Advertisement

Dating sites to find just the right Valentine

The Local Germany
The Local Germany - [email protected]
Dating sites to find just the right Valentine
Top tip: if you've reached this point, you can probably dispense with your laptop or phone. Online dating couple photo: Shutterstock"

If you don't have a special someone to treat come February 14th, don't despair: the internet is here to help with more options than you can shake a box of chocolates at.

Advertisement

1. Tinder

Needing no introduction, Tinder has simply become a fact of life for Germany as much as in the US. Mostly used for casual hookups, although it has been known to launch relationships too.

Tinder is all business and keeps things simple. Install the app, add some photos from your Facebook profile, tell it who you're interested in, and start swiping “ja” or “nein” on profiles that pop up. If you both swipe yes, you can pull out the chat-up lines (although these are best avoided).

Best used in well-populated areas for the largest number of potential matches.

2. Parship

The best-known native German dating site, Parship has been going for 13 years. It's popular with users and has a lot of good reviews, as well as boasting a well-balanced male/female ratio.

It offers a fairly standard set of features, like personality tests to find people who would be a good match. But the big claim is that “every 11 minutes, someone falls in love through Parship”.

The site caters to gay and lesbian singles too.

3. ElitePartner

For the more discerning young professional, ElitePartner offers the promise of meeting only people who live up to your sky-high standards.

Most of the members are university graduates, and around 25 percent of profiles are rejected after being personally checked by the site's hand-picked especially-picky staff.

Why not embrace your inner snob and give it a try?

4. FriendScout24

On the other hand, if you're all about the numbers game, you could go to Germany's largest dating website.

From the people who brought you accommodation website ImmobilienScout24 – where you might just have found a flat – more than a million profiles are on offer here for you to comb through and find someone to get cosy with in that flat.

It's not quite as feature-rich or specific as some of the others we've mentioned, but sometimes quantity is a quality all its own.

5. Shopaman

This site aims to turn the dating game around and give women all the power. Only they can decide whether to start a conversation – hopefully filtering out barely-literate chancers from their inbox.

Be warned, though: sending messages and other actions on the sites are paid for with credits, which you can earn through games or buy with money. For determined serial daters, there's a monthly flat rate.

6. Sportdate

If you're looking for an athletic partner – or just one who shares your passion for working up a sweat – then Sportdate might be the place for you.

As well as the possibility of finding that special someone, the site promises increased motivation and the chance to meet new people to train with – and offers exercise suggestions and helpful information about health and fitness.

7. DatemyDog

Chances are that if you're single and have a four-legged friend, it's one of the most important relationships in your life. So why not find a partner who shares your passion for all things canine?

DatemyDog is far from Germany's biggest dating website, but it might help committed dog owners stop barking up the wrong tree.

8. PlanetRomeo

PlanetRomeo is the gay, bi, and trans dating website with the largest number of German users at around 300,000.

It started out as an amateur production built by a few friends in Berlin before growing to dominate the online dating scene. The helpful admins have kept all the most important features of the site free, so get chatting!

9. Lesarion

What started out as a site discussing lesbian literature has blossomed into the largest dating website for gay, bi and trans women in Germany.

As well as dating, members can still chat in the forums and join interest groups, meaning it can help find friends with similar interests as well as the love of your life.

10. Black-flirt

If you're a goth, metalhead, rocker, punk, darkwaver, LARPer, Viking, vampire or just about anything else that involves being pale and wearing lots of black (beard optional), Black-flirt is the place for you to find someone who shares your dark passions.

11. Meet @ The Local

Any list of dating sites wouldn't be complete without our own offering, which is aimed at you – our beloved Local readers here in Germany!

It's free to sign up and offers detailed testing to make sure that we find exactly the right person for you. Given that you're already here, we bet that you'd find that special someone.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also