Valentine’s Day date ideas: 20 romantic dates at home, out and on a budget

· 3 min read

TL;DR

  • The best Valentine’s Day date is the one that feels like the two of you, not the one with the longest restaurant waitlist.
  • Twenty ideas: romantic dates at home, Valentine’s dates out, cheap ideas and long distance Valentine’s dates.
  • Not every couple wants a big Valentine’s Day. Ask first; it decides which of these ideas fits.

Valentine’s Day puts a lot of pressure on one evening: booked-out restaurants, set menus, everyone trying to have the perfect date at the same time. These twenty Valentine’s Day date ideas give you options for every kind of couple: romantic dates at home, dates out that are not just dinner, ideas that cost almost nothing, and ways to celebrate when you are apart.

Romantic Valentine’s dates at home

  1. Recreate your first date. Same food, same drink, same music if you can.
  2. Cook a three-course dinner together. Each of you owns one course; dessert is a surprise.
  3. Candlelit question night. Take turns with romantic date night questions, one section per course.
  4. Write each other letters. Read them out loud after dinner.
  5. Memory night. Old photos, the playlist from your first year, and the story of how you met told by both of you.
  6. At-home spa. Bath, massage oil, a slow evening with nowhere to be.
  7. Spicy game night. A round of truth or dare for couples or spicy questions to ask your partner.

Valentine’s Day dates out

  1. Valentine’s brunch instead of dinner. Easier to book, cheaper and just as romantic.
  2. A cooking or pottery class. Make something together.
  3. Go dancing. A salsa class or a night out to music you both like.
  4. A comedy show. Laughing together beats a quiet set menu.
  5. A night away. Even one night somewhere new changes the evening.

Cheap Valentine’s Day date ideas

  1. Sunset walk and takeout. Pick the best view in town.
  2. Homemade Valentine’s cards. Badly drawn, completely sincere.
  3. Picnic on the living room floor. Cheese, chocolate, a blanket.
  4. The 36 questions. Arthur Aron’s 36 questions to fall in love cost nothing and take about 45 minutes.

Long distance Valentine’s dates

  1. Order each other dinner to arrive at the same time, then eat together on video.
  2. Send a date in a box: a candle, chocolate and a card with the first question.
  3. Play a game together across two phones; there are fifteen in games for long distance couples, and more in long distance date ideas.

Big Valentine’s Day or just another day?

Not everyone wants a big Valentine’s Day, and that is worth knowing before you plan one. Would you rather celebrate Valentine’s Day in style, or treat it like any other day? Ask your partner before you plan anything; you might not give the same answer. Whatever you both pick, the date that works is the one you both actually want. Ask first; it is a good question on its own. More of those are in would you rather questions for couples.

What should we do for Valentine’s Day?

Pick by what you both enjoy: a candlelit dinner and questions at home, a class or a comedy show out, or a cheap sunset walk and takeout. Recreating your first date is a classic for a reason.

What are good Valentine’s Day date ideas at home?

Cook a three-course dinner together, have a candlelit question night, write each other letters, recreate your first date, or play a spicy game such as truth or dare.

How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day long distance?

Order each other dinner to arrive at the same time and eat on video, send a date in a box, or play a couples game across two phones.

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