Fun Date Ideas in Melbourne Set to Impress This Summer
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.
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 curated a list of romantic experiences, ranging from dinner dates dialled up a notch to hot and steamy spa days and quiet city escapes, guaranteed to satisfy all tastes.
Up the romance and impress your S.O. with these fun date ideas in Melbourne.
Go Stand-Up Paddleboarding
For a dreamy summertime date, head to St Kilda Beach, where the calm waters and soft morning light set the stage for a perfect paddleboarding adventure. Glide across the bay, framed by sweeping views of Melbourne’s skyline and the iconic St Kilda Pier. With tranquil waters ideal for both beginners and seasoned paddlers, it's a serene escape, and also makes for a fun double date experience.
Afterward, stroll hand-in-hand along the Esplanade, indulging in ice creams, and bask in the simple joys of each other’s company, making it an unforgettable romantic rendezvous.
Stand-Up Paddleboarding HQ, Pier Road, St Kilda West
Let Your Love Row
For a sweet and playful date, head to Fairfield Boathouse and hire a rowboat to gently glide along the Yarra River. Surrounded by lush greenery, the stunning scenery creates the perfect romantic setting for you both to unwind and enjoy each other’s company. After your row, head back to the beautifully renovated boathouse for a coffee, cocktail, or bite to eat in an idyllic spot. Picnic grounds and peaceful walking paths offer a relaxed post-row stroll.
Fairfield Park, Fairfield Park Drive, Fairfield
Get Cute and Cuddly...at Puppy Yoga!
Yoga can be a fun and engaging date idea in Melbourne for active couples, but Soflo Studios is dialling up the adorableness with its delightful 'Pups & Poses' classes. This unique offering allows you and your partner to enjoy a relaxing yoga session while playful puppies roam around, bringing an extra dose of joy to the practice.
After the class, take some time to unwind with well-deserved puppy cuddles and pats. Pair this heartwarming experience with brunch at a nearby cafe for a perfect daytime date that combines wellness, cuteness, and good food in one memorable outing.
Pups and Poses subject to puppy availability
56 Garnsworthy Street, Springvale
Reach New Heights at Urban Climb
Want your romance to reach new heights...literally? For a unique date idea in Melbourne, head to Urban Climb. Show off your nimble rock climbing skills—or learn something new— as you try your hand at bouldering and scaling up the giant walls as your partner belays you. It's the ultimate test of trust, but it's a whole lot of fun!
Plus, there are different walls accommodating for all skill sets and levels of experience, so you don't need to worry about looking foolish or not being "good enough".
29/41 Down Street, Collingwood
Unit 5/15-33 Alfred Street, Blackburn
Unleash Your Competitive Streak at Archie Brothers Cirque Electric and Strike Bowling
Let your inner child run wild at Archie Brothers Cirque Electric and Strike Bowling. This nostalgic date idea lets you embrace your playful side, from arcade games to bowling lanes. Lace up your shoes, challenge your date to a friendly match, or team up for quirky games together.
Feeling competitive? Hop into the dodgem cars and race each other around the track for some high-octane fun.
285 Springvale Road, Glen Waverley
Get a Taste of Everything with a Progressive Dinner Date
Ditch the boring dinner date and dive into a culinary adventure. This isn’t just any dinner—it’s a progressive journey where each course takes you to a new spot in the city, sampling the best of Melbourne’s vibrant food scene.
Here’s the plan: start at one restaurant for an entrée, stroll to the next for mains, and finish with a sweet treat at a dessert spot. It’s the perfect way to explore multiple venues, try diverse flavours, and keep the night exciting. Plus, walking between courses means you can work up an appetite, digest in between, and savour each other's company even more.
Sitchu Tip: Choose areas like Carlton, Fitzroy, Armadale, the CBD, or Glen Waverley, where fantastic restaurants are just a short stroll apart. Ready to eat your way through 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 7pm
59 Cambridge Street, Collingwood
Get Swept Away in the Romance of an Orchestra
You're meant to treat life like you're the main character, right? What better way to live out that romance movie moment than by watching a live orchestra? The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra offers regular performances, including MSO at the Movies sessions, where you can enjoy films like Harry Potter, Home Alone, and Star Wars—all with a live orchestra soundtrack! It's so immersive, you’ll almost forget the music is happening in real time.
See MSO's what's on schedule for upcoming events
Spend the Night at VIVA
For couples seeking an unforgettable date night, Melbourne’s dazzling new cabaret venue, VIVA, promises a night of glamour, intrigue, and passion. Housed in a luxurious 1920s-style Spiegel tent, VIVA masterfully fuses vintage allure with contemporary sophistication. Begin your evening with Elegant, a breathtaking blend of comedy, dance, and drama, before being swept away by the provocative energy of Exotic, a bold and daring spectacle. With exquisite dining and spellbinding performances, VIVA transforms date night into a scintillating escape. Move over, Moulin Rouge—VIVA has arrived.
64 Sutton Street, North Melbourne
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
Plan a Meet-Cute Within the Pages of the City's Gorgeous State Library
For a first date that feels straight out of a rom-com, the State Library is your perfect setting. Surrounded by endless shelves of books, you and your date can each choose a title that perfectly captures the vibe of your connection. Share your picks (and a few flirtatious glances) beneath the grand domed ceiling, then settle in to flip through the pages and see if they’ve read you right. For a playful twist, rent your books and head to the library lawn with delicious takeout tacos from CDMX in Melbourne Central, turning your literary adventure into a charming, relaxed date.
328 Swanston Street, Melbourne
See a Show at Malthouse Theatre
Located in the Ngargee Courtyard beside the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Malthouse Theatre is a vibrant Melbourne gem perfect for a memorable date night. Whether you’re enjoying live theatre, music, dance, or comedy, the energetic atmosphere and versatile spaces—indoor and outdoor amphitheatre—offer the ideal setting for couples seeking culture and entertainment. Under the stars or in the heart of the theatre, Malthouse blends art, atmosphere, and the city’s lively arts scene for an unforgettable evening.
The Malthouse, 113 Sturt Street, Southbank
Go on a Cute Wine Tasting Dinner
Love is blind, and so is great wine—especially when you share it with Good Booze. Blind. This charming platform makes wine appreciation accessible and fun for everyone, even beginners, with no pretensions. Set in the cosy, atmospheric space of Wide Open Road in Brunswick, it’s the perfect place for a heartwarming, unforgettable date.
Enjoy blind tasting events, curated tasting packs, or even a romantic wine night at home. Whether at the venue or in your own space, it’s the ideal way to set hearts a-flutter.
Plan your date here
274 Barkly Street, Brunswick
Cosy Up With Some Live Jazz
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 a date that oozes creativity and charm, Collingwood Yards is the ultimate destination. This vibrant, not-for-profit arts precinct is a haven for artists, art lovers, and creatives alike, offering everything from eclectic galleries and cool boutiques to two stunning bars, a coffee shop, and more.
On weekends, the space pulses with life—arts aficionados roam the shops by day, while night brings a mix of intimate bar-hopping and art-filled conversations. Head to the rooftop bar, Runner Up, for a spritz at sundown, or savour wine and pasta at Hope St Radio, all while basking in the courtyard’s serene beauty.
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
Get Hot and Steamy
Are you both in need of a little pampering? Treat yourselves to a full day of relaxation and romance at a luxurious day spa. Unwind together with indulgent massages, soothing body scrubs, rejuvenating facials, and pampering pedicures, all in a serene atmosphere designed for pure bliss. Whether you keep it local in Melbourne or escape to the Mornington Peninsula, where the Peninsula Hot Springs, Alba Thermal Springs, or the newly opened Aurora at Intercontinental Sorrento await, you’ll bask in each other’s company while the stress melts away. Ready your robe and let the relaxation begin.
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, bubbly, and bingo—who says date ideas have to be conventional? At Tokyo Tina in Windsor, every Saturday transforms into a lively celebration with their Bingo Bottomless Brunch. Picture indulging in mouthwatering pork belly bao while sipping free-flowing Prosecco, all set to the infectious energy of a bingo game. Not only do you get to enjoy a delicious spread, but there’s also the thrill of winning exciting prizes. It’s the perfect mix of fun, flavour, and a dash of friendly competition for a truly memorable date.
Saturdays, 12pm & 2.15pm sittings
66A Chapel Street, Windsor
Test Your Cooking Skills
Make your next date night truly unforgettable with a home-cooked feast from Free to Feed's immersive cooking classes. This unique social enterprise brings global flavors to your kitchen, with talented instructors from diverse cultural backgrounds guiding you through the vibrant tastes of Burmese, Egyptian, and more. It's not just about cooking—it’s about connecting, learning, and sharing in the beauty of different cultures through rich storytelling and hands-on experiences. A perfect blend of flavour, fun, and meaningful moments, Free to Feed is the ideal date for foodies and newcomers alike.
205-211 Queens Parade, Fitzroy North
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.