Get the best date night ideas in Sydney for a wonderful day or evening. Tonnes of different possibilities are dotted throughout the city for couples to enjoy.
Table of Contents
- Experience The Moonlight Cinema in Centennial Park
- Spend A Night Or Two Glamping on Cockatoo Island
- Head To A Local Bowling Club
- Go On A “Happy Hour” Bar Crawl
- Explore Sydney On A Scavenger Hunt
- Enjoy The Experience Of A Lifetime Whale Watching
- Work Together In a Sydney Exploration Game
- Sample Art After Hours at the Art Gallery NSW
- Refine Your Culinary Skills With A Cooking Class
Are you looking for date night ideas in Sydney? This great city has so much to offer and plenty of places and activities to explore. From date night ideas in the city centre to possibilities on the outskirts. Whatever type of date you’re looking for, there are bound to be many options in Sydney.
Perhaps you’re planning a first date with someone new or maybe you want some Sydney date ideas to try over many weeks with a long-term partner. Either way, here’s our collection of the hottest date ideas for couples in Sydney:
Experience The Moonlight Cinema in Centennial Park
Sydney is full of gorgeous parks but few are as iconic as Centennial Park. This wide open area features lush green grass, wondrous woodlands and serene lakes. Taking a stroll around this park is a date night idea in itself, particularly if you bring a picnic.
However, it’s also home to the Moonlight Cinema; one of Sydney’s shiniest hidden gems. Taking your date to see a movie is a classic idea, but this one mixes things up a bit. Rather than being indoors, you’re sitting outside under the stars watching a movie on a big projector. It’s incredibly romantic and you can rent bean beds, buy food from various stalls or bring your own. The cinema runs from November to March every year and tickets are in high demand so make sure to check out the program and get yours ASAP.
Spend A Night Or Two Glamping on Cockatoo Island
There’s a small island in the Sydney Harbour offering waterfront camping and glamping opportunities every day. Cockatoo Island is perfectly situated to provide stunning views of the marina and across the bay. Sydney is known for many things and its gorgeous climate is one of its best traits. You may as well take full advantage of this by enjoying some glamping on Cockatoo Island.
You’re free to bring your own tent and rent a space on the campgrounds or you can purchase some Deluxe or Premium packages to get special tents with plenty of amenities. It might be a bit full-on for a first-date idea, but if you want to treat your long-term partner to a special staycation, this is a wonderful choice. Say goodbye to your home and spend a night or two camping on the waterfront enjoying the amazing views and scenery. It’s an invigorating and refreshing experience, to say the least – as well as being incredibly romantic. There’s something about camping together and being alone in nature that’s so freeing as a couple!
Head To A Local Bowling Club
Did you know that bowling has become incredibly popular in Sydney over the last year and a half? We’re not talking about classic ten-pin bowling; we’re on about lawn bowls. Some of you may have joined traditional clubs in the past, but there’s a new wave of exciting bowling clubs in Sydney that make the perfect settings for date nights.
Take your special someone to one of the best Sydney bowling clubs and enjoy an experience like no other. You can book some time on the greens to enjoy a spot of bowling while tucking into gourmet meals and delightful cocktails. Each club offers something different and there’s a real vibe to them. Normally, the idea of taking someone to a lawn bowls club would seem like a terrible idea, but this new wave of clubs makes it exciting.
Go On A “Happy Hour” Bar Crawl
A bar crawl is a fun way to break the ice while turning a traditional date night idea on its head. The classic idea of going to a bar with someone has been done again and again. If this is your first date, the other person has probably been on many similar dates where the whole night is spent in one bar. So, do something different and go to multiple bars throughout the night.
It’s a wonderful idea for a couple of reasons:
- It encourages you to see more of Sydney together
- It gives you plenty of time to walk and talk between bars, getting to know one another
You can pick any bars in Sydney to go to, though Time Out has a great article showing all the best Happy Hours in the city. Going to these bars means you can enjoy their Happy Hour offers, getting more value for money. It adds to the overall excitement and you’ll see plenty of hidden gems on your way.
The best part of a Sydney bar crawl is that you can tailor it to your desires. If the two of you prefer wine bars, there are plenty to visit and explore. If you want to try the best cocktails in the city, you can do this with ease.
Explore Sydney On A Scavenger Hunt
The most romantic date night ideas in Sydney revolve around doing things with a partner. Sure, sitting across from one another and enjoying a bite to eat is fun, but the experience is more long-lasting when you partake in activities together.
That’s why we recommend a Sydney scavenger hunt. You’ll find loads of places online with pre-made scavenger or treasure hunts for you to follow. The goal is to wander around the city and tick off all the items on your list. It’s a beautiful way to spend the day with someone and get to know them a little better. You won’t find many first date ideas as romantic as this one as your date will appreciate the effort you’ve gone to.
Plus, you get to see the beautiful city of Sydney and explore some of its best attractions and sights. The date can finish with dinner in one of the city’s best restaurants or a picnic in a park. It’s entirely up to you, but the scavenger hunt helps to break down any walls and brings you closer together. You’ll share a wonderful experience that (hopefully) you both remember forever!
Enjoy The Experience Of A Lifetime Whale Watching
From May through to November, the waters outside Sydney are flushed with some incredible marine wildlife. You’ll see loads of different species here, including something truly marvellous: whales!
Yes, you can get up close and personal with stunning whales as you see them trundling through the water or leaping out and making great splashes. It’s something everyone should experience at least once and is a proper “bucket list” date night idea. There are loads of companies that will take you whale watching in Sydney and it’s the perfect date night idea to try something unique and life-altering.
You’ll probably never get a chance to see these majestic creatures again and your date will be blown away. Pick a cruise and you’ll go out on a boat and be as close to the whales as possible. Take a camera to capture the moment and it really gives you a sense of perspective. You’ll love it, your date will love it and it’ll be something you won’t stop talking about for weeks to come.
Work Together In a Sydney Exploration Game
We spoke about scavenger hunts as a wonderful date night idea in Sydney, but you can take things a little further with a Sydney exploration game. CityDays
is known as the best company for this and they put on tonnes of games around the city for you and your date to take part in.
The premise is similar to that of an escape room, only you’re doing it outside with the whole city to explore. Instructions are sent to your phone and you have to work together to solve clues and reach the final destination as quickly as possible. It can be done casually as a way to have fun while walking around the city on a date, or you can add some competition into the mix!
There’s usually a leaderboard on every exploration game with the teams who finished it the fastest. You and your date could try to beat the record; adding a touch of competition on a date is a great way to break the ice and make everything seem more natural. You get so consumed by the act of winning that all nervousness fades away. It’s a really fun idea for any couple, especially if you’ve been dating for years and want to add more excitement to your relationship.
Sample Art After Hours at the Art Gallery NSW
Sydney is full of fantastic cultural hotspots and things to enjoy throughout the year. It features a plethora of museums and iconic buildings filled with history and fine works of art. The Art Gallery of New South Wales is one of the most popular museums in Sydney and it offers a unique date night opportunity.
By all means, taking your date to one of the many museums in Sydney can be a wonderful date night idea. Or, you could head to this particular gallery on a Wednesday evening to enjoy Art After Hour. It offers a museum date experience like no other; rather than wandering around appreciating art during the day, you can roam the museum at night with drinks, food and countless activities.
The Art Gallery of New South Wales constantly has special things on during Art After Hours – like incredible workshops to learn new things or try your hand at specific artistic crafts. This is a brilliant date night choice and you’ll have hours of fun in this beautiful building. Getting there is easy as there’s a free shuttle bus every 20 minutes from 7 pm to 10 pm during Art After Hours. It connects you from the Art Gallery to the Town Hall, Martin Place and Wynyard.
Refine Your Culinary Skills With A Cooking Class
Nothing screams romance quite like a cooking class! As luck would have it, there are loads of great cooking classes in Sydney, many of which are perfect for couples. Pick a cuisine and find the cooking class that lets you learn how to cook some delicious dishes or refine a few key skills.
There’s something intimate about learning how to cook with your date. It’s a wonderful first date idea that takes the traditional “dinner and drinks” and turns it into something more hands-on. You can work together to make a beautiful plate of food and then enjoy it at the end with some drinks and great conversation. It immediately makes you closer and you have something to talk about while eating.
It’s an even better idea for couples who’ve been together for years – especially if one of you is the only one to cook. Bringing the other person to a class and seeing them try to cook is so romantic while also being rather amusing! It’s funny seeing them struggle to do basic things and they start appreciating your cooking skills even more. This is one of those dates you can do time and time again as there will always be a new cooking class with more skills to learn.
All in all, there are lots of excellent date night ideas in Sydney that offer something different from the norm. If you’re looking to break free from the traditional and “boring” dates of the past, these ideas are perfect for you. Have fun as a couple or wow your date at the first time of asking. You’ll create so many incredible memories that last forever – and you’ll also be revered for your wonderful choice of dates!
