25+ Free Romantic Date Ideas For You & Your Significant Other

All the different ways you can turn up the romance without draining your wallet

Co-authored by John Keegan and Glenn Carreau

Last Updated: March 24, 2023 References

Looking for a few romantic date ideas on a budget? We’ve got you covered! There’s no doubt about it: dating can get expensive. However, if you don’t have a lot of money to spare or want to cut back on your spending, you can still go on fun, fulfilling, and memorable outings with your significant other. Keep reading for a handy list of free date activities, from easy things you can do at home to exciting ways you can get out of the house and have an adventure together.

1

Host an indoor picnic.

Enjoy the benefits of a romantic picnic (without the loud park-goers). Want to have a whimsical meal with your significant other? Set up a blanket on your living room floor, grab some snacks, and cozy up from the comfort of your home! Watch a movie, read books, or just hang out and talk. If you have a bottle of wine on hand, or enough supplies to mix cocktails, add that to the mix, too.^{[1]
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- Since the goal is a totally free date, focus on making your picnic out of foods you already have in the cupboard or things you’d normally buy as part of your usual grocery shopping.

2

Have a game night.

Game nights are perfect for any couple that isn’t afraid of competition. Pull out a few board games you have around the house and play them with your partner! If you don’t personally own any board games or cards, you can play games that don’t need them, like charades, or even find online games that allow you to play for free.^{[2]
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3

Attend a free concert.

Save money by supporting local artists and checking out their free shows. Tired of only being able to afford concert tickets in the nosebleed seats? Free, local shows can be the perfect way to enjoy some quality entertainment and discover new musicians at the same time. Maybe you’ll even get to say you saw that band live before they became famous!^{[3]
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4

Volunteer together.

Use your quality time to give back and do something for the community. Volunteering can be a feel-good date idea for any couple. Pick a cause you both care about, and sign up to be volunteers together. If you’re both animal lovers, you could help clean cages at The Humane Society. If you love running marathons for charity, volunteer to work for one. The possibilities are endless!^{[4]
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5

Go on a nature hike.

Hiking is simple, free, and a great way to exercise and explore together. Plus, it’ll never feel repetitive! Just mix things up by finding new trails to explore and hiking at different times of the day. Together, you and your significant other can explore all the free hiking trails in your area.

6

Have a movie marathon.

Movie nights are fun and easy to do from the comfort of your couch. Dust off a few of your favorite DVDs for a dose of lighthearted nostalgia—or, if you prefer, watch all those movies that have been on your Netflix watchlist for years. If you don’t have a streaming service subscription and want to try something new, you can even borrow a couple of movies from your local library while planning the movie marathon.^{[5]
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7

Go on a geocaching adventure.

Geocaching is a popular treasure-hunting game played around the world. Best of all, it’s totally free to play! Simply download the Geocaching app on your phone and use it to find treasure spots in your area. Then, follow the clues provided by the app until you find the location of the treasure. When you do, swap out that box with another small treasure of your choice, and leave it for someone else to find.
- Be sure to pack when you go geocaching, especially if the cache is out on a hiking trail or somewhere more remote. Bring water, snacks, and the treasure you plan to leave there.
- Don’t forget to bring a pen to sign the logbook at each geocaching box, too.
- If you enjoy it enough, make it a recurring date activity to see how many geocaches you can find together in your area.

8

Visit an IKEA furniture store.

Even if you don’t shop, the IKEA showroom is fun to explore. The endless maze of the IKEA showroom is full of furniture in all different shapes and styles. If nothing else, you could make a plan for your dream home setup and decor—or try out all the most expensive couches, beds, and tables you may not be able to afford right now.
- The only money you might spend is on IKEA’s famous Swedish meatballs after you’re done!

9

Give each other massages.

Create an at-home spa experience for each other with massages. The cost to afford a professional masseuse is a luxury few can afford. Thankfully, you and your significant other can take matters into your own hands right at home. Set the mood by lighting some candles and dimming the lights before you take turns giving each other relaxing massages.

10

Try some free food samples.

Have fun taste-testing all the samples you can find at a food festival. Or, if there’s no festival in town, you could even hit up your local Costco (or another market that regularly offers free food samples). Save the money you’d spend on a restaurant and see which sample foods you and your date like best!^{[6]
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11

Visit a new neighborhood.

Explore part of your town and pretend to be tourists for a day. Odds are, there’s an area of your city or a nearby neighborhood that you’ve never been to before. So, hop in the car or take a bus with your date and explore! You might even find a new, beautiful park to visit or a hole-in-the-wall restaurant you’ve never heard of before.^{[7]
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12

Go to the beach.

Have some fun in the sun and do it all for free. If you live near a lake or ocean, having a beach day can be the perfect all-day activity. Find a public beach that doesn’t charge admission, and pack a cooler full of snacks and water so you won’t need to buy anything while you’re out. Plus, you certainly won’t need to pay to swim, make sandcastles, sunbathe, or take a romantic stroll along the beach!

13

Attend an open mic night.

Bars and cafes host free open mic nights for local artists. Check local listings to see when and where the next open mic night in your area is being held! Catch poets, writers, singers, and comedians performing in front of a small, intimate audience. Show your support for local artists and enjoy some free entertainment, too.^{[8]
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14

Do some people-watching.

Spend an afternoon in a public area, talking and watching people pass by. You could visit a busy shopping mall, a park, a town square, or any other public area close to you. Then, find a place to sit and watch people with your date. You could even turn it into a scavenger hunt to compete and spot different types of people as you observe the crowd.^{[9]
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- For example, maybe you need to look for a guy in a grey hoodie, or your date needs to try and spot someone with earbuds in. Get creative with your people-watching scavenger hunt!

15

Visit a museum in the evening.

Some museums host free admission nights for local residents. If you’ve been wanting to check out a nearby art museum, aquarium, or natural history museum but can’t afford the normal entry fee, try looking up free admission nights for a fun, educational date. Plus, you’ll have tons of cute photo opportunities there!^{[10]
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16

Check out a high school sports game.

Most schools allow free entrance to all their games to help fill the seats. If you and your significant other love sports and feel like watching from the stands, spend a night supporting the local sports teams in your area. Even if you don’t know which players to root for, you’ll find yourself getting into the school spirit in no time!

17

Go to a free movie screening.

Some local parks host free outdoor screenings in the summer. Check the events calendar for parks in your area, or run a search online for free movie screenings. If there’s a screening nearby, pack a simple picnic with the food from your pantry and make it a date!^{[11]
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18

Do a cooking challenge.

Create your own home version of the show Chopped with your partner. If you’re both fans of the show already, you’ll definitely recognize this game! The challenge is to make a tasty meal out of a random assortment of ingredients and see whose is better. Instead of buying new groceries to cook with, you and your partner can challenge yourselves further and use the food already in your kitchen.
- A cooking challenge is a great way to clear out your pantry and fridge a bit if either is getting cluttered. Plus, the results are (hopefully) delicious!

19

Play opposite strip poker.

Mix things up by reversing the rules of regular old strip poker. Normally, in strip poker, you have to take off an article of clothing for every round you lose. When playing reverse strip poker, however, you need to add an article of clothing with every lost round until one of you has so many clothing layers it’s downright comical.
- Of course, you and your date could also play strip poker—especially if you’re looking for a fun way to turn up the heat on a date night.

20

Take a Home Depot workshop.

Want to learn a new skill together but can’t afford to take a class? Home Depot hosts free virtual and in-person workshops to help adults and younger kids learn valuable DIY skills. You could take a course on anything from “how to replace a sink” to “how to turn your home into a smart home.” As you learn, dive into a home improvement project of your choice with your significant other.

21

Have a photoshoot.

Skip the professional photographer and do a photoshoot at home. Dress up in stylish clothes, do your hair (and makeup, if you like), and pretend to be models for a day. Find some modeling poses online to try out, and create backdrops using bed sheets or other materials around the house. Then, do a photoshoot for one another using your phone cameras.
- If one of you has Photoshop, you could even adjust the lighting after the fact or change the backgrounds to make it seem like you traveled to a far-off country.
- If you have any kids or pets, don’t forget to dress them up and include them in the photoshoot too!

22

Visit an expensive open house.

Attending a fancy open house gives you the chance to dress up for fun. Is this date idea a little unorthodox? Sure. But you might be surprised how fun it can be to find an open house in your area for a fancy house that’s way outside your budget and attend while wearing posh, elegant clothes. You and your date can pretend to be wealthy socialites and spend an afternoon exploring a dream home!

23

Test-drive your dream car.

Ever wish you could get behind the wheel of a luxury car? Live out your dream of living rich by visiting a dealership to test-drive an expensive car. Whether your ideal car model is a big ruck or a cool convertible, you can live out that fantasy for a little while and drive your partner around the area in luxury.

24

Do karaoke at a local bar.

Belt out a duet with your significant other for a romantic date night. If you and your partner love karaoke but can’t afford to rent a private room, visit a local bar with free, onstage karaoke instead. While it might be scary in front of an audience, the point of karaoke is to sing your heart out without anyone judging you. Luckily, your significant other will be there too to cheer you on when you go up!

25

Go camping in your backyard.

Have a bonfire, tell stories, roast marshmallows, and gaze at the stars. Save the money you’d use to travel to a campground or rent a space and pitch a tent in the backyard instead. The best part is if you change your mind about sleeping in the great outdoors, you can head back inside whenever you want.

26

Make playlists for each other.

Custom playlists are like modern versions of mixtapes. It used to be super romantic to make a mixtape for your significant other, which is why making them a playlist now is just as sweet. Spend an afternoon creating playlists on Spotify (or some other music streaming platform) filled with songs you want to share. You can even create a collaborative playlist where you both add songs to listen to together.

27

Watch the sunrise or sunset.

Sometimes, the simplest activities make for the best date ideas. Find a spot in your backyard or near your home you can visit during the magic hour to see the sun come up or go down. It’s the perfect opportunity to make time for each other and have a moment of peace before starting your day (or to decompress when it’s done.)

Expert Q&A

Question

What should I do on a first date with a girl in the winter?

John Keegan
Dating Coach
John Keegan is a dating coach and motivational speaker based in New York City. He runs The Awakened Lifestyle, where he uses his expertise in dating, attraction, and social dynamics to help people find love. He teaches and holds dating workshops internationally, from Los Angeles to London and from Rio de Janeiro to Prague. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Humans of New York, and Men's Health.

John Keegan

Dating Coach

Expert Answer

Get some warm drinks together, like a hot chocolate or some hot green tea. You could also visit a cute dessert place where you can have a sweet treat and a hot drink. If you live in the city, you might visit a museum and then go for a nice lunch or dinner afterwards. If you'd like to spend some time outdoors, think about taking her to a park and going ice skating.
Question

How do you date on a low budget?

John Keegan
Dating Coach
John Keegan is a dating coach and motivational speaker based in New York City. He runs The Awakened Lifestyle, where he uses his expertise in dating, attraction, and social dynamics to help people find love. He teaches and holds dating workshops internationally, from Los Angeles to London and from Rio de Janeiro to Prague. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Humans of New York, and Men's Health.

John Keegan

Dating Coach

Expert Answer

Just meeting for coffee or tea is a great low-pressure date—you can always go for a walk after and get to know each other that way. Going to museums, seeing a movie, heading to a ping-pong place, or going to a yoga/workout class together are some other great cheap date ideas.