You’d like to get closer to the woman of your dreams and are planning a picnic date? Cool! Maybe you’re already picturing how romantic it will be:

The two of you relax on a blanket in the park, sipping wine and shoving cheese skewers into each other’s mouths like a newly in love couple. You talk, laugh, and flirt so much that you completely lose track of time. And to top off the day, you kiss at sunset and watch the stars at night…

So all in all, a great experience full of love and passion that you can tell your grandchildren about later.

But wait, STOP!!

Is picnicking together even a good idea when dating? Can reality live up to what our fantasies promise us men?

And if so: What special rules must be observed to ensure the perfect meeting?

Is a picnic date a good idea?

Yes. Basically, as long as it’s not too hot in the summer, you find a quiet spot, and you’re well prepared. By that, I mean you need all the necessary gear, including food and drinks (see below!).

Why is a picnic on a date so awesome? There are several reasons for this:

• With such unusual dating ideas, you’ll stand out from the crowd of boring men who only go to a café or the cinema with their wives (although that can also be very cool if you do it right).
• Sitting in a park or somewhere green creates a romantic, vacation-like atmosphere. This is especially true if your date stays late into the evening, so you can watch the sunset and the stars by candlelight (keyword: candlelight picnic).
• You can munch on delicious snacks that will showcase your expertise as a top-notch chef (assuming you pick good recipes). Yet, you won’t experience the stiff atmosphere of typical candlelit dinners in restaurants, where everyone just sits awkwardly across from each other.
• If you buy your food at an inexpensive supermarket, a picnic is definitely one of the more affordable date ideas , especially compared to an expensive restaurant meal.
• It offers a super-relaxing break from the stresses of everyday life in nature, a kind of wellness for the soul. It also offers the opportunity for uninterrupted conversations and a chance to get to know each other.
• Picnics can be easily combined with other dating activities, such as a walk, a bike ride, mini golf, board games, or swimming in the lake.
• It is also possible on a Sunday date when cafes, shops and other establishments are closed.
• Basically, you can have a picnic wherever you like.
• While relaxing on the blanket, you can easily make physical contact, which is incredibly important to get closer to the lady until the kiss.

One disadvantage of romantic picnic dates, however, is the time-consuming preparation required, although this also depends on your individual needs and preferences. The question is: Do you want to dine like kings, or can you keep things simple?

Picnic on the first date: 3 reasons why it’s still too early

Are you planning a romantic picnic for your first date? You’d better put that idea out of your head, because it’s still too early for such an elaborate and relatively intimate undertaking.

1. Imagine you’re on a picnic blanket somewhere in the middle of nowhere on your first date and after just 20 minutes, you realize there’s absolutely no chemistry between you. How on earth are you going to get out of this situation so quickly ? Simply packing up your things and making up some excuse to leave is much more difficult than a traditional meeting at a café!

2. Furthermore, the woman barely knows you yet, especially if you met through online dating. Therefore, she probably doesn’t trust you enough to go on a short vacation with you into the more or less isolated countryside and spend some intimate time at a picnic.

3. On top of that, the preparation is a lot of work —especially shopping and preparing food. Since you barely know each other, you don’t know if it’s even worth it. Is it worth researching recipes for this get-together beforehand, running to the supermarket, and spending hours in the kitchen chopping, cooking, and baking? Maybe not.

For these reasons, I advise you to consider a picnic on your second date at the earliest, when you are already a bit more familiar with each other and there is a basic sympathy!

But luckily, I have plenty of other summer date ideas for you if you’re looking for an alternative for your first date.

The basics for a picnic date: What to take?

As the alpha male, it’s your job to take the lead and plan your get-together properly. But what do you need for a romantic picnic for two? It’s a valid question. Because if you forget something important while packing, you’ll be left looking stupid, and the mood will be dampened for a while!

Here’s a checklist with ideas of what you can bring for your picnic date:

• a classic picnic basket (normal bags, backpacks, pouches, etc. are also okay, but they look unromantic)
• possibly a handcart if you have a lot of luggage or have to walk long distances
• a blanket large enough for two people
• or, if necessary, a special picnic blanket with a waterproof backing if the lawn is wet
• one or two pillows for your head if you want to lie more comfortably
• a cooler bag or cooler box on warm days if you want to take cold drinks, quickly melting snacks (such as chocolate) or perishable foods with you
• Crockery and cutlery: Plate, knife, fork, spoon, drinking cup and two wine glasses / champagne glasses (all made of cardboard, wood or plastic)
• sealable plastic containers (e.g. Tupperware containers) for the various snacks
• delicious food that you have prepared at home for your meal (salad, main course and dessert, see below!)
• Mineral water and something else cool to drink that you both like (alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks)
• a disposable grill if you are in a place where it is allowed to grill with it
• if necessary, corkscrew and bottle opener
• Napkins (tissues or kitchen roll will also work in a pinch, but they don’t look as stylish)
• Wet wipes for your hands if they get very dirty from eating
• a plastic bag or garbage bag for the garbage
• Sunglasses, hat, sunscreen and mosquito repellent in summer
• LED camping lantern and flashlight for evening and night
• Power bank or even power station for recharging devices (mobile phone, lamp, cooler, speakers for music, etc.)
• Sweater or jacket if it gets cold in the evening

Important: You don’t always have to prepare a picnic as perfectly as professional campers if you don’t have much time to plan. For spontaneous dates , you can simply quickly buy some snacks and drinks at the supermarket or kiosk. Then sit down on a park bench or grassy area.

What do you need for a romantic picnic date?

What I’ve listed above are more or less must-haves that belong on virtually every picnic. If you want it to be extra romantic, I recommend the following extras:

• proper, high-quality porcelain tableware and metal cutlery
• small finger food that you can feed each other
• Beautiful plates, wooden boards and bowls for stylishly arranging food on your table – looks more appetizing than leaving everything in Tupperware containers
• Wine or sparkling wine and matching real drinking glasses (made of glass instead of plastic)
• stylish white cloth napkins like in a restaurant
• portable Bluetooth speaker for romantic music
• Games for in between – for example, cards, dice, a travel game collection or a badminton set
• If your date lasts until the evening or even into the night: tea lights and candles (in wind-protected glasses or lanterns) including a lighter
• a battery-operated outdoor LED light chain that you can wrap around a tree or hang in a bush in the evening
• a wool blanket to cuddle up with when it gets cold in the evening
• Coffee, tea or mulled wine in a thermos flask for the evening
• Star app that helps you identify the stars and constellations

When it comes to the material of glasses and dishes, you have to carefully consider:

Of course, it’s more romantic to drink from real glass wine or champagne glasses on a picnic date for two. Porcelain plates also look more upscale than cardboard or plastic.

However, glass and porcelain can easily break during transport—that would be a bad omen for your love! Broken glass doesn’t always bring good luck. Especially not if one of you injures yourself.

If you want to be on the safe side, it’s better to choose the cardboard and plastic version.

Romantic picnic spots for dates – Top 8 ideas

Think about a destination for your short trip BEFOREHAND so you don’t end up wandering around at a loss when the meeting begins! To find the most beautiful spot in nature to spread out the blanket, there are a few important things to consider:

First, don’t choose a location that’s too crowded in spring or summer. Avoid crowded parks, lakeshores, beaches, and swimming pools for your picnic date!

If a curious dog comes running up to you every few minutes, partygoers constantly walk past you, or even a soccer ball lands in your food, the romantic mood can quickly be ruined. You want to talk and get closer without being disturbed, right?

A location with sufficient shade in the summer is also advantageous, especially from trees. These also keep light rain off during sudden weather changes.

Additionally, it can’t hurt if there’s some infrastructure nearby. By this, I mean, for example:

• a bus and train stop or a parking lot so that you don’t have to walk forever with your heavy picnic basket and other luggage
• a kiosk where you can buy ice cream or cold drinks (if you don’t want to carry a cooler with you)
• public toilets, at least for the ladies (we men can hide behind a tree if necessary…)
• a mini golf course
• a trash can

Otherwise, feel free to have a picnic date for two and choose a place you like for your short break!

In my experience, good ideas for picnic spots are:

1. By the lake or riverbank

Sitting by the water during a picnic is truly romantic, and sometimes you can spot interesting ships or boats. In warm weather, you can even go swimming together—of course, only if the water permits it and it’s safe to do so.

So remember that you may need to pack your swimwear!

2. In the park or botanical garden

A classic picnic spot is the park. Almost every city has cozy meadows where you can sit in the greenery under shady trees.

However, try to find a spot that isn’t too crowded. This is often difficult in this location, as other people also come to relax in the park when the weather is nice!

An alternative for a spring date is a botanical garden, where you can admire many flowers. This definitely adds to the romance, because flowers are simply part of love.

3. On a meadow in the city

Even in the city, there are sometimes green spaces where you can sit down as a couple when the weather is nice. Try searching on Google Maps!

The advantage: Such meadows are usually easily accessible thanks to transport links and not too remote. Furthermore, there are often shops, restrooms, and other amenities in the immediate vicinity that promise a certain level of comfort.

4. At the beach or in the swimming pool

Of course, there’s hardly anything more romantic than a view of the ocean during your date—especially in the evening as the sun sets. Such an experience will remain with the woman forever. And the time spent on the beach will definitely feel like a mini-vacation.

However, a romantic picnic date on the beach should be approached with caution: In good weather, beaches are usually hopelessly overcrowded, and sand easily gets into your food. If it crunches between your teeth, it’s not particularly tasty.

In addition, there is often no shade on the beach, so you may have to carry a parasol with you or rent one for a fee.

Therefore, a date at the swimming pool is often the better alternative.

5. In the forest on the clearing

If you really want to be undisturbed in the great outdoors, you can have a picnic in a clearing in the forest. Hardly anyone will think of this particular idea, so you’ll probably be practically alone in the countryside. Just make sure the spot isn’t too remote, so the lady doesn’t get scared.

If there’s no suitable clearing, simply have a picnic on a bench on your date! Sitting on one is very comfortable, and you can even leave the blanket at home.

6. On a mountain with a viewpoint

Another great dating idea is to climb a mountain together and then sit down on a plateau or viewing platform. The sweeping view of the valley is certainly very romantic – and the mountain cheese tastes twice as good.

However, the path to this viewpoint shouldn’t be a strenuous hike that would rival Reinhold Messner’s. If you arrive at the top completely exhausted and with burning feet, the romance will literally go downhill!

7. In the car (in bad weather)

Picnics aren’t just perfect outdoors. Don’t want to sit outside on your date, get wet, and freeze your butt off? A romantic picnic in your car is a great option, especially in bad weather or during winter .

This sounds crazy at first, but it has some advantages:

Inside the vehicle, it’s comfortably warm and dry. You can play music on the car radio and don’t have to lug a heavy picnic basket (which is best kept within easy reach on the back seat).

Since you’re mobile by car, you also have the option of traveling further afield—for example, to a beautiful viewpoint in the mountains or by the sea. It’s like a mini-vacation!

8. At home in the living room

An even more unusual idea for bad weather or during winter is a romantic indoor picnic date in your living room. Spread a blanket on the floor, light a few tea lights, and enjoy the delicious food as if you were sitting outside in a park.

If that seems too silly to you in this atmosphere, you can of course eat normally at the living room table and cook or bake together beforehand.

A date at home has the advantage that you can watch movies and play board games at the same time – and it’s not far to the bedroom either 😉

Recipes: The right food for your picnic date (including drinks)

Just like with a cooking date at home, you should ask the woman beforehand what foods she particularly likes and dislikes. Maybe she’s even vegetarian or vegan? Follow her wishes regarding what she likes best!

At the same time, inquire about possible allergies and food intolerances to avoid any unpleasant surprises during your meal. If your homemade nut wedges suddenly make her breathless, the date is ruined. Your romantic picnic shouldn’t be quite so “breathtaking” after all!

Otherwise, it is not only the WHAT that is important, but also the HOW.

The golden rule: Prepare delicious finger food at home that’s in your mouth in one bite, without any mess or spillage!

Nothing’s more annoying than having to spend hours chopping and slicing while sitting uncomfortably on a blanket on the ground. Such cumbersome tasks can easily ruin the romance of your picnic date.

Food that gets your clothes, hands and face dirty is also pretty unappetizing.

To prepare the feast, you don’t have to do any elaborate cooking or baking in your kitchen at home! Here are a few good recipe ideas for food that’s mostly easy to prepare, even for us men:

Fresh baguette with spreads

A delicious snack is crusty baguette bread that’s already been sliced ​​at home. You can then spread the slices with various spreads and creams as you like during your picnic date.

Herb butter, however, is quite impractical for traveling – because it is often either hard as a rock or melts very quickly.

Good tips, however, are spreads such as tuna cream, aioli (watch out for garlic!), hummus, quark or regular cream cheese in various flavors.

Vegetable sticks and crackers for dipping

And while we’re on the subject of spreads: Another cool recipe idea for a picnic date is to make a delicious dip from quark, herbs, and spices.

Next, grab some carrots, cucumbers, and peppers and carefully cut them into vegetable sticks. If that’s almost too healthy for you, you can also pick up a pack of crackers from the supermarket.

With all these things you can then dip as much as you like.

Delicious snacks with meat

I’m guessing you don’t want to spend minutes sawing through tough chops on your picnic date. And you might not have a grill with you. So, bring bite-sized meat snacks to your get-together, perhaps even pre-cooked at home!

Good finger food ideas for a romantic meal include:

• Chicken wings with spicy marinade (from the oven or grill)
• small meatballs
• Mini schnitzel
• Honeydew melon with ham
• Nuremberg sausages
• Chicken Nuggets
• Dates or goat cheese wrapped in bacon
• small salami sausages

If your loved one is vegetarian, you can also find recipes for tofu skewers and other vegetarian treats online!

Pasta salad or potato salad

Pasta salads or potato salads, like those you’d find at typical barbecues, are perfect side dishes to accompany these meat snacks. Admittedly, they’re not a particularly unique idea, but they’re true classics with which you can hardly go wrong. You can find tons of suitable recipes online—just google them!

Homemade Maki Sushi

Looking for something a little more exotic than the aforementioned home-cooked meals? If you whip up some delicious sushi bites at home, you’re sure to impress your chosen one on your picnic date. A lovely surprise!

To make it easy to eat as finger food, you should focus on recipes for maki – sushi in which rice with fish or vegetables is rolled into a nori sheet.

There are a wide variety of filling ideas to choose from—just go with what you both like! If you choose fish, you’ll definitely need to transport the sushi in a cooler.

Preparing sushi isn’t exactly easy, so it’s best to practice ahead of time. This way, making sushi doesn’t become a “kamikaze” maneuver during your romantic picnic.

Water and other drinks

Especially in warm weather, you need to take enough water with you to drink so that you don’t dry out like two flowers in the desert.

A refreshing idea is homemade lemonade.

Otherwise, it’s best to base your choice on what you both like to drink—whether it’s cola, juice, beer, sparkling wine, white wine, or red wine. Chilled sparkling wine, champagne, and wine served in real glasses are especially romantic.

But avoid hard alcohol, even in homemade drinks! In warm weather, such booze goes to your head even faster – and your picnic date could end in a huge embarrassment.

When you stumble drunk on the picnic blanket and accidentally spill the glass filled with sticky “rum and coke” on the woman, you’ll know what I mean…

Cheese skewers with fruit and vegetables

A delicious finger food that almost everyone loves is good old cheese skewers. Preparation is extremely simple, taking only a few minutes. Ideal for complete beginners when it comes to cooking. The recipes come in two main variations:

• Diced cheese such as Gouda or Emmental with mandarins, olives and/or grapes
• Mozzarella pieces with cherry tomatoes and basil

If in doubt, ask the woman which cheese skewers she likes best!

Greek farmer’s salad

Large lettuce leaves are a bit difficult to eat on the go and also quickly become mushy in the dressing or salad oil.

That’s why I recommend a simple recipe idea for a picnic date: a Greek farmer’s salad. This salad consists mainly of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and onions, as well as olives and diced feta cheese.

The whole thing is healthy, tastes wonderfully spicy and the many small bites can be easily picked up with a fork.

Small fruit for snacking

A few sweet fruits are also a must. Small fruits like grapes, cherries, raspberries, or strawberries are ideal. But of course, you can also cut delicious apples, pears, bananas, melon, and the like into bite-sized pieces beforehand.

All of this fruit is also great for dessert, combined with yogurt or quark. Create a delicious dessert!

Sweets and salty snacks

It’s best to avoid chocolate on a romantic picnic date, especially if you don’t have a cooler bag or box with you! Even if the chocolate doesn’t melt, it will leave a mess on your face and hands. Ice cream can also melt faster than you’d like.

Good ideas for sweets to snack on are homemade muffins, small pieces of sheet cake with fruit and sprinkles, biscuits/cookies and wine gums.

You should also pack snacks like chips, pretzels, or peanuts if you get hungry for salty snacks while drinking alcoholic drinks.

Unwrap a delicious dessert for dessert

Of course, every good meal is rounded off with dessert. As a special surprise for your picnic, you could prepare a delicious dessert in two small bowls. Then, during your “dinner on the blanket,” you can suddenly conjure it out of the basket or cooler – like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

There are plenty of simple recipes for sweet treats, whether it’s pudding, mascarpone cream, quark dessert, or the more sophisticated tiramisu. Google is your best friend and partner for this, too…

Alternatively, you can bake a dry sponge cake (without chocolate coating) that you can easily eat with your hands without making a mess.

Perfect picnic date: 9 more tips and ideas

Of course, you don’t just want to enjoy delicious food and drinks, but also taste the woman’s lips. To ensure your romantic picnic goes all the way to the kiss, you should follow these dating tips and rules:

1. Combine your meeting with a walk

Since you’re heading towards nature anyway, your picnic can be easily combined with a walk.

So don’t head straight to your destination, but go for a short hike first on your date! A walk through a park, a forest, or along the lakeshore as a couple will already create a romantic atmosphere. Plus, physical activities always add a bit of variety to your date.

However, you should make sure that you are not too heavily loaded with luggage.

If you drag your picnic basket, cooler and bags around for miles like two sad pack mules, the joyful mood will quickly be ruined.

Or you can organize a handcart beforehand that you can pull comfortably.

2. Share preparations and costs fairly

Sure, you’re a courteous gentleman (hopefully). However, as a man, you shouldn’t be the one shopping for and preparing all the food, plus lugging all the equipment for the romantic picnic date.

This behavior would be very submissive and could seem like you are trying to suck up to the woman or allow yourself to be taken advantage of by her.

Therefore, the rule is that all effort and costs are shared fairly. Everyone contributes roughly half to the picnic.

In concrete terms, this means: Each of you buys some of the food and prepares delicious meals from it, preferably as a team. You should also agree on who will bring what for all the equipment, from blankets to lanterns (see checklist above!).

3. Check the weather forecast and prepare Plan B

Do you want to avoid unpleasant surprises that Peter sends down from heaven to earth?

Be sure to check the weather forecast online before planning a picnic date! If it suddenly rains and thunderstorms while you’re comfortably lying on a blanket, that would be a total disaster.

If bad weather is forecast, your romantic date doesn’t have to be canceled.

As mentioned above, a picnic can also be held indoors if necessary—in your living room or in your car. Feeling silly doing such activities? Alternatively, you could cook or bake something together at home and watch a movie, or go out to dinner at a restaurant.

Or you can choose one of my other date ideas in this blog post as a plan B to be optimally prepared!

4. The right outfit for a picnic

Remember: This isn’t a romantic candlelight dinner! Dressing too formally will not only look overdressed, but it’ll also be totally uncomfortable if you’re slumped over the blanket for several hours.

Choose a casual, leisurely outfit that looks good on your picnic date and is comfortable for sitting on the ground. Also, dress appropriately for the temperature so you don’t over-sweat or freeze.

In warm weather, for example, you can wear a plain T-shirt or polo shirt, sporty three-quarter pants (not cargo pants!) and Chucks or sneakers.

It is also advisable to pack a warm sweater for the evening hours.

5. Games that provide variety

Are you worried that your conversation topics on a date will eventually become as old as a fried sausage skin? Despite your attempts at deep talk , it’s best to add a little variety to your flirting – with fun games for two!

For example, you can unpack a travel game collection with Halma, Nine Men’s Morris, Checkers, Chess, Ludo, and more. Thanks to the magnets, the game pieces won’t fly around.

Simple card games like Mau-Mau or Uno also provide perfect entertainment for a picnic date.

To help you get up from the ceiling every now and then, I also recommend sporting activities such as throwing a Frisbee, badminton or Kubb (Viking chess).

6. Romantic picnic at night

Generally speaking, you shouldn’t schedule your date too early. Depending on the time of year, it might be a good idea to meet in the late afternoon or even early evening!

This is the only way you can offer the woman the full program so that the atmosphere during your rendezvous is at its best.

If you watch the sunset together, it is an incredibly romantic moment that the señorita will remember for a long time.

Especially at the lake or in the mountains, the setting sun is a fascinating sight on a date.

But that wasn’t all.

If you have a romantic candlelight picnic at night, you might even be able to see the stars in the sky, which is an equally spectacular experience.

However, you shouldn’t choose a location that’s too remote, so the woman won’t be afraid of the dark. Remember: The greatest enemy of romance is fear, because it destroys all positive emotions in one fell swoop!

By the way, there’s a reason a “candlelight” picnic is called that. Regardless of whether the stars are visible, you can create a romantic atmosphere with candles, tea lights, and/or a lantern.

7. Ignite love: Touch the woman until you kiss her

During the picnic, you two lovebirds sit or lie right next to each other on the blanket. This means: unlike a typical date at a café or restaurant, there’s no annoying table acting as a “barrier” between you.

That’s why it’s really easy to establish physical contact on a picnic date, so that you can later initiate the first kiss with your chosen one.

Get literally “up close” as you relax on the picnic blanket and drink your wine together!

To achieve this, I recommend gradually increasing the physical approach – in several stages:

• touch the woman briefly on the shoulder or upper arm during the conversation
• gently stroke her hair, cheek or forehead with the explanation: “ Hey, you have something hanging there, I’ll just quickly remove it !” (for example, some greenery that has fallen from a tree)
• briefly hold her hand to look at her painted nails / her ring or to play a fun round of thumb wrestling
• feed each other finger food if there is already enough familiarity
• offer to massage her as a wellness program or (in sunny weather) to apply cream to her back
• tickle her teasingly with a blade of grass if she has a playful personality and you two are already flirting heavily with each other

Throughout your date, always pay attention to her female flirting signals and see if she likes your touches!

For example, does she laugh a lot? Does she look deep into your eyes? Does she lean toward you or move closer to you on the picnic blanket? Does she reciprocate your physical contact and tease you back? These are good signs.

However, if the lady reacts cautiously or even negatively, you should definitely not pressure her! Instead, slow down and adapt to her pace if you want to truly seduce her and make her fall in love .

8. Continue your picnic date at home

But a kiss doesn’t have to be the end of love, my wild Casanova! You can also go home together and have passionate sex if everything goes smoothly. You’ll trade the picnic blanket for the mattress, so to speak.

The change of location usually happens naturally. After a few hours, you often get tired of picnicking and long for the comfortable couch in your apartment.

Or you need something important from home that the picnic basket doesn’t (or no longer) have.

There may be many good reasons why you both want to walk home together. For example, suggest to the woman:

• Put on warm clothes, snuggle up on the sofa under a wool blanket and warm yourself up with a hot tea (if you’re cold in the evening and “unfortunately” don’t have any warming equipment with you)
• watch a film or series together that you both really like
• apply ointment to nasty mosquito bites when they itch terribly
• Apply after-sun cream in case one of you gets a little sunburn
• Have something to eat and drink when your picnic supplies are used up
• shower because you are totally sweaty after the hot summer day
• and much more

You see: This quickly presents the perfect excuse to continue your romantic picnic date in the comfort of your own home! And who knows, maybe you’ll warm up together under your duvet in the bedroom later… 😉

9. Or plan your next date

If your date doesn’t continue at home, that’s fine too, of course. Respect her if she doesn’t want to! Her decision doesn’t necessarily have to have anything to do with you. Maybe she’s just tired, isn’t feeling well, or just doesn’t want to go to the apartment with a man she’s only met a few times.

However, you can already plan the next meeting during the picnic date.

Good ideas often come while you’re lying on a blanket and seeing something interesting in your surroundings. For example, if cyclists pass you by, a bike ride could be a cool suggestion for your next date.

If the lady enthusiastically says “yes,” you have an excellent chance of seeing her again!

These tips aren’t all…

Do you want to get the exact step-by-step guide – from overcoming your shyness to flirting to kissing on a date?

Then click on the video now and I’ll tell you 3 more secrets:

• “Anti-rejection technique”: how to overcome fears and approach EVERY woman!
• What you need to say (or write) to make her fall in love!
• The secret #1 kissing trick to win her over on your date!