50 Cosy, Cheap & Cute Winter Date Ideas That'll Turn Up the Heat

The colder months are perfect for amping up the romance between you and your love, and there are so many winter date ideas to enjoy. 

Whether it's staying in watching movies and sipping on mulled wine, or getting out and about and exploring Christmas markets, there are dozens of awesome winter date ideas in the UK to keep you busy during the festive season. 

And it doesn't matter whether you're planning a first date or you're celebrating a milestone wedding anniversary, our selection of date ideas all offer fun ways for you and your partner to connect.

We know how tight wallets can feel during the winter, either because Christmas is on the horizon or just passed, so we’ve also found you the best cheap – and even free – winter date ideas. You're welcome! 

Winter Date Ideas: 50 Cosy, Cheap & Cute Ideas to Help You Turn Up the Heat

Let’s be honest, life is not like the rom-coms; there’s no carriage rides in the snow in this list. Instead there’s pub quizzes, hot tubs, independent cinemas, gingerbread house making, board games and all those other things that make winter the best time of the year, whether you're looking for winter dates in London or across the UK.

• Free Winter Date Ideas
• Cheap Winter Date Ideas
• Romantic Winter Date Ideas
• Unusual Winter Date Ideas
• At Home Winter Date Ideas
• Winter Date Ideas in London

Free Winter Date Ideas

Winter date activities don't have to cost you a penny. Don't believe us? These free winter date ideas prove we're right!

1. Play Christmas Lights Bingo

Get that scarf on and head out into your neighbourhood for one of our favourite free date ideas in winter.

Step one is to write yourself a bingo grid of Christmas light displays – Rudolph, Santa falling off a roof, the house with enough fairy lights to be visible from space, a nativity scene, etc. Next step – go for a wintery walk as a couple and shout 'bingo' whenever you’ve seen a whole row.

Last one to get a full house buys the drinks/cooks dinner/walks the dog. It’ll also give you lots of ideas of how to then decorate your own house/flat/terrace, which is your task for the next day.

2. Take a Hike

It might sound crazy to suggest a long walk outside as one of our favourite dates for the winter, but hear us out. That crisp, cold air, paired with some takeaway coffees can make for a really nice couples activity.

On a crisp autumn day, enjoy the crunch of the orange and red leaves underfoot, while in winter, you might catch a sprinkling of snow. It's a free winter date that you can do any day, at any time. 

3. Play a Board Game

We love winter date ideas that make the most of what you already have at home – and this is one of them. Either pull out one of those old games gathering dust in a drawer or head to a board game café for a cheap few hours of winter date fun.

You could even elevate the at home version with a charcuterie board and a bottle of wine. How cute!

4. Cosy Up in a Bookshop

Warm? Indoors? Romantic? Tick, tick, tick. Diving into your local bookshop is the perfect winter date idea! Set each other little challenges like finding the silliest or funniest titled book you can, or an author with the same name as you.

End the date by buying each other one of your favourite books as a present; it’s a hugely enlightening way to get to know someone and adds a thoughtful element to your winter date.

5. Host Your Own Cocktail Party

You know all those half drunk bottles of spirit and liqueurs gathering dust in the back of your cupboard? Maybe they’ve been left over from a party or used once in a recipe? Well, we say put them to good use on a cold winter night and get mixing.

It's another free winter date idea that utilises what you already have at home, and can even be made into a group activity. Get your friends round for a double date and task yourself with creating a festive cocktail out of all the forgotten booze.

6. Visit a Free Museum

Most big cities have a free museum or two that you can visit, and almost all will have special seasonal activities going on, perfect for winter dates. Stately homes and even garden centres are fab for activities too: normally you can sign up for cheap classes like wreath making and card printing, attend a storytelling session or theatre performance, or stop by a Santa’s grotto – it's not just for little ones!

If you can combine a museum date with a day in London, the Natural History Museum has a beautiful ice rink, and even hosts night time sleepovers for adults with live music, stand-up comedy, a pub quiz, insect tasting and more.

7. Get Out in the Snow

If there’s a nice layer of snow on the ground, make full use of it for a totally free winter date idea. Snowball fights, building a snowman and making snow angels are totally cute and romantic, while a plastic sledge is cheap as chips and you can have so much fun on the hills near your house. Warm yourself up with a hot chocolate after (we won’t tell if you add a little rum).

8. Volunteer Together

Animal shelters, soup kitchens and homeless charities need even more help in the winter months when the weather turns cold.

Choose a cause that means something to you both and get volunteering for a winter date that gives back – it's also a great way to find out even more about each other’s values. If you don’t have a lot of time to spare, spend some quality time walking a cute pooch: find one on Borrow My Doggy or take out a friend’s.

9. Stargaze

A dark, clear night is the perfect time to get outside and spot some constellations. An app like StarView Lite is a free planetarium in your pocket; all you need to do is point it at the sky and it’ll identify the stars, satellites and more above your head.

You can also take your winter date night to the next level and buy stargazing experiences where your own astronomer will set up telescopes and guide you through a tour of the solar system.

Cheap Winter Date Ideas

If you've got a few pennies to spend on an evening together, you'll love these cheap winter date ideas that prove romance doesn't have to mean splurging. 

10. Have Breakfast for Dinner

Pancakes, waffles, French toast: breakfast really is the best meal of the day. Cook yourself up a breakfast treat for dinner or head to a restaurant like The Breakfast Club or Where The Pancakes Are for an all-day breakfast dining treat.

We love this as a January date idea because in the colder months, all you want is warmth and comfort, and there are few things more warming and comforting than a hearty breakfast or delish stack of pancakes. Yum!

11. Explore a Winter Market

Often under the twinkling lights of a giant Christmas tree, you’ll find delicious food, drinks, crafts, carol singers and more on a winter market date day. There’s some famous ones around the country which are well worth a visit, including the German market in Birmingham, Winchester Cathedral’s Christmas market and Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.

This website lists Christmas markets in the UK and there’s definitely going to be one near you where you can top up your dose of good cheer.

12. Go to a Comedy Club

No better way to get your date laughing than at a comedy club. It’s such a great winter first date idea, but is also great to enjoy with your long-term love, too.

You can go to a comedy club in your town or city, but some of the best, under-the-radar comedians can be found at comedy nights at your local pub. Even if they end up dying on stage, you’re guaranteed a laugh for less than a tenner.

13. Pub Quiz Time

Get a group date going at a pub quiz, or tackle one as a pair.

A little healthy competition is essential for any relationship, so hit it off with some intellect-testing trivia and good conversation, and it always helps if you win the bar tab at the end, too. If you’ve got a joint interest – Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, pop music, Dingbats – we recommend you try to find niche pub quizzes in your area.

14. Take a Brewery Tour

Most brewery tours start at around £12 to £15 each with tastings and a pint included – you can’t ask for better value than that for a winter date idea.

And if beer isn’t your thing, gin distillery tours or a guided wine tasting evening are brilliant too.

Prepared to splash the cash? Try a ‘brew your own’ session. At London Beer Lab, you spend the day brewing your own beer from scratch and collect your own bottles three weeks’ later when it’s ready to drink. The perfect excuse for a follow up date!

15. Go Ice Skating

A winter date idea classic that's straight out the movies is taking your love ice skating.

If you can’t skate, you can hold each other up at the side of the rink and laugh as you slip and slide your way round, followed by a much-deserved hot choccy. If you can skate, you’ll feel like the rink’s resident Torvill and Dean as everyone looks on in awe.

It's the perfect way to spend an hour and during the winter months you'll find a number of seasonal outdoor rinks set up near you, many of which go on until the end of January.

16. Pick a Random Groupon Date

On the Groupon website, you’ll find a section called ‘Things to Do’ with tons of offers in your local area.

Make a pact that you must do one of the first 10 activities that shows up, whether that’s indoor skydiving or trampolining to axe-throwing and a murder mystery night. They’re all excellent value and guaranteed spontaneous fun.

17. Go Charity Shopping

Vintage, second-hand or charity shops are goldmines for ugly Christmas jumpers. See who can pull together the most garish outfit – for each other, of course. Loser has to buy at least one of the articles of clothing and wear it for the rest of the day (hey, at least you’re supporting charity).

Romantic Winter Date Ideas

Winter is the season to up the romance on your dates, get cosy and spend quality time together. Here are our favourite and most romantic winter date ideas. 

18. Seek out a Hot Tub

Most spas will have a hot tub – you can check out the best couples' spa retreats here – or combine it with a weekend away and hire a cottage that comes with a hot tub.

There’s nothing more special than sinking into a hot, bubbling tub with a glass of fizz to escape the chilly air around you.

19. Do a Winter Photoshoot

If you’re looking for some cute couple photos, hiring a photographer to shoot you is one of our fave winter date ideas.

You only need them for a few hours to capture some seriously magical portraits of you.

A snowball fight, decorating your tree, at home with your pet or out in nature are all great photo shoot ideas. No money? Set the self-timer and use your iPhone instead. 

21. Head Off on a Weekend Getaway

Go on a road trip to a cute country hotel where you can go on long walks, snuggle up in front of a fire and plan your retirement in the sweet little villages all around the area. A winter sun break might be appealing – particularly if you're looking for January date ideas – but we promise the UK in the winter months is where the romance is really at.

These are our favourite minimoon hotels in the UK that are also perfect for a romantic getaway in winter. 

21. Take a Cooking Class

Cooking classes are great for a date as they involve you working together and you get something delicious to eat at the end.

In winter, most cookery courses cover lots of warming, vibrant cuisines to keep the dark nights at bay, like Mexican street food, Thai feasts, and Bombay café favourites.

22. Cook Together at Home

It sounds simple, but one of the most tried and tested winter date ideas is to simply cook your partner's favourite meal and plan a candle-lit dinner at home. 

Shop for their favourite ingredients, tell them to leave you alone in the kitchen and relax as you prepare the dinner of dreams. Trust us, it'll go down a treat, especially if they're the one who usually cooks.

23. Make a Relationship Scrapbook

Cosy up in front of the fire and spend a winter date night putting together a scrapbook of your entire relationship.

All you need to do beforehand is get lots of pictures printed and you're good to go. 

Unusual Winter Date Ideas

Looking for something a bit different? These alternative date ideas for winter could be just the thing…

24. Be a Tourist in Your Own City

We're talking off-the-beaten-track touristy things. The best place to find something really unusual to do is by searching Atlas Obscura: it lists all the strange, cool and hidden things to do in your region.

Secret gardens, awesome arcades, tiny museums and art galleries in an unmarked house; they’re all waiting for you if you just go looking.

25. Try Hot Yoga

Freezing outside? Warm yourself up with a hot yoga session as a winter date idea.

You can do hot – or Bikram – yoga at any level of fitness and it involves doing a series of poses in a room heated to between 35 and 42 degrees.

There’s loads of physical benefits to the heat and you could discover a new hobby you love doing together.

26. Go Indoor Rock Climbing

Many outdoor activities are pretty much off limits once the cold and dark has set in, so find an indoor activity to challenge you both and learn a new skill. Rock climbing is fab for this – just Google an indoor wall near you. Did you know adrenaline helps couples bond, too?

27. Catch a Match

Rugby and football season in the UK take place over autumn and winter, so make the most of the events by having a sporty winter date day.

Sports fans can find local games on near them, or pester a pal with a season ticket to let you take your beau on a date to a big-name match.

At-Home Winter Date Ideas

Why go out when you can have just as much fun indoors? Elevate your evenings with our fun at-home dates for the winter.

28. Have a Gingerbread House Making Competition

Each person gets a gingerbread house kit; either go for a Biscuiteers ready-made set or (Mary Berry, eat your heart out) make and bake your own using cookie cutters.

The idea is you each get the same items to decorate with – icing, sweets, strawberry laces, Smarties etc – and 15 minutes to create your masterpiece. At the end, it’s reveal time! Do this as a double date and each couple can pick a winner from the other team.

29. Build a Fort

Pillow forts aren’t just for kids. Take the cushions from the sofa, build yourself a magnificent hideout and top the whole thing with a blanket. Bring in some torches, snacks, a pack of cards and some spiked hot chocolate.

And if you want to turn your winter date day into a date night, sleep there for the night – you might find you have even more fun than in your bedroom.

30. Indulge With a Chocolate Fondue

Chocolate fondue kits are pretty cheap, and we promise you’ll be using it time and time again. It’s powered by a tea light so get your chocolate melting and set yourself up a midnight feast (it's absolutely OK to eat it at 5pm, too).

Strawberries, frozen grapes, marshmallows, brownie bites, mini meringues, banana, honeycomb: sometimes you can create a dessert way better than at a restaurant.

31. Upgrade Your Movie Night

Mull yourself some wine (follow this easy recipe here), wrap yourself up in blankets and snuggle up in front of a film. So simple, but seriously romantic. If you want go the whole hog, buy a projector and set it up against a white wall or screen and surround yourself with all the blankets and cushions you can find. It brings a whole new meaning to Netflix and chill.

We've rounded up our favourite Christmas films on Netflix for you here, and they're all perfect for winter dates.

32. Have an Indoor Picnic

Too cold to go outside? Indoor picnics are the way to go. Throw a warm rug on the floor, put a classic Christmas movie on the TV (The Holiday and Home Alone are our winners), open a bottle of wine and order in some takeaway. It’s a cheap, fun and romantic winter date you can do again and again.

33. Spend a Night by Candlelight

Try a whole date night pretending the power’s gone out and using only candlelight. 

Firstly, everyone’s skin looks fantastic in candlelight.

Secondly, you’ll only be able to eat things cooked with a candle, i.e. toasting marshmallows and melting a fondue. Or you can get a takeaway, of course.

Finally, you won’t be distracted by your phones or the TV – instead play a board game or spend quality time talking to each other and planning your future.

34. DIY a Spa Day

If you’ve got a sheet mask, a bath bomb and some massage oil at home, this is a completely free date idea. Even if you’ve got to pop to Superdrug it’s a cheap one. An at-home spa experience is all about pampering and relaxing. Take a bath together or trade massages for a romantic night in. Try this budget-friendly aromatherapy massage oil with the sensual scent of ylang ylang and patchouli from Amazon.

35. Make a Hot Chocolate Station

Make some hot chocolate and then scour your cupboards – or go to the shops – for all those delicious toppings: a can of squirty cream, some crushed biscuits, chocolate chips, Minstrels, marshmallows, caramel sauce, candy canes. Go wild. The one who can squeeze on the most toppings wins.

36. Read to Each Other

It might sound cheesy, but reading to each other has been scientifically proven as a way to foster intimacy and connect with your partner.

Find a great winter book (check out Waterstones’ book of the month) and take it in turns to read a chapter to each other in front of the fire. Much more enjoyable than an audio book, in our opinion.

Winter Date Ideas in London

Love is alive and well in London – and it's a vibe.

37. See a Movie

Heading to the cinema is always the best thing to do when it’s pouring with rain outside, and it's ideal for those looking for winter date ideas in London, as there are so many unique cinemas to choose from.

We adore the movie marathons at The Prince Charles Cinema and the winter night garden at the Backyard Cinema. Loads of pop-up cinemas arrive during the winter months too, so look out for other ones in the capital.

38. Dine in an Igloo

During the winter, some London restaurants and bars have pop up igloos that you can dine in. One of our favourites are those at Aviary – they're set up on the rooftop so you get all the gorgeous views the setting offers, while remaining cosy in a winter-themed igloo. So cute. 

39. Do Kew in the Dark

Wedding venue and botanical hotspot Kew Gardens in Richmond has the most incredible winter activities, the best one being their Kew in the Dark event which runs every year. The team here light up the entirety of the venue and put on a show for people to come and see. 

It's an absolute must activity to add to your list of winter date ideas in London – trust us. 

40. Do a Food Market Tour

London is full of incredible food markets– from the pop-up food stalls at the Southbank Centre, to Borough Market, Maltby Street Market, Columbia Road and more. You'll never run out of ones to visit and explore for a fabulously foodie winter date in London.

41. Head to the Rooftops

Another brilliant reason to embrace winter dates in London is the fact that you have so many places to choose from to get a view of the city looking crisp and festive.

From the rooftop at Wagtail (grab a cocktail while you're there), to the pods on the London Eye and the View from the Shard experience, you can catch a view of London in winter from almost every angle, and they're all worth a visit. 

42. Stop By Winter Wonderland

Perhaps one of the most popular date ideas in London is visiting Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. It's a must-do (preferably off-peak when the crowds aren’t so big).

From karaoke bars and ice sculpture workshops to fairground rides, Zippos Circus, a comedy club and more, you can spend a whole day exploring, eating and drinking.

43. Sit at the Chef's Table

Getting a seat at a chef's table in a London restaurant is a real treat, but considering the heat and the fact they're all indoors, they aren't that suited to summer dates.

They are, however, a great date in winter, and luckily for London couples, the city is filled with swanky restaurants that offer this kind of experience. Just book in advance to avoid disappointment.

44. Cosy Up on a Winter Terrace

Restaurants and bars in London really go all out during the festive season – they fully understand the assignment and make it so easy for couples planning winter date days and nights in the capital. 

Places like The Exhibit in Balham, The Queen of Hoxton and Paddington's Pergola are just a few of the London date day spots that make winter drinking and dining even more special.

Christmas Date Ideas

Looking for winter date ideas around the festive season? We've got you… 

45. Visit a Christmas Lights Display

Lots of stately homes, gardens and National Trust properties across the country now host their own magical Christmas light displays. Wrap up and head out after dark to enjoy a wander through the grounds for Insta-worthy tunnels and spots aplenty (and sip a mulled wine or hot chocolate en route).

Don’t want to fork out for a ticketed event? You might even find some impressive light displays in your neighbourhood or town. Have a stroll and follow up with a visit to the pub to warm up.

46. Go Christmas Tree Shopping

Is it even December if you’ve not been tree shopping, argued about whether or not a six-foot fir will fit through the door and had a very heated debate on how said tree will be decorated?

Inevitable bickering aside, Christmas tree shopping can be a really romantic date to do together – not only will it get you in the festive spirit, but you can make a day of it, too. Grab a mulled wine and wander round your local garden centre or hit the high street for a faux fir and discuss decorations over lunch.

47. Go on a Festive Coffee Crawl

From gingerbread lattes to eggnog frappes, coffees spiked with Baileys and salted caramel mochas, November marks the start of festive coffee season, and we couldn’t think of a more fun date for caffeine-lovers than coffee shop hopping to find your new faves.

Whether its Instagrammable cafés or winter markets, your local town or city will be awash with great coffee spots to keep you caffeinated throughout the winter months. Just pack up your Keep Cup and plan your route…

Not a coffee drinker? A hot chocolate crawl will be just as fun. Though how many marshmallows is too many, exactly...?

48. Have a Christmas Movie Marathon

Possibly one of the cosiest and most budget-friendly Christmas date ideas out there, a festive film night at home is also romantic and a wonderful way to create new Christmas memories and traditions. 

Make it date-worthy by dimming the lights, whipping up some festive cocktails, mocktails or indulgent hot chocolate, and creating a sweet spread worthy of a GBBO-style handshake with popcorn (obvs), brownies, s’mores and a melty fondue dip. Heaven!

49. Enjoy Some Christmas Karaoke

Maybe you fancy doing some Christmas crooning just the two of you, or pairing up with some pals and making it a double date, either way, stepping up to the mic for some Christmas karaoke in your own private booth will be some of the most fun you’ve ever had.

Whether or not you allow your date to upload your rendition of All I Want For Christmas is You to their Stories, well… that’s totally up to you.

50. Do Some Christmas Crafting

One for the Pinterest fans! From Christmas cards to stockings to gifts and decorations for the tree, there’s something seriously wholesome and romantic about Christmas crafting at home.

Turn up your Spotify playlist, open a bottle of wine and get making. Martha Stewart, eat your heart out.

For more date ideas, check out our roundup of the best at home date night ideas perfect for cosy evenings together.