Do you want to make an impression on your crush and give them a day they will not simply forget? Particularly when you’re attempting to get to know a new person, fancy dinners and ticket prices add up. Although most of us would like to be able to spend luxuriously on every date, this is unfortunately not a lifestyle that most of us can afford. Let’s help you plan with unique first date ideas that fit within your budget.
Inexpensive dates need not be monotonous. Budget-friendly dating allows you to plan the date with a bit more imagination. Also, you get to put out that extra effort and come up with exciting, and unconventional ideas.
We have provided 70 cute dating ideas for your first date that won’t
break the bank but are thoughtful if you’re on a shoestring budget and are prepared to get creative.
1. Go for a hike or nature walk
Enjoy the beauty of nature and act on your fitness simultaneously. By opting in for a nature walk or a short hike, you’ll get to know each other by spending some quality time over long walks.
2. Visit a museum or art gallery
Many museums and galleries have free admission or offer discounted rates for students. Shortlist some of the best museums in your city, and make it one of the most successful perfect first dates.
3. Attend a poetry reading
If your partner is a bookworm or a poetry lover, this goes for them! Head out to the bookstores or local cafes and enjoy poetry readings over a cappuccino.
4. Have a picnic in the park
Pack a blanket and a coffee flask with some homemade sandwiches for a romantic outdoor picnic.
5. Attend a free outdoor concert
Many cities offer free outdoor concerts during the summer months. Also, multiple book and movie promotion campaigns go around the city (especially in malls).
6. Go stargazing
Find a secluded spot away from city lights and enjoy the beauty of the night sky along with deep conversations.
7. Volunteer together
Volunteering for a good cause is considered to be one of the sweetest date ideas. Contribute by volunteering at a local food bank or animal shelter. Create a special bond by helping out the lesser privileged ones together.
8. Take a cooking class
If you both share a mutual love for food, this goes for you! Make all the arrangements, cook, and cherish a new dish together.
9. Attend a local farmers’ market
Plan a day out to sneak peek at a farmer’s livelihood. Browse the local produce and sample some fresh fruits and veggies.
10. Take a dance class
If you two find dancing as a form of language to express, get going with it. Try out a new dance style together.
11. Visit a local brewery or winery
Many breweries and wineries offer free tours or tastings. Browse local breweries in your city outskirts and head for it.
12. Rent bikes and explore the city
Taking cabs and metros, and then walking can be expensive and hectic too. Rent a bike and explore the pristine places and the lesser-known lanes of your city.
13. Visit a botanical garden
If you both love nature, and gardening, this goes for the evergreen couples! Enjoy the serene beauty of nature and get to know about different plants and flowers.
14. Attend a book club meeting
Check out your local library or bookstore for book club meetings. Exchange books of authors you admire so that you both can learn more about each other.
15. Take a pottery class
Ever invited this among your first date ideas?
Get creative and make something together. You never know, it might become a memento of your first day out!
16. Go to a comedy show
Laugh together at a local comedy club or some local cafes where frequent stand-up comedians show up.
17. Visit a local zoo
Explore the different birds and animals together. Learn about their habitats and click cute pictures.
18. Book a staycation and plan a game night
If your homes are occupied, book a nearby staycation. Stay in for a few hours and play board games or video games together.
19. Take a yoga class
Yoga classes are quieter and less expensive than a gym membership. Get centered and relaxed together.
20. Attend a food festival
If you are a carnival lover with special affection for food, bingo! Try out different types of food and enjoy the festivities.
21. Visit a local historical site
No city has ever formed without history. Head out to the historically restored attractions and learn about the history of your city or state.
22. Have a karaoke night
If you are an old-school lover, consider this at the top of your date ideas. Download Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan Karaokes and sing your hearts out together.
23. Take a photography class
If you both are shutterbugs and wish to fine skill it, learn to take better photos together.
24. Have a DIY project day
Make something together, whether it’s a piece of paper art or wooden art. Exchange the creations, and give each other beautiful memories.
25. Attend or participate in a poetry slam
Watch poets compete in a poetry slam competition. Or, if you have a knack for writing poems, participate in slam poetry competitions.
26. Take a hot air balloon ride
Ever wondered how your city looks from thousands of feet above? Get a bird’s eye view of your city together on a hot balloon ride and be proud of executing one of the perfect first dates.
27. Have a bonfire
Enjoy a cozy night by the fire. This is one of the underrated best dating ideas people miss to consider.
Collect some small woods, and arrange for a perfect musical and super comfy bonfire night. It is one of the cutest and most romantic gestures either of you shall ever forget.
28. Go ice skating
If you love mountains but don’t have the budget or time to afford a trip, head toward an ice skating rink. Hit the ice and hold hands.
29. Visit a local aquarium
If you follow ocean education on national geography or spend a lot of time browsing about underwater life, plan your day for a local aquarium. See the different sea creatures and learn about their habitats.
30. Attend film festivals
During film festivals, many cities offer free outdoor movie screenings to promote indie film culture. Go and watch those if you love parallel movies.
31. Cheese hunt day
If your taste buds say cheeseeee!
Visit a local farmer’s market and sample different types of cheese. Buy some fresh cheese and have a cheese tasting.
32. Go mini-golfing
For the sporty daters admiring Tiger Woods, have some fun on the mini-golf course.
33. Attend local carnivals
Check out your city’s festivals and go out for a handicraft carnival or food festival, or even trade fair.
34. Go to a community theater performance
Venture out for an open theater or go for a community theater performance. Support the local theater and enjoy a night out.
35. Attend a sporting event
Grab a cricket, baseball, or soccer ticket and cheer on your favorite team together.
36. Have a movie marathon
Plan a day where you and your significant other dress, prepare snacks and watch all the episodes in one go.
37. Go fishing
Spend a relaxing day by the water. Go to a local pond or lake and splash your feet together over long conversations and fishing.
38. Visit a board game cafe
If you share your love for table tennis, billiards, or chess, along with good food, consider this as one of your best date ideas! Exchange fitness with a slice of wisdom (chess) and some fun-playing games together.
39. Ride a toy train
It can be fun to take a leisurely mode of travel to nowhere in particular because we’re constantly so busy running about. Explore a new place, go on a budget tour, and simply cuddle up and let your thoughts wander.
40. Visit a local pet store
If you both adore pets, this is going to be the cutest date plan. Play with the animals and learn about different breeds.
41. Have a movie night under the stars
Ever thought of a rooftop movie plan with your loved one? Go for it! Set up a projector and binge watch romantic movies under the stars.
42. Visit an antique store
If you love to collect things with historical value, visit an antique arcade. Browse the different items and find some unique treasures.
43. Take a free art class at a local community center
Arts are always fun to form special bonds. Participate in free art classes and learn to paint, draw, or sculpt together.
44. Visit a local science museum
Thinking of date ideas that can be a learning experience too? Visit a science museum that might have war submarines or space rockets to tell stories. Learn about science and technology and get lost in the realm of history together.
45. Take a free walking tour of your city
If you both are introverted and avoid socializing, it is better to enjoy each other’s company by saying NO to public transport.
Take free walks in your city, and learn about the different landmarks and historical sites.
46. Attend a free outdoor art exhibit
Many cities offer free outdoor art exhibits during the summer months. Visit and enjoy the expressive creations of young and veteran artists.
47. Trip down the old yearbooks
These hardbound keepsakes cost a great deal of your parents’ hard-earned money, but once enough time has gone, they’re actually incredibly humorous and cute to look back on.
Bring along your funniest, most embarrassing, or most brag-worthy yearbooks and take a trip down memory lane.
48. Create a blanket-fort
Build a blanket fort (and/or pillow) indoors and bring out your inner kid for a relaxed date night.
If you are looking out for an hourly stay to build your comfy fort, let’s help you out.
49. Opt in for a ferry ride
If you desire a change of scenery on your first date ideas, move your date to the neighboring ferry. For a longer day trip, choose an unexplored region.
For a first date, where you’re still testing the waters both literally and figuratively, try a short round-trip ride.
50. Shoot the pop-up stores
Pop-up shops offer some of the most interesting and innovative products. These “here now, gone tomorrow” mobile stores are usually inexpensive, whether the entrepreneur is just starting up or testing the market for a new kind of food, drink, or item.
51. Have a picnic at the beach
Plan a beach picnic and soak in the rays of the sun. The cool winds, the sound of the waves, and their company are a super combo for a first date.
52. Glamp in your backyard
You may have a romantic at-home camping experience if you set up a tent in the backyard, roast some marshmallows, and tell fables around the campfire.
53. Revamp your van
This plan is the most celebrated hero among the perfect first dates. Customize your backseat to create a comfy, enclosed hangout to embrace the #vanlife. It offers outdoor fun without necessitating travel or bug bites.
54. Swap your hobbies
Spend the afternoon sharing your skills and interests. Give your date a guitar lesson while they demonstrate how to perform a free throw to show up your musical prowess.
55. Take a chocolate factory tour
Go on a tour of a cookie or chocolate factory together and only concentrate on the free samples.
56. Cook up a wine and cheese night
Grab a bottle (or two) of wine and some munchies for a relaxing evening at home. Get a little tipsy and break free into honest confessions.
57. I scream you scream ice cream
Nothing is sweeter than going on an ice cream date. One of the cutest first date ideas ever is to get a cone, choose some toppings, then take a stroll in a park.
58. Go for fruit picking
Is there anything more romantic than collecting apples, berries, or oranges during the fall season? Go for fruit picking and munch on the fruits on your way back home together.
59. Plan for a gardening day
In the spring and fall, community parks and public gardens frequently offer volunteer opportunities. You and your date may get your hands dirty while positively contributing to the community.
A few months over the next, it’ll be amazing to return and see that your seeds have fully blossomed, much like your relationship.
60. Plan a rock climbing
Let the adrenaline rush from a rock climbing wall increase your endorphin levels. Also, you can work as a team to reach the top.
61. Learn skating together
Do a couple-laps around a roller skating rink to relive your teens and twenties (or a good 1980s movie). This could include hand-holding.
62. Baking ranks top in perfect first dates
Baking is its reward and a great method for spending time with a loved one without hurting the wallet. The aroma of cookies or a cake wafting through the air, and the treat you receive afterward, are just a few of the benefits.
63. Home-made brunch date
You might exhibit your culinary expertise, avoid unnecessary restaurant queues, and relax in your pajamas by making a delicious brunch at home. Also, there is no extra charge for adding extra cheese.
64. Listen to throwback records and vintage tapes
Choose the recordings that carried special memories for you during your childhood. Discuss music that meant a lot to each of you when you were kids.
65. Duck feeding at ponds
Life is all about the little things, isn’t it? Treat the ducks to some leftover corn, lettuce, or oats instead of the bread, that’s not especially good for them.
66. Go for a role-play date
For a fun date, dress up as a character, give yourself a nickname, make up a background, and re-meet. The most essential things are to listen, communicate, and be present, so try to stay in character for as long as you can.
67. Candle-lit dinner and personality test
This is one of the most interesting first date ideas.
Try to guess each other’s responses when you ask a question or vice-versa during a candlelight dinner. Even if you believe you know your partner well, chatting about your personalities together would strengthen your bond.
68. Go for an archery date
Archery is a fun game to learn together that calls for concentration. Take up archery so you can shoot arrows like Cupid.
69. Create Graffiti together
This is one of the more interesting first date suggestions to think about if you’re looking for cool date ideas. Have a memorable first date by picking up some spray and creating graffiti on your favorite walls.
70. Perform science experiments
The opportunity to act like a nerd is one of the best first date recommendations. Pick a YouTube experiment video to replicate, and have fun playing the role of a scientist for the day.
Wrap Up
First dates are important because they can have a significant effect on the way a relationship develops in the future. Not only for couples in the initial stages of relationships, but cheap dates (that don’t feel cheap) should be considered for sustainability. Regardless of whether they are on a fixed budget or simply don’t enjoy fancy, expensive dinners, long-term couples still need a regular supply of fun date ideas.
We’ve put up the most comprehensive guide to dating on a real-person budget, with everything from creative first date ideas to outdoorsy experiences that only demand a little cash and the right mindset, to guide anyone looking to enjoy a pleasant date night.
For you to stand out from the crowd or, at least, have your date pondering at the end of the evening, we hope to have supplied you with a wide array of activities, both mainstream and exceptional.
Ready to take your first date to the next level? Book a hotel room for a few hours with Brevistay’s online hotel booking platform. Enjoy privacy, comfort, and convenience without breaking the bank. Book now and make your first date unforgettable!
