Date Ideas: 125 Activity Tips For Original Dates [List]

“What to do on a (first) date …?” Are you looking for date ideas and activity tips for original dates? In this article you will always find a good idea for fun romantic activities. This way you have an original (first) date. Even in winter, autumn or in bad weather you have fun things to do. Read along…

What fun date ideas are in this article?

In this article you will find examples of dates for both a date phase and for a relationship (date night). The main idea you should actually take out of this is that you yourself are the best date idea possible.

The activity itself doesn’t matter much. What matters is that you feel comfortable and know that the other person already likes you. Otherwise you wouldn’t have a date. This has everything to do with self-confidence .

The list below already gives you countless date ideas…

List of all date activities: 125 ideas for an original date

1. Number #1 is grabbing a ‘coffee / tea / drink’ , which is rather uncomfortable as a ‘standard date’ in which all the cliché questions about school, work and hobbies come by… while you are sitting somewhat distantly opposite each other at a table. The solution? Suggest walking over to the cafe’s games cabinet. For example, extract Jenga and get to know each other while all the discomfort is magically absorbed by the game you are playing in the meantime. Another solution? Make it really flirty – and so not platonic by taking the other person to a discreet spot and giving a kiss. Or break that whole pattern of a ‘standard date’ by just asking the bartender to put on a happy song for 30 seconds so that you can dance together. So, the ice has broken and now you dare much more during the rest of the date.
2. A quiz . This can be perfectly combined with a ‘coffee / tea’. The point of the questioning game is not to play a game. The point is to ask emotional and exciting questions, instead of just talking about school, work and “Do you have any hobbies?” It doesn’t matter what kind of ‘question game’ you come up with. The most basic form is to take turns asking each other  exciting and funny questions  and dealing with other emotion-inducing conversation topics . You can also play a more serious game where you get to know each other well, such as the core quadrant game.
3. Cook together . Do the shopping together and ask in advance what the other is drinking.
4. Feed ducklings . Show that you respect animals.
5. Strip poker . Or strip poker in the dark. It’s your rules.
6. Chilling in your own backyard . Homemade smoothie on the side (try vanilla ice cream with carrot juice) and chill mode on!
7. The option that is always possible: a walk . In fact, a walk can always be an added bonus.
8. Take a subscription to the music venue near you, so you can always go to the lesser known bands for free.
9. Take your date into your own world. What do you like to do and where do you like to go? These are the best kind of dates.
10. Karaoke night. At home behind the piano, with a microphone or in a karaoke bar. Of course pick the most romantic duet eh.
11. A museum is always a nice place, also for humor. ‘I made this painting’ (While standing in front of the Mona Lisa). ‘The painter used sticks to paint, and sometimes, if he couldn’t find sticks …’ 
12. Take a museum year ticket for all access to all museums in the country: there is always something to do in any museum in the country!
13. Take out a subscription at the theater in your area. It is nice to go there regularly.
14. Comedy shows and improvisational theater . 
15. Check to see if your city ‘s cultural student associations will be performing anything soon. There is a period in which a performance can be seen every day – of course at student prices.
16. Picnicking . Also provide a large chill mat and speakers. Also consider all other necessities, such as fine food, drinks and napkins.
    
17. Stare at the stars . This reminds you how unimportant your own problems are.
18. Board games . This is a very good way to get to know each other better. Think of the classic games such as Risk, but also the new games that pop up.
19. Puzzles.
20. Take a look at Groupon. You always get a surprising idea there.
21. Make a photo book of all the photos on which you are together.
22. Video games !
    
23. A walk in the woods , or even hiking. Bonus tip: be amazed by the scents of nature by going just after the rain or even during the rain (with a good poncho). Also take a waste spike with you and clean waste that you see lying around.
24. The beach. Fix a ball, umbrella, cool box, chill mat, speakers, a bucket for a decent sandcastle, lots of water and some good sandwiches. This allows you to chill for many hours on the beach. And maybe romantic dance in the shallow. This is also the ultimate time to make your date feel proud that he / she can date you: show off proudly with him / her by putting an arm around the other.
25. Is it winter? Then you can also go to the beach for a walk on the beach (bring boots!). When it is no longer winter, bare feet can too!
26. Enjoy the sun and swim (across) in a lake.
27. Pottery or painting class. Grab a giant sheet and turn it into a masterpiece .
    
28. Bar hopping.
29. The zoo .
30. Go to the cinema – and go to a movie that is 100% sure to be bad. And a movie that you can never guess what it could be about.
31. Netflixing . With or without chill.
32. Watch a movie or series in a special way. For example, during a picnic under the stars with cozy sleeping bags. You can also play a kind of bingo game: every time a certain word is said in the movie or a certain character comes along, you have to take a sip. Obviously the loser has to give something to the winner … The horror movie night is also great: make it as dark as possible and put on a scary movie.
    
33. Trips to Ikea and play hide and seek there. By the way, here is plenty of inspiration for humor. Have you seen the Ikea jokes from the movie 50 Days of Summer? In the kitchen, have a conversation at the dining table “What do you want for dinner (look in the fridge)”. In bedroom: “Do you want to do it?”. Throw things at the other. Play with children’s toys. Cleaning our 3 kitchens. I had already taken junior out of school yesterday so today you. “Super handy at Ikea, I just dropped my girlfriend here.” “I don’t know how to tell you this .. But {there’s a Chinese family in our bedroom}.” Those silly jokes.
34. Have a ‘no electronics’ night . Read a book together, go for walks, sneak in places where you are not allowed to be (party crashes for example).
35. Read a (audio) book together or read to each other. It is interesting because you can pause every five minutes and exchange thoughts about it.
36. Have a tepephone date . Everyone just stays at home and you have a wonderful conversation over the phone. For many people this is very pleasant: fewer stimuli and a better conversation.
37. Do a pub crawl together : one drink and then on to the next pub!
38. Take a course together . For example dance class, painting, drama…
    
39. Not a walk or a long walk, but a mega-long walk in a nature reserve where you can lie in meadows and walk in streams. Also go to a remote place, for example in the Achterhoek in the Mensink estate. This can be walked from Winterswijk-west station.
40. Have an evening with a deep conversation to get to know each other extra well. If necessary, use these 198+ deep questions.
41. Play Ask Reddit while eating. Go to the sub-website ‘ Ask Reddit ‘ and answer the questions asked there.
42. Find out what local activities there are.
43. Book a night at a cooking school to come and eat during a practice evening. Cheap and fun for the students.
44. The pleasure of doing nothing. Seriously. What is really fun? Secretly doing nothing is the best. I could sit on the couch with my partner for an hour, listen to her breath, look ahead and just feel the ‘being’. It is sacred: the joy of being alive. Just read this article about the here and now. So: are you the man, so let your lady just start with a minute of silence in your arms. Have no plans at all – to do or to go – except to love each other.
45. In line with the previous tip: partner meditations. On this page you will find a number of wonderful exercises.
46. When she comes over, throw her right on your bed and hug each other completely. Then you fall asleep.
    
47. Together do volunteer work.
48. Learn a language together .
49. Gardening .
50. Art galleries .
51. Going out and dancing! Just an old-fashioned night out including döner, good earplugs and argue with drunk people. “Did you have something!” But seriously: if you’ve been dating for some time, don’t get bored with a drink. Talk to other interesting people together, because you can meet the craziest characters.
    
52. Learn a new skill , such as tying knots or programming.
53. Going to the gym together.
54. Is it one of your first dates? Then show the other person what it is like to have you as a partner . Just take the other person with you in two or three hours of your day.
55. Open the screen with Facebook events to see what kind of festivals. You can also see where friends are going.
56. We’ve secretly hidden one of the best date ideas right in the middle of the list: women work hard. If it’s not for their career, it is for their kids or friends and family. Sometimes a woman like that just doesn’t want to hear anything other than that you drop by Friday evening with a good bottle of wine, prepare a nice dinner for her, run a warm bath to pamper her and put her in her most comfortable seat so that she can relax.
57. Meeting the neighbors together (that you don’t know yet).
    
58. Visit a flea market – or even better – sell your junk at a flea market yourself.
59. Make your dream list or dream board together .
60. Together buy something and do the ‘good cop, bad cop’ game to get a good price for things. When negotiating, one of you plays the sympathetic customer and the other keeps breaking down the product. At a certain point, the sympathetic of the two will be the first to ask the seller if the seller can take anything off the price (the seller must be the first to mention an amount!) And continue that way.
61. The toy store . There you will find a lot of inspiration for silly jokes. “Hey look: Mr. Frog, Mr. Frog wants to say hello.”
62. Buy markers, paint and paper directly from the toy store to write / draw your story during your picnic. Or go finger painting by moonlight.
63. Craft something beautiful at home.
    
64. The petting zoo .
65. A real farm. 
66. Visit an arcade hall.
67. Make your own movie.
68. Check meetup.com and find something around your interest.
69. Share favorite Youtube movies with each other. Make it a real marathon.
    
70. To the sauna . 
71. Tastings .
72. Acro yoga or partner stretching. Perfect for two people.
73. Register with a student association , even if you are no longer a student. The activities remain fun.
74. Are you looking for an original date? Visit an ‘Ecstatic Dance’ . What it is? Dancing, but with even more ecstasy … so more extreme! As if you see a lot of hippies dancing together. Only they are not high on drugs, but on music and expression. Intense partying!
75. Organize a house party together . Better yet, do this regularly.
76. Make a wish together on a shooting star (or a dandelion).
77. Check on Facebook what kinds of events are organized by friends . Who knows, you might find some bizarre workshop where something really crazy or extreme is done by a ‘special’ friend.
78. To church for meaningful activities, such as peace gatherings .
79. Rent a boat to go sailing .
    
80. Go to the playground (a big one!) To play like kids.
81. Read to each other.
82. Make a love letter / love poem for each other on the spot . You can write this on paper or improvise out loud, for example based on the day you experienced or on a random topic.
83. Have a nice meal with the old hippies . You can always laugh with these people. In every big city they cook cheaply for them somewhere.
84. Sign up for speed dating together . This is funny if you are in a relationship because you are doing something ‘undercover’. And if you come across each other at a certain point during speed dating, play as a play extremely awkward and needy. “Wow, I finally discovered the one. Unbelievable, I agree with everything you say!” Or suddenly sit hand in hand at the table full of passion and love. You can also give each other assignments, such as: incorporate as many children’s shows as possible in your conversation. Push the other person away from you as hard as possible. Spin around in your chair after each question from the other person.
85. Surround each other with cozy nerds in a LARP association during a special board game.
86. Maybe not that original, but also not self-evident: go to a dance evening with world music.
87. Go for an early date so that you can watch the sunrise somewhere with a good view .
    
88. Visit a food festival. That is music and food in one.
89. Let the dog out and go to the woods!
90. Do something with the holiday of the moment. Is it Halloween? Dress up very nicely and go out. And so you can do it with anything.
91. Bring bubbles and have a bubble blowing afternoon.
92. Check if your favorite Spotify artist is playing a concert in the area. And also give the little artists something, such as the sympathetic André Pronk.
93. Go to an amusement park.
94. Attend a TV program.
95. Shop for each other and choose which clothes go well with the other.
96. Go to the skating rink .
97. Go to the spa and / or a beauty salon .
98. Frisbee or badminton in the park.
99. Have a water fight. Take it seriously with serious rules of the game by turning it into tag. When you are hit by a water balloon (which does not stay intact), you are the next ticker.
    
100. Go to a trampoline hall .
101. Record a play or feature film of each other .
102. Go to a DJ workshop , because making music is one of the most creative and joyful things in life.
103. Date in the dark! You may know it from the TV program. The good news is that if you know a room without windows, you can do it yourself!
104. Play a hilarious app game on the phone together, such as Psych od Mad Libs.
105. Eat out. Women just want to hear, “I’ve reserved a table for us.”
106. A living room concert : find out which touring artists are in your area, come up with a suitable reward for the artist, provide snacks and drinks and possibly invite friends.
107. Have a clean up day together . Yes, that is also romantic. That is exactly love.
108. Get extra inspiration from the Tripadvisor website .
109. Register together for a mud run. This is an obstacle course in the mud. Train together for this too!
     
110. Become an extra together .  They are always looking for people for movies or TV shows.
111. Set the goal to have visited all nature reserves / national parks in the country together.
112. Go to communities, such as communities for expats or other groups.
113. Do something with children, because they will teach you how to have a carefree fun. For example, look after the neighbors’ children together.
114. Read to each other. Choose a beautiful novel or beautiful poetry.
     
115. In a public space, pretend you don’t know each other and pickup each other with the most nonsensical opening sentences. Pay special attention to the reactions of the people around you when you are kissing a little later.
116. Get away for a weekend on a cheap flight. Or check out Ryanair’s offers. Go on vacation and of course dress in the national costume of that country. And if you are the only one in clothing, all the more fun. Also take the party activities as you have King’s Day in the Netherlands. Often these festivities take place on weekends. Also bring a folding chair and enjoy to the maximum.
117. Stroll in courtyards and botanical gardens.
118. Just do something that makes you happy . Maybe that’s singing, maybe that’s dancing, maybe that’s riding a roller coaster, and maybe that’s all three at the same time.
119. Look up high date locations, such as a rooftop patio, tower, or sky lounge.
120. Rent a tandem and take a bike ride. Take some food and drinks with you.
121. Find a location where you can watch the sunset .
122. Go party crashing, for example in a wedding, a buffet or a hotel pool. A very good tactic for this is to bring a wine glass with apple juice and a napkin and walk in with it so that it looks like you have already been inside.
123. Mark something off your bucket list .
124. Discover a new hobby together.
125. Have you not seen each other for a long time? Then simply have a hugging party .

Good ideas for an original date for all situations!

Whether it is good weather or bad weather, there is always a fun activity in the list above. Always test some of these activities together during date night and discover which are your favorites. Have fun with your romantic day out! 

But … During the date then? Here are the best dating tips

How do you manage during the date? Click here to go to the best tips for an unforgettable (first) date.

Find out more about the right date activities and ideas?

These were all date ideas and fun things to do. Have fun with your romantic day or night out! Leave all your additions in the comments. Finally, take a look at our extensive  dating blog articles.