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Cool Date Ideas in Melbourne Guaranteed to Impress

Looking for fun things to do in Melbourne for you and your partner? We’ve rounded up the coolest date ideas in Melbourne for date night with a difference.

Alba Thermal Springs

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 high-flying acrobatic displays to quiet city escapes, to satisfy all tastes. Up the romance with these fun and inventive date ideas, guaranteed to impress your S.O.

Normandy Wine & Grill

Impress with 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

That Paper Joint

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

Fever Candelight Concerts

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

State Library of Victoria

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 

Bento & Bubbles

Connect over Bento & Bubbles with Zee Scott

This two hour 'happy hour' cake decorating workshop is one made for reconnecting with your hubby, or having fun with a new flame. Join Zee Scott (fun fact: she was the celebrant at Hannah Gadsby's wedding) for Bento & Bubbles; buttercream, snacks and bubbles at her HQ in Coburg North, where for $110 per person, guests receive a glass of champagne before learning how to pipe buttercream onto small, bento box-sized cakes. You'll take these sweet beauties home after class too, to keep the sugar-coated moments coming. Perfect for beginners, but all skill levels are welcome. This is one of the coolest date ideas in Melbourne for couples who like to mix it up in the kitchen! 

36/52 Bakers Road, Coburg North 

Little Lon Distilling Co

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 

Picnic at Heide Museum 

Pack a picnic and set out together for a relaxing date in the grounds and sculpture park of Heide Museum of Modern Art. The museum houses modern and contemporary art across three distinct exhibition buildings and is set within sixteen acres of heritage-listed gardens and a sculpture park, which means it's the perfect spot to linger and explore. We think it's the ultimate Sunday Funday setting, and a chance for you and your date to get to know each other in a relaxed environment, while also taking in unique modern art certain to provide some layers to your conversation. 

Heide Museum at Banksia Park, 7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen

Malthouse Theatre

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

Good Booze Blind

Go on a Cute Little 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

Paris Cat Jazz Club

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

Collingwood Yards

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 

The Wheelhouse

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

GoBoat (Image credit: Lean Timms)

Rent a GoBoat

Why settle for a waterfront view when you can kick back with your date on the Yarra? With no boat licence required, all you need to do is pack a spread and you're good to go. Launching in January 2019, GoBoat's state-of-the-art, Scandinavian designed vessels give you the freedom to cruise along the river in style and make the most of the Yarra River’s impossibly romantic vistas from the best spot in the city.

Southbank Boulevard, Southbank

Make Your Own Wine

Ditch the standing dinner date with your beau and make your own wine instead. Over a series of workshops, Noisy Ritual will guide you through the whole process from grape to glass. Stomp, press, and bottle your very own vintage and do a whole lot of tasting along the way. All workshops are included in the membership as well as three barrel tasting sessions, 6 bottles of your personal handmade wine, and 20% off their entire selection of drops for the whole year.

249 Lygon Street, Brunswick East

Fairfield Park Boathouse

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Allie and Noah, Jack and Rose, Alfalfa and Darla: what do all the greatest love stories of all time have in common? A romantic boat ride, that’s what. Head out on the calm waters of the Yarra at Fairfield Park Boathouse and sail (or in this case row) off into the sunset. The Insta-worthy hand-built rowboats were designed by a shipwright from Portsmouth U.K and are the only ones of their kind in the Southern Hemisphere. While we recommend leaving the romantic serenades to Alfalfa, the river is the perfect spot to get to know a new person or kick back and relax in silence - either way,  it’s chill vibes all around. Post cruise, head up to the Tearoom for a drink and bite.

Fairfield Park Drive, Fairfield

Hotel NO

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

Melbourne Botanic Gardens (Image credit: Visit Victoria)

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.

Alba Thermal Springs

Splurge on a Spa Day

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. 

Cork & Chroma

Get Sipping and Painting

Make like Monet and paint your way into your lover’s heart. Tap into your inner artist and learn how to paint like the masters at Cork & Chroma. An artist will provide you and your date with step-by-step guidance as you paint the artwork du jour. It’s open to absolutely anyone, you can BYO booze and at the end of the three-hour session, you’ll leave with your very own masterpiece.

From $55 per person

206 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne

NGV Melbourne

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

Tokyo Tina

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 12pm-2:15pm

66A Chapel Street, Windsor

Peninsula Hot Springs

Get hot and steamy

The Peninsula Hot Springs is a must-try date spot, with over 20 bath experiences including plunge pools, jet pools, massaging showers and a Turkish hammam. Spread across the open-air Bath House, let the soothing waters and rejuvenating minerals do all the work, while you and your partner reconnect and unwind.

140 Springs Lane, Fingal

Free to Feed

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. AKA, the couple that grows together stays together. 

205-211 Queens Parade, Fitzroy North

The Salsa Foundation

Learn to dance

With all that fierce staring, waist holding, and hip swaying, there’s no dance form more sensual than salsa. The Salsa Foundation hosts free beginners’ classes each Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, gifting you a sure-fire way to heat up your average midweek date night. It‘s the perfect excuse to get up, close, and personal with your S.O.  And you get to learn a new skill while you’re at it.

Free (Bookings required)

Rush Escape Game

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.

Scienceworks (Image Credit: Visit Melbourne)

Geek out over science

For a date night idea in Melbourne that’s out of this world (literally), book an after-hours experience at Scienceworks. See the Planetarium come to life by venturing through fluorescent underwater corals, marvelling at the cosmos and witnessing an alien invasion from the dome. Choose between a presenter-led tour through the night sky and a fulldome art film offering an immersive voyage into unseen worlds.

Every Friday (7:30pm & 9:00pm sessions)

2 Booker Street, Spotswood 

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. 

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