Date Ideas in Wageningen – Valentines Day Edition

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, love is in the air, and it’s time to remind a special someone in your life just how much you love spending time with them. Or it is a stark reminder to amp up your dating life. In either case, having a good date idea up your sleeve is never wrong.  

Unfortunately, apple picking and picnic dates are still out of the question in the winter. However, there are still plenty of things you can do during the colder months in Wageningen that are more unique than the generic ‘coffee date’.  

In my experience, having something to do during a date, especially when it’s one of the first few dates, it’s nice to have something to do to make it less, you know, intense. Here is a list of dates that I’ve gone on myself or that friends have enjoyed, ranging from inactive to more active. 

Beer Tasting at Café Rad van Wageningen 

Are you and your potential date beer enthusiasts? Café Rad van Wageningen brews its own beers, focused on making use of locally produced ingredients. They have a wide selection of beers that you and your date can try. From personal experience, I’ve seen that Café Rad van Wageningen is less student-packed than other well-known bars in Wageningen, providing you and your date with a bit more of an intimate experience.  

If you both are captivated by the brewing process, you can also opt to join one of the tours they offer every Saturday for about 18 euros per person.  

Visit a Pancake Restaurant 

The next date idea isn’t technically in Wageningen, but still quite close. Pannenkoekenhuis de Grebbeberg is a pancake restaurant located at the top of the Grebbeberg when you enter Rhenen. Here you and your date can enjoy a classic Dutch pancake, or fill it with various sweet or savoury fillings. I don’t know about you, but I am not likely to say ‘no’ to a date if it involves pancakes! 

It’s approximately 20 minutes of cycling from the centre of Wageningen, but I have to warn you, it involves cycling uphill. Another option is to take either the bus on line 350 or 45 from the centre of Wageningen.  

Enjoy a Film or Documentary at Visum Mundi 

Personally, I am not a fan of watching a film on a date, especially when you want to get to know your date. However, there will always be something exciting about sitting next to your date in the dark in the cinema, sharing popcorn. Furthermore, initiating a date to go and see a film can be quite easy for a first date, especially if you know the other person would like to see the film. Visum Mundi also regularly shows documentaries. This could be a great first date if it is on a topic you are both really interested in.  

Pair it with a drink afterwards, and you have a perfect date planned.  

Go Pooling  

This is another great idea if you want to be able to keep busy while still keeping up a conversation. As a bonus, you can also see if your date is competitive and how he or she deals with winning or losing.  

At Poolcafé Infinity in the centre of Wageningen, you can take your date pool. However, I recommend booking beforehand or going early as the café tends to fill up quickly, especially at weekends.  

Another tip on where you can go pool is at Café Daniels. This is a bar with a relaxed atmosphere that also sports a pool table.  

Test Your Knowledge at a Pub Quiz 

Curious about your date’s level of general knowledge? Every Tuesday, you can participate in a pub quiz at one of two bars, De Doctor, or at Café Daniels. It is advisable to call them in the afternoon to secure your spot.  

Visit Wageningen’s Botanical Garden 

For this, you will have to plan your date during the day and have a bit of good luck with the weather, but on a sunny winter day, this could be the perfect date. Belmonte Arboretum in Wageningen is located on the ‘Wageningense berg’(Wageningen’s mountain), and you can easily reach it by bike. The gardens are open every day and offer the perfect backdrop for a date. 

Espresso Workshop  

Coffee lover? If you know your date is a fellow caffeine junkie, following a (free) espresso workshop at Danvi in the centre of Wageningen might be a perfect date idea.  

Danvi is a coffee bar that offers espresso workshops every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10 am and 14.00. The workshop is around 2 hours. This could be the perfect bonding experience with your date, where you also learn a new skill.  

Sport lesson at the Bongerd 

For this date idea, you both have to have a subscription to the sporting facilities at the Bongerd next to campus and be eager to get active together. Invite your date to join a sports lesson you enjoy, or go try something together for the first time. There is a wide variety of sports lessons to choose from, including Aerobics, Zumba, fitness lessons, Pilates, etc. Don’t forget to enjoy a drink together after your workout in the café in the Bongerd!  

Go Swimming! 

This is also quite an active date idea, but it can be a lot of fun. This is also at the Bongerd, but for this, you do not necessarily have to have a subscription to the Bongerd or the Bongerd’s pool, as you can buy a one-day-only ticket for around 7 euros. You can actively challenge one another in the indoor pool, or go and fool around on the water slide. 

I hope you are inspired by either one of these date ideas. Personally, I think it is always more fun to experience something together. This can act as a bonding experience between the two of you and tends to stand out a bit more compared to a generic date.  

Happy dating, everyone! 

Yours,

Lidewij