Valentine’s Day in London typically means one of two things: an overpriced set menu at a restaurant playing Ed Sheeran on loop, or staying home because you refuse to participate in ‘commercialised nonsense.’ But there’s a third option: doing something genuinely interesting that you’ll actually remember.
Here are the date nights that will make your partner think you’re creative, thoughtful, and definitely not someone who just Googled ‘romantic things London’ at the last minute. (Even if you did. We won’t tell.)
FOR THE ADVENTUROUS
Late-Night Swimming at London Fields Lido
The heated outdoor pool stays open for evening sessions, and there’s something genuinely magical about swimming under the stars in February. Yes, it’s cold getting in. Yes, you’ll feel alive. The pool is heated to 25°C, steam rises off the water, and you’ll have bragging rights for months. Book ahead – the evening slots fill fast.
Cost: £6.15 per person. Best for: couples who think hot tubs are for amateurs.
Nighttime Zoo at ZSL London Zoo
Zoo Nights returns in the warmer months, but for Valentine’s specifically, the zoo runs special late openings. Wander around after dark, see the nocturnal animals actually awake for once, and enjoy the surreal experience of having a romantic moment in front of the penguin enclosure. They usually have bars and street food set up throughout.
Cost: £25-35 per person. Best for: people who peaked during the David Attenborough era.
Axe Throwing at Whistle Punks
Nothing says romance like hurling sharp objects at a wooden target while drinking beer. Whistle Punks in Vauxhall offers sessions where you learn to throw axes (safely, with instruction), compete against each other, and release all that pent-up frustration from the working week. Weirdly bonding. Surprisingly fun. Definitely different.
Cost: £25 per person for a one-hour session. Best for: couples with competitive streaks and strong forearms.
Climbing at The Castle
The Castle Climbing Centre in Stoke Newington is housed in a converted Victorian pumping station – already romantic in a gothic sort of way. Book a beginner session if you’ve never climbed, or just turn up and boulder if you know what you’re doing. There’s something about trusting someone to belay you that accelerates intimacy. Plus, the café is excellent.
Cost: £14-18 per person plus equipment hire. Best for: couples who want to be active without calling it ‘exercise.’
FOR THE CULTURED
Late at the Museum
Multiple London museums do evening openings with bars, DJs, and a distinctly different vibe from the daytime crowds. The V&A’s Friday Late is free and features live music and installations. The Natural History Museum does occasional late events where you can drink cocktails under the blue whale. The Science Museum’s Lates are properly good – adults-only, themed evenings with hands-on exhibits and alcohol.
Cost: Free to £20 depending on venue. Best for: people who want to feel sophisticated without being boring.
Secret Cinema or Immersive Experiences
London has loads of immersive entertainment. Secret Cinema transforms films into walkthrough experiences (check what’s running – they change regularly). The War of the Worlds is an ongoing immersive show that’s genuinely impressive. Alcotraz puts you in a prohibition-era prison where ‘inmates’ smuggle you drinks. They’re pricey but memorable – the kind of date you’ll still be talking about in five years.
Cost: £50-100 per person. Best for: couples who find normal cinema ‘a bit passive.’
Jazz at Ronnie Scott’s
Image Credit: Electric Egg, Shutterstock.com
Yes, it’s a classic for a reason. Ronnie Scott’s in Soho has been serving live jazz since 1959, and the atmosphere is genuinely special. It’s intimate, smoky (not literally anymore), and sophisticated without being stuffy. Book a table for the late show, order cocktails, and pretend you’re in a different era. The music is world-class.
Cost: £40-80 per person depending on the act. Best for: couples who own at least one item of clothing they’d describe as ‘vintage.’
Candlelit Concert at a Church
Fever and similar companies run ‘Candlelight’ concerts in beautiful venues across London – string quartets playing Coldplay, tributes to film scores, classical renditions of pop music. They’re held in churches, historic halls, and atmospheric spaces lit by hundreds of candles. Cheesy? A little. Effective? Absolutely. Your partner will not be disappointed.
Cost: £20-40 per person. Best for: people who want ‘romantic’ with a capital R.
FOR THE FOODIES (BUT MAKE IT INTERESTING)
Cooking Class Together
Instead of eating at a restaurant, learn to make the food. Bread Ahead does pastry and doughnut classes in Borough Market. The Jamie Oliver Cookery School has date-night sessions. Milk Street Kitchen does Thai, Indian, and Italian courses. You leave with skills and a full stomach. Plus, you’ll actually talk to each other instead of sitting in silence waiting for courses.
Cost: £80-150 per person. Best for: couples who cook together at home and want to level up.
Supper Clubs
London’s underground supper club scene offers dining experiences you can’t get in restaurants. It could be someone’s living room, a rooftop, a warehouse, a boat. Find them through Instagram, Eventbrite, or platforms like Eatwith. The food is often exceptional, the atmosphere is intimate, and you’re sharing tables with strangers which either sparks conversation or gives you something to dissect afterwards. Check out Collab Kitchen, Lerato Foods, or whatever’s trending on social.
Cost: £40-80 per person. Best for: couples who think restaurants are ‘too predictable.’
Chinatown Food Tour
Skip the sit-down dinner and do a progressive meal through Chinatown instead. Start with dumplings at Dumplings’ Legend, move to Cantonese roast meats at Four Seasons, hit up Wong Kei for the famously rude service (it’s part of the experience), and finish with desserts at Bake or Kowloon. You’ll eat better and spend less than most Valentine’s set menus.
Cost: £30-50 per person for multiple stops. Best for: couples who hate prix fixe menus.
FOR THE DRINKS-FOCUSED
Cocktail Making Class
Learn to make drinks instead of just consuming them. TT Liquor in Shoreditch does excellent classes in a former police station. London Cocktail Club runs sessions across multiple venues. You’ll learn three or four cocktails, drink everything you make, and have a new party trick for life. Bonus: you can recreate the drinks at home, which is basically a second date for free.
Cost: £40-60 per person. Best for: couples whose home bar consists of one dusty bottle of Aperol.
Speakeasy Crawl
London has more hidden bars than any city needs. Plan a route: start at Cahoots (1940s tube station theme in Carnaby), move to Evans & Peel Detective Agency (you have to ‘solve a case’ to enter), hit the bar behind the fridge at The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town, and finish at Nightjar for live jazz and serious cocktails. The hunt for each entrance is half the fun.
Cost: £60-100 per person depending on how much you drink. Best for: couples who think ‘bar’ is too simple a word.
Wine Tasting at Noble Rot or Sager Wilde
For something grown-up without being stuffy, book a wine flight at Noble Rot (Bloomsbury or Soho) or Sager Wilde (Hackney). You’ll try interesting natural wines, learn things you’ll pretend to remember, and eat excellent small plates. It’s a date that says ‘I’m sophisticated’ without saying ‘I’m trying too hard.’
Cost: £50-100 per person with food. Best for: couples transitioning from ‘whatever’s on offer’ to ‘actually tasting things.’
FOR THE ‘WE DON’T DO VALENTINE’S’ COUPLE
Anti-Valentine’s Comedy Night
Multiple comedy clubs run anti-Valentine’s shows – stand-ups riffing on relationships, dating disasters, and the absurdity of the holiday. Check listings at The Bill Murray, Angel Comedy, or Top Secret Comedy Club. You’ll laugh, you’ll feel superior to the couples doing tedious romantic things, and you’ll still technically have done something together.
Cost: £10-20 per person. Best for: couples who roll their eyes at heart-shaped things.
Horror Film Marathon at The Prince Charles Cinema
The Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square regularly does all-night horror marathons. What’s more romantic than clutching each other in fear at 4am while watching something deeply disturbing? Plus, the cinema has legendarily cheap tickets, excellent snacks, and a defiantly anti-multiplex atmosphere.
Cost: £15-25 per person for all-nighters. Best for: couples who find terror bonding.
Escape Room
Nothing tests a relationship like being locked in a room together and forced to solve puzzles under time pressure. London has excellent escape rooms – Deadlocked, The Escapement, and Escape Hunt are all solid – with themes from horror to heist. You’ll either emerge closer than ever or realise some fundamental incompatibilities. Either way, useful information.
Cost: £25-40 per person. Best for: couples who argue about IKEA instructions.
THE ACTUALLY ROMANTIC CLASSICS
Skating at Somerset House or Natural History Museum
Yes, the ice rinks are seasonal and might close by Valentine’s – check dates. But if they’re still running, skating at Somerset House (the classic) or the Natural History Museum (the beautiful) is properly magical. Hold hands, fall over, laugh, pretend you’re in a romcom. It works.
Thames Evening Cruise
Skip the dinner cruises (the food is never good). Instead, take a regular Thames Clipper at sunset – it costs £8 and the views are the same. Ride from Greenwich to Westminster as the city lights up, then go somewhere good for dinner. Same romance, fraction of the cost, no mediocre buffet.
Hampstead Wander and Pub
Walk Hampstead Heath as the sun sets, end up at The Holly Bush or The Spaniards Inn for a fire and a pint. Simple, free (mostly), and exactly the kind of low-key romantic evening that actually means something. Not everything needs to be an ‘experience.’
The best Valentine’s date is the one that feels like you, not like something you’re supposed to do. Pick something you’ll both genuinely enjoy and ignore the pressure to be performatively romantic. The bar is low – most people are eating mediocre set menus or regretting their slutty lingerie purchase.
