First date ideas in Metro Manila

Pick a place that works for both of you

Before choosing a venue, look at where you both live. A date in BGC is lovely unless one of you is coming from Fairview at rush hour. Meet somewhere roughly in the middle, or near a train line one of you can ride: MRT-3 along EDSA, LRT-1 along Taft, or LRT-2 to the east. Avoid the evening EDSA crawl if you can, and leave room for rain from June to October.

For a walk and a story: Intramuros

The old walled city gives you something to talk about without trying. Walk the walls, visit Fort Santiago, step into San Agustin Church, and stop for coffee in a converted old house. If you both like something active, a guided bamboo-bike tour is a fun ice-breaker. Go in the late afternoon, when it is cooler, and stay for sunset over Manila Bay nearby.

For food lovers: a Binondo food crawl

Binondo is often called the oldest Chinatown in the world, and it is best explored by eating. Share dumplings, try a hopia shop, compare siopao. Sharing small plates is easier than a formal dinner, and choosing the next stop together is a conversation in itself. Go at lunch or early evening, and wear comfortable shoes.

For something quieter: the National Museum

The National Museum complex by Rizal Park has fine art, natural history and anthropology, and admission has generally been free. A museum gives you plenty to react to, and it is easy to keep the date short or let it run long. Check the museum's current opening days and booking rules before you go.

For an easy evening: BGC or Makati

Bonifacio High Street in BGC is walkable, safe and full of places to sit, so you can start with coffee and decide later whether to stay for dinner. In Makati, Ayala Triangle Gardens is a calm green space in the middle of the business district, with restaurants around its edge. For later dates, Poblacion has small bars and late-night food.

For a relaxed QC date: Maginhawa and UP Diliman

Maginhawa Street in Teachers Village is lined with small, affordable restaurants and dessert places, ideal for a laid-back merienda date. Nearby, a walk around the UP Diliman Academic Oval in the late afternoon is free, green, and busy enough to feel comfortable.

For a rainy day

• A board game café, where the game does the talking when the conversation pauses.
• A mall date: coffee, a bookshop, and a film if it is going well.
• A pottery, painting or baking class, if you both want to try something new.

Save these for later

Day trips like Tagaytay for the Taal view, or Antipolo for the Pinto Art Museum, are lovely, but they mean hours in a car together and depending on someone else to get home. Keep them for when you know each other better.