date is. After all, you don't want to over- or under-challenge him or her on the first date, do you?

Swiss Activities Tip: In Altreu an der Aare in the canton of Solothurn you will find the largest stork colony in Switzerland. Over 40 breeding pairs spend the summer here every year. The bicycle path from Solothurn leads along the Aare and brings you to Altreu in about 30 minutes. Here the storks are already waiting for you on the roofs. By the way, the 8 km can also be covered on foot or by boat.

Matching articles on Swiss Activities:

• 53 beautiful hikes
• Waters of Switzerland - The water castle of Europe
• Nature parks of Switzerland - a journey through 19 nature experiences

Conquer a mountain peak

There are over 8000 mountain peaks in Switzerland. You're sure to find one that's perfect for your first date.

The great thing about mountain peaks is that you can incorporate them into your date in a variety of ways. Take a leisurely ride up on the mountain railroad or earn the altitude meters with your own muscle power. There is no shortage of mountain railroads and hiking trails in Switzerland.

If you plan your date in spring or autumn and the fog is spreading at lower altitudes, you'll enjoy the sun's rays on the mountain all the more.

Swiss Activities Tip: By the way, a visit to the Rigi can be ideally combined with a boat trip across Lake Lucerne. The boat takes you from Lucerne directly to Vitznau, where the Rigibahn is already waiting for you. Europe's first mountain railroad will take you to the summit.

**Book your mountain railway ticket on Swiss Activities

• mountain railway tickets Switzerland
• mountain railroads Ticino
• 20 mountain peaks in Switzerland you shouldn't miss

Visits an indoor sports hall

Sometimes the weather, despite an optimistic order of 23 degrees and sunny, does not really want. There are days when the clouds conspire against you. If your first date falls on such a day, you'll be in good hands at an indoor gym.

Take your date out bowling, playing billiards or mini golf. If your pulse may also climb into the triple digits, badminton and squash are good options. It's up to you whether you plan deeper conversations during the breaks or at the end over a drink or a meal

Swiss Activities Tip: If you want to incorporate a little more partying and less sports into your date, Disco Bowling will provide the entertainment you desire. The music and colored lights create a lively atmosphere and are simply fun.

Go out on the water

Water has an incredibly calming effect. Maybe that's exactly what you need to ease the initial nervousness a bit? Far away from the crowds, you get to know each other in peace and enjoy the quiet splashing. It doesn't matter whether you're on a pedalo, a rowboat or a SUP.

By the way, did you know that rowing boats can be rented on various mountain lakes in Switzerland? This is the ideal way to combine a trip on the water with a hike.

Swiss Activities Tip: Of course it doesn't have to be calm on a lake. If you want to go a little faster, we recommend a jetboat tour on Lake Brienz. Thereby you almost fly over the lake and pour out plenty of adrenaline. Thanks to the waterproof clothing you'll receive for the ride, you'll be able to enjoy the many splashes of water to the fullest.

Book matching offers on Swiss Activities:

• Boat rental on Lake Brienz free of charge
• Rent a pedalo on Lake Brienz
• Rowing boat rental on Lake Brienz
• Stand Up Paddle offers in Switzerland

Take a boat trip

For an excursion on the lake or on a river, your own muscle power is not necessarily required. Numerous boat companies circulate on the Swiss lakes and are suitable for shorter or longer round trips. Depending on the region, you can combine a boat trip with a hike, a walk or even a visit to a winery.

With a little luck, or good planning, you might even catch a historic paddle steamer. These operate, for example, on Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, Lake Lucerne or Lake Geneva.

Swiss Activities Tip: A particularly beautiful route takes you from Stein am Rhein to Schaffhausen. It is said to be one of the most beautiful boat trips in Switzerland. See for yourself and visit the Rhine Falls next to Schaffhausen.

**Book your tickets on Swiss Activities

• Tickets and travel guide for boat trips in Switzerland

View the world from above while paragliding

Do you want to go for a change of perspective on your first date right away? If you're sure your date won't shy away from an adventure, a paragliding flight will make for a date with a difference.

On a tandem flight for couples, which you potentially are, you'll soar through the air with a tandem pilot each. Admittedly, at this dizzying height it will not be possible to have a lively conversation. But afterwards you'll have all the more to talk about, which should be enough for the next three dates.

Swiss Activities Tip: You can also plan a paragliding flight in winter. Then the air tends to be calmer and with the right clothes you won't even mind the cold. In Davos you even have the possibility to combine the flight with a delicious fondue. If that's not an unusual idea for a first date..

Book paragliding flights on Swiss Activities:

• Book paragliding flights in Switzerland
• Paragliding tandem flight for couples from Jakobshorn

Host a whirlwind ride

If you want to give your date some momentum right from the start, you'll be spoilt for choice all year round. In the summer, the Monstertrotti or Trotti Bikes become more and more popular in the mountain regions. You can hike or take the cable car to the starting point and then ride back down to the valley at your own pace

In winter, you can take your date on a speedy ride on a snowmobile or enjoy a downhill ride on a snowbike. Or maybe you prefer a visit to the go-kart track?

Whatever you choose, combined with a delicious meal or a relaxing drink, you're sure to impress with this date.

Book matching offers on Swiss Activities:

• Monster Scooter Riding in Switzerland
• Snowmobiling offers in Switzerland

Go out in the snow

It doesn't have to be spring for spring fever.

In winter, there are endless things you can do outside in the snow with your date. Depending on how long it may take or how strenuous it may be, you have several options.

Take your date out sledding or, even better, go night sledding together. Or rent a pair of skates and venture to the ice rink. Maybe you will automatically get closer to each other for reasons of balance.

Depending on the temperature, certain mountain lakes freeze completely in winter and are opened for ice skating. Some lakes that are always suitable for this are the Oeschinensee, the Schwarzsee, the Köntalersee, the Hinterstockensee or also the Lac de Joux. Just to name a few examples.

Swiss Activities Tip: In winter, outdoor activities can be ideally combined with a fondue. We have put together some great offers in our article Fondue -13 unusual places that might interest you.

Matching articles on Swiss Activities:

• The ultimate sledding guide for Switzerland
• The ultimate night sledding guide for Switzerland

Jumps out of the helicopter

We can't resist one extreme idea for the conclusion.

If you have a lot of action in mind for your first date, a tandem skydive from a helicopter (or airplane) is unbeatable. Again, be sure to clarify how adrenaline-savvy your date is to avoid any nasty surprises. But falling from the sky together will be something you won't forget for the rest of your lives.

Swiss Activities Tip: Did you know that skydiving is statistically a very safe sport? This is not least due to the extremely careful and experienced Jump Masters. Some of our partners have tandem jumpers with an experience of more than 10'000 jumps.

Booking a skydive on Swiss Activities:

• The 5 most spectacular skydives in Switzerland
• Skydive Interlaken - why you can't miss it

With these tips for your first date in Switzerland nothing can go wrong. We hope you could find something suitable for you and your companion. Have fun planning and of course good luck on your date!