Fun Date Ideas in Melbourne Set to Impress This Spring

From humble, albeit awkward beginnings, to going steady and beyond, there will always be one question that greets you and your partner throughout all the phases of your blossoming relationship:

“So, what do you want to do for date night?”

To help you and your beau settle on a date night to remember, we’ve gathered a hit list of romantic experiences that range from dinner dates dialled up a notch to hot and steamy spa days to quiet city escapes, guaranteed to satisfy all tastes. 

Up the romance and impress your S.O with these fun date ideas in Melbourne. 

Enjoy a Saturday Night Boogie and Vinyl Night

Whoever said Saturday night fever was dead was a liar. If you've got the urge to enjoy some incredible food and also have a boogie all under the one roof, Pincho x Disco is hosting a vinyl DJ night every Saturday from 7pm. Here, you'll be able to enjoy a symphony of Latin American flavours, sip on a variety of cocktails until you feel buzzed and ready to move your feet to some funky disco tunes, dancing until the early hours of the morning.

Every Saturday from 7.00pm

59 Cambridge Street, Collingwood

Get Up Close With the Wildlife at Melbourne Zoo

There's something so fun and special about a day out at Melbourne Zoo, especially in the warmer months when the sun is out, the weather is warm and the animals are parading around their enclosures. Watch the monkeys play with one or take in the proud lions and tigers in absolute awe. One of our favourite parts of Melbourne Zoo that we think makes for a great date idea in Melbourne? The butterfly enclosure. There's just something about the gorgeous colours all around coming from the beating wings of butterflies, plus the potential of one landing on your outstretched hand, that makes it feel special and ultra romantic.

Elliott Avenue, Parkville

Get Swept Away in the Romance of an Orchestra

You're meant to romanticise your life and treat it as though you're the main character, right? What better way to do that and pretend you're in a romance movie than by going to watch an orchestra? The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra always has something new going on, and hosts live performances regularly. Want to take it one step further and pretend you and your hot date are part of one of your favourite movies? Melbourne Symphony Orchestra does several 'MSO at the Movies' sessions throughout the year, wherein you can enjoy your favourite movies including Harry Potter, Home Alone, Star Wars and many more with a live orchestra soundtrack! It's so perfect, you almost forget that the music is actually being performed in the moment!

See MSO's what's on schedule for upcoming events

Spend the Night at VIVA, Melbourne's Hottest New Destination

For couples seeking to add a touch of thrill to their winter evenings, VIVA in North Melbourne is the ultimate date night destination. This one-stop cabaret venue is the epitome of sophistication, seamlessly blending modern luxury with the timeless charm of a 1920s Spiegel tent. Step right in for an unforgettable experience that includes premium dining, sleek nightlife, and captivating performances.

Begin your night with "Elegant," a mesmerising cabaret show that masterfully combines comedy, dance, and drama. As the evening progresses, the energy intensifies with "Exotic," a series of bold performances that challenge and captivate the audience.

VIVA has quickly set a new benchmark in both entertainment and dining, making it the perfect spot for couples looking to heat up their nights with sophistication and flair. Moulin Rouge, eat your heart out!

64 Sutton Street, North Melbourne

Visit the Restore Floor at Element Melbourne 

Element Melbourne Richmond, a modern, eco-conscious hotel nestled in native Australian bushland near the Yarra River, is the ideal setting for a unique and enchanting date. Their newly launched Restore Floor and restorative packages offer a serene urban retreat with luxurious features.

Unwind together in the Infrared Sauna Room, ease away tension in plush massage chairs, and find tranquillity in the peaceful Balance Room. These experiences can be booked at an hourly rate, ensuring a stylish and memorable date.

Sitchu Tip: Elevate the romance by booking a night’s stay. Customise your experience with the ‘Rest & Restore’ Package, enjoy relaxed communal spaces, and modern, comfortable rooms. Plus, you can even bring your furry friend along for the adventure!

588 Swan Street, Richmond 

'Pasta for Two' at Marameo

Amore! Experience the ultimate date night with at Marameo, where chic Italian dinner party vibes take form in their new $50 "Pasta For Two" series. Offering an enchanting Wednesday night filled with romance — for less than a dozen roses, mind you — this is the perfect outing for friends and lovers alike.

The delightful menu includes a half-litre of Italian white or red wine, house-made rosemary focaccia, mixed salumi, and a choice between two exquisite baked conchiglie dishes: ricotta with mushroom ragu and béchamel or ricotta with spinach, pork, and beef ragu, accompanied by a fresh house salad. Finish the evening with a decadent chocolate bunet topped with raspberry and hazelnuts.

Treat your special someone to one of the best new date ideas in Melbourne, to an unforgettable Italian feast where extra cheese is demanded, not admonished. 

Wednesday nights, $50 for two

Book here

Go for a Steak Frites Tuesday to Remember at Normandy Wine & Grill

Half price steak frites at a sophisticated French restaurant. In this economy? Say no more! 

Your regular Tuesday date night just got elevated to a new level of tres chic. Yes, it's a fancy dinner date, but it's cooler and more impressive because it won't break the bank  

Normandy Wine & Grill's Steak Frites Tuesday is already getting rave reviews and copious bookings, so it's only right for you and your cutie to get in on the action. 

A half-price cape grim beef or pure black Angus truly hits different, and will have your partner oh-so appreciative. The couple that saves together, slays together, after all.

The best part? This isn't a regular steak night. for there will be no compromising on the actual quality of the steak. 5 different cuts are available to enjoy: minute steak, eye fillet, scotch fillet, porterhouse and 500g rib eye. All come with fries and choice of béarnaise or bordelaise sauce. Be right back, drooling. 

No catches, just a brilliant, beautiful bargain. It would be a mi-steak to miss out on this delicious date idea. 

162-164 High Street, Windsor

Cut and Paste and Create Together at That Paper Joint

We think this is one of the most original, rewarding, and fun date ideas in Melbourne that's guaranteed to impress. 

That Paper Joint is Melbourne's first dedicated collage studio, workshop, and gallery space. It's here you'll be able to appreciate just how fun and easy collaging is, regardless of your artistic skill, ability, or background. So come along with your date, pull up a chair, relax with a drink in one hand, scissors in the other, and get sticking!

During the three hour collage workshops, you'll be guided through a variety of image-making processes and techniques, with casual guidance and friendly expertise along the way. There's a fully stocked, fantastic array of second-hand books, magazines, and other paper treasures for you and your boo to explore and cut-and-paste with.

It'll be a date unlike anything you've ever experienced - there's something so intimate and freeing about getting in touch with your inner artist both independently and together. 

Book here

544 Sydney Road, Brunswick

Attend a Candlelit Concert

Hold hands and get swept up in the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience, all under the glow of candlelight. For an unforgettable date idea in Melbourne, you simply can't look past attending a candlelit concert from Fever. There are orchestral tributes to Coldplay and Taylor Swift, as well as the soaring sounds of Mozart's Requiem and Vivaldi's Four Seasons played out to a transfixing degree, in stunning and oft-historic venues like the Athenaeum Theatre and Collingwood Town Hall. 

Multiple locations, see website for more details

Create your own meet-cute within the pages of the city's gorgeous State Library

If you want a classic rom-com first date experience, the State Library is your best bet. You might like to flick through the immense amount of literature that surrounds, to find a book that sums up your date perfectly. Exchange your picks (and flirty eyes) beneath the iconic domed ceiling, pull up a chair and begin to flick through the pages, to see if they’ve read you right. We highly recommend renting out your books and taking them out on the library lawn, first grabbing some delicious takeout tacos from CDMX in Melbourne Central. 

328 Swanston Street, Melbourne 

Go on a Brewery or Distillery Tour

There's something simultaneously fun and atmospheric about a brewery or distillery experience, and it makes for one seriously cool date with a difference. Fortunately for loved up Melburnians, our city is flourishing with an array of fantastic spots to sip right at the source. From gin-focused gems like Little Lon Distilling Co and Naught Distilling, to the whiskey-laden beauty that is Starward Distillery & Bar or the beer lover's mecca that is Deeds Brewing, it's a chance to explore a world of contemporary cocktails and creative brews, immersive experiences, and dining opportunities for both hardcore spirit and lager lovers...and their supportive partner, curious to learn more.

All you have to do is organise which tasting session. tour or masterclass is the perfect date idea in Melbourne for you. Hop to it! 

Yoga at The LUME

Recharge the self, your relationship, and realign and ignite the mind, body and spirit with a yoga class at The LUME. Each week attendees will be transported to a Rainforest, Space, Underwater, Melbourne Nights or another mesmerising setting - all designed to immerse yogis into a calming and tranquil space, along with a beautiful matching soundtrack and The LUME's signature perfume to ignite every single sense. It's a charming, refreshing experience guaranteed to add a sense of calm and fun realignment in your relationship. 

$35.00pp

5 Convention Centre Place, South Wharf 

See a Show at Malthouse Theatre 

The Malthouse Theatre is an absolute gem, and a chance for you and your date to be a part of the Melbourne buzz. Situated in the Ngargee Courtyard and neighboured by the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), it also boasts a large-scale outdoor amphitheatre (keep an eye out for announcements of future events).

Inside, the space pulsates with a welcoming, lively energy that will have you and your date feeling instantaneously at ease.

Whether you're tucked away inside or out embracing the open-air, beneath blue skies or under a blanket of stars, you'll be able to take in a roster of incredible live events; everything from music, dance and comedy, to workshops, talks and of course, theatre. There really are exciting experiences for all, and if your sweetheart is a little culture vulture, there's a chance you'll be smothered in both affection and appreciation for this thoughtful date night out. 

Sitchu Tip: The outdoor amphitheatre is summertime only, but the Malthouse Theatre also provides the perfect setting for a cute date - check what's on stage here.

The Malthouse, 113 Sturt Street, Southbank

Go on a Cute Wine Tasting Dinner

Love is blind and so is good wine, when you make a date with Good Booze. Blind. A platform designed to teach even the most novice wine drinker how to taste and talk about wine, Good Booze. Blind is about bringing wine appreciation to everyone, without any ego. It's a super fun night out and set within the beautifully atmospheric space of Wide Open Road in Brunswick, the mood is bound to set all eyes-a-twinkling and hearts-a-flutter. From blind tasting events to their blind tasting packs and wine shop - cute little wine date at home, anyone? -  you heard it through the grapevine here first! Find out more about upcoming events here. 

$100 per person

274 Barkly Street, Brunswick

See a Movie Before Cosying Up With Some Live Jazz – All in the Same Venue

Star in your own version of Midnight in Paris with a visit to Paris Cat Jazz Club, which will transport you to the French jazz bars of the '20s and '30s without stepping a toe outside the CBD. Hidden down an alleyway (of course), it might take you a while to find, but you’ll be rewarded with cosy, candlelit rooms and intimate performances of swing, soul, blues, bebop and funk four nights a week. Need we say more?

6 Goldie Place, Melbourne

Spend a Day at Collingwood’s Coolest Arts Precinct

For creatives and art lovers, Collingwood Yards provides the perfect date setting. The not-for-profit arts precinct is home to artists, agencies, book shops, cool clothing stores, not one but two gorgeous bars, gallery spaces, a coffee shop and more.

Visit on the weekend and the space is alive with artsy shoppers during the day and avid bar hoppers at night. The newly opened rooftop bar, Runner Up, is perfect for a spritz at sundown and features extremely stylish interiors, while downstairs at Hope St Radio you can enjoy a view of the leafy green courtyard while dining on delish pasta and vinos.

35 Johnston Street, Collingwood 

Try Your Hand at Pottery

Bring out your inner Demi Moore (Ghost, anyone?) at The Wheelhouse. Offering one-off classes where you and your beau can learn the art of throwing on a potter’s wheel, you will be sculpting Ghost-style in no time! The two-hour session includes all clay, tools, glaze and the firing of 1 piece. Once you have mastered the wheel you can book either for one of their six- or eight-week terms, because as we all know- couples that hobby together, stay together.

From $120 per person (per session)

The Wheelhouse: 174 Gladstone Street, South Melbourne

Go Glamping in the City

Nothing says romance like an overnight hotel stay. But for those who like to book outside the box, Hotel NO offers an altogether unique staycation. Veering on the other side of the luxe spectrum, this glamorous glamping experience is as quintessentially Melbourne as they come – a stylish Airstream camper located smack-back in the middle of the city. The ‘silver bullets’ (there are six to choose from in total) have been given a tasteful spruce, and come pared-back with a queen bed, all the creature comforts, as well as a well-stocked minibar. Each site even has its own deck for some up-close city star gazing.

If you really want to dial up the romance, try and book the ‘Airstream With Benefits’ – it comes with a private hot tub overlooking Flinders Lane. Bliss.

388 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Pack a Picnic

When you’re looking to dial up the romance, there’s nothing quite like dining in the open air. For a fun date afternoon, ready your rug and pack that gourmet hamper. Melbourne is brimming with top picnic spots that are ready and waiting for your next romantic rendezvous.

Get Hot and Steamy 

In need of a little pampering? Upgrade your date night to a full day of R&R, with a couple’s trip to the day spa. Providing you both with the time and space to get away from it all and lock in some much-deserved relaxation, you can indulge in massages, body scrubs, facials, and pedicures. So ready your robe, sit back, and let the serenity wash over you. 

You can keep it local and head to your closest day spa in Melbourne, or turn it into a full day trip and head down the Mornington Peninsula to wade through the thermal mineral hot springs. Take your pick from the Peninsula Hot Springs, Alba Thermal Springs, or the newly opened Aurora at the Intercontinental Sorrento.

Appreciate Some Art

For artsy duos, the NGV provides the perfect date night setting. As Australia’s oldest public art gallery, it’s built up a collection with both breadth and depth, spanning everything from irreplaceable classical paintings to contemporary acquisitions from modern masters. In short, this is the place to see your Picassos and Rembrandts. Enter from the famous water wall and make your way around four floors of galleries. Head there before dinner and you will have endless things to discuss.

180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne

Have a Bingo Date

Brunch, bloody marys and bingo – not a conventional date, but a fun one nonetheless. Every Saturday, Windsor’s favourite Japanese diner, Tokyo Tina runs bingo bottomless brunches. Think pork belly bao and free-flowing prosecco, coupled with lively bingo and the chance to win a slew of prizes. Now, that’s a winning date.

Saturdays 12.00pm to 2.15pm

66A Chapel Street, Windsor

Test Your Cooking Skills

To make your next date night a home-cooked feast, head to one of Free to Feed's excellent cooking classes. This social enterprise has some of the best culinary instructors on hand, hailing from some of the world's most hospitable places and more than ready to take you and your partner on an incredible food journey that explores their incredible culture.

From textural Burmese cooking to Egyptian treats from the streets of Cairo and all the recipes in between, these are not your average cooking classes! Expect three hours of hands-on cooking, rich storytelling and a final shared feast, all designed to aid in the exchange of powerful memories, form life long connections, shape conversations and celebrate the ambition of newly arrived people to our country.

Fervent foodie or first-timer, everyone’s welcome in the Free to Feed kitchen. A date idea in Melbourne that's so much more than your run-of-the-mill romantic gesture, this is an experience that rewards you in both learning about each other but also other cultures and the art of cooking.

205-211 Queens Parade, Fitzroy North

Try an Escape Room

If you're on the hunt for an activity that's thrilling, quirky and accommodates multiple couples (but also just one), why not shake things up with an escape room experience? Rush Escape Game is one of the many escape rooms in Melbourne that provide spooky fun for a unique date night - whether it be just the two of you or a group date. This particular establishment is host to a wealth of themed escape rooms, all inspired by your favourite TV shows and films, such as Saw (2004) and Stranger Things

Various locations across Melbourne, see website for more details.

Looking for more date night inspo? We've got plenty to keep you and your loved one entertained besides these cute date ideas. From underground cocktail haunts and cosy Melbourne pubs, to weekend getaways and boozy brunches, we've whittled down the coolest things to do in Melbourne to make sure your next date night is a complete success.