9 Ideas For Fun Dates in London

If you’ve ever visited the capital then you’ll know there is no shortage of fun things to do in London. And if you’re looking for fun date ideas, London has loads to offer too.

I’ve compiled a list of London date ideas includes some of the best date ideas London has to offer so you can impress your date and have an amazing date!

Determined to venture somewhere more adventurous than the foot of the bed, I set out on a mission to explore some of London’s best date venues.

These are my ideas for fun dates in London, including activity dates in London and other things to do in London for couples.

Budget is a major factor when it comes to most outings in London but these date experiences are reasonably priced for what you get in return and are some of the best date places in London.

Please note these are all 18+ venues as they all (optionally) involve fairly copious amounts of alcohol! 😉 Read on to discover some of the most unique and fun date venues in London.

Fun Dates Ideas in London

Swingers Golf

Swingers Golf has quickly become a favourite amongst city workers and they’ve now opened up another branch in the West End. It’s also top of my list for cute dates in London.

The name might raise eyebrows at first but this is, in fact, a CRAZY GOLF venue and has nothing to do with the other kind of swingers you might be thinking of.

Tucked away opposite the Gherkin in London, Swingers is a super trendy underground golf and drinks venue. There are two golf courses to choose from, each with 9 holes.

Both of which are designed in a way to be both fun and challenge, especially when some drinks have been thrown into the mix!

Think large wheels you’ve got to get around, tunnels you’ve got to travel through, bridges you’ve got to cross. This is one of the best activity dates London couples should sign up for!

The golf itself will probably only take you half an hour to forty-five minutes depending on how many people are ahead of you so you’ll probably end up spending more time at the bar. 

To be honest, I would happily come to Swingers for the food and drink alone as there’s a stylish bar area in the centre of the venue that serves up many sumptuous cocktails.

There are funky options such as a kale and matcha cocktail, which I was rather dubious about but they somehow managed to make these two superfoods into a deliciously sweet concoction!

There are also three popular restaurant stalls to choose from too including Patty & Bun, Pizza Pilgrims and DF / Mexico. The great thing is that if you wanted to, you could get a little something from each and then bring them all over to your table.

I opted for Patty & Bun, which has always been recommended to me as one of the best burger restaurants in London, and it did not disappoint. A very juicy burger and crispy fries were very well received.

Personally, I wouldn’t recommend coming to Swingers as a large group unless if you’re willing to split into slightly smaller groups when playing your nine holes.

The first time I visited Swingers I was stuck behind a group of nine and we had to wait for all nine people to finish the hole before they’d move on to the next one!

This is definitely one of the top fun date activities London has to offer and it was clear from a quick glance around that it’s favoured by people on first dates in London.

It’s the perfect date venue to get to know someone in as there’s a fun activity to complete as well as a cheeky tipple or two to take the edge off.

Perfect for: first dates, double dates, and people that like to find all they need under one roof.

Bonus: There’s a free cloakroom for you to leave your stuff in as you go around the golf course!

Price
From £13 pp
Address
8 Brown’s Buildings
London, EC3A 8AL
Website
swingers.club/uk

London Shuffle Club

Take any old-school activity, set up shop in Shoreditch and throw in some cocktails and you’ve got a banging new London destination.

This seems to have been London Shuffle Club’s recipe for success and it is now a very popular hang out for millennials looking to do something a bit different.

Shuffle actually dates back to the 15th century and if you’ve never played it then you must pop along to Shuffle Club to try it out.

You play in teams and are given what looks like a broom to push the pucks down the lane. You score points depending on which part of the lane your puck stops in.

But what’s really fun is that you can knock your opponent’s pucks out of the lane if you’re playing tactically. Points are calculated according to who has what on the lane at the end of the round so no one is safe until the end.

It’s the ideal place for double dates or group dates as you can team up with your date and get competitive! So, book a slot at London Shuffle Club for one of the best dates in London.

Perfect for: double dates or group dates.

Price
From £10/hour per table
Address
4 Ebor St, Shoreditch, London, E1 6AW
Website
https://shuffleclub.com/

Flight Club Darts

I’ve been to Flight Club Bloomsbury twice now, once for a business social and once for a more intimate date.

I had huge amounts of fun both times and so Flight Club ranks highly on my list of recommendations for fun things to do in London no matter how large your group is.

Initially I was worried that it might be a bit weird going here on a two-person date as it’s generally seen as a very social location but it was actually still bags of fun and one of my top London dates.

As there were only two of us we got to play each of the four different games several times through and had fun competing against each other.

I’ve always thought that darts is a pretty boring sport and I politely declined anytime my friends were playing in the college bar. Flight Club, however, offers an incredibly fun and interactive experience that I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of.

There are four different playing modes, each with a different objective. They’ve created four different games which make darts much more interesting such as a knockout game where you need to hit a certain number in order to “kill” your friends.

Flight Club is definitely the most reasonably priced place on this list as you pay per oche, per hour, rather than per person.

At off-peak times, the whole oche costs £15 per hour, at peak times, this goes up to £30. If you’ve got a big group, you can see how the cost per person rapidly decreases making the darts experience very cheap.

Of course, there are plenty of drinks and food available to buy, which are typical “London” prices. An alcoholic drink costs around £10 and you can get a large pizza to share for £15.

The decor is absolutely beautiful with a fairground inspired bar. Each oche is surrounded by a large leather sofa and there’s plenty of space for food, drinks, coats etc.

If you’re looking for fun dates, London’s Flight Club should be at the top of your list!

Perfect for: first dates, fun dates, double dates, triple dates, quadruple dates etc. etc.

Price
Off Peak: £15 per oche
Peak: £30 per oche
Address
55 New Oxford Street
London, WC1A 1BS
Website
flightclubdarts.com

Bounce Ping Pong

Bounce offers a ping pong experience like no other. You might think you know how to play but these interactive tables with specially designed games might put you out of your comfort zone.

You can go head to head with your date as you battle it out to see who is more skilled.

Bounce uses state of the art projection which transforms an ordinary ping pong table into one which responds to the touch of the ping pong ball.

You might see the table before you transformed as memes and famous faces pop out on the table with each bounce.

Alternatively, you can play the game where you can’t let the opponent get the ball to touch your side of the table. It’s very fun and very amusing!

If you’d like to enjoy a cheeky tipple as you play, or even a delicious pizza, then there are all available at Bounce Ping Pong too. The cocktails exceeded my expectations by far and are very good.

Of course, if you’d prefer you can also play normal ping pong as they’ve got plenty of those tables too.

Perfect for: competitive couples, double dates, large groups

Price
From £4 pp
Address
241 Old Street, Hoxton, London EC1V 9EY
Website
www.bouncepingpong.com

Whistle Punks Urban Axe Throwing

Axe throwing is something I included in my Christmas Gift Guide for Men a couple of months ago and it’s the one gift that caught most people’s eye. Axe throwing? As a date? How romantic…

This is definitely one of the most unusual date ideas in London and you might be sceptical at first. However, when I visited Whistle Punks on a double date and at least half of the other people there were also on dates!

It’s a real conversation starter so if you’re someone that’s often lost for words or a little awkward when first meeting someone, this could be the perfect London date activity for you.

This is a less intimate date idea than the others on this list as everyone signed up to your session is separated into four groups of around 10 people at the beginning.

As such, you’ll inevitably end up with strangers in your group but if you don’t want to interact with them and would rather just talk to your date that’s perfectly fine and seemed to be most people’s approach!

Everyone in the group is competing against each other so this is a great option for competitive dates in London.

At first, you are taught the basics of axe throwing and some health and safety precautions. You’d think it would pretty easy to accidentally throw one of these over your shoulder or down into your foot but in reality, this is really rather unlikely.

Once everyone in the group has got the hand of the one hand throw and the two hand throw, the competition begins. You are put into pairs and compete to get the most number of points.

There are three rounds and then at the end, the four people with the highest scores are put forward into the semi-finals. The top two are then pitted against each other in the finals and the winner gets to keep their very own little wooden bullseye as a keepsake.

This game is neither violent nor dangerous and is actually a huge laugh because it’s quite difficult to throw the axe so it actually hits the wood and sticks.

What will most likely happen is the axe will hit the wood at the wrong angle and clatter loudly to the floor.

There are many opportunities for mocking and banter and it’s all-round a super fun and unique bonding activity. If you’re looking for active dates, London’s Whistle Punks axe throwing is for you. 

Perfect for: first dates, group dates, competitive couples, active dates in London

Price
Off-peak: £22 pp
Peak: £29 pp
Address
Arch 25
Handel Business Centre
73 Bondway, SW8 1SQ
Website
whistlepunks.com/

Painting & Prosecco For Two

The Painting and Prosecco class available from Virgin Experiences is one of my top picks for a date in London. I’ve attended this class three times now and it’s been a great experience each time.

Those who aren’t very artistic might feel nervous about this experience but it’s honestly for every level of ability, including level zero (me). 

I picked the Van Gogh Starry Night class which took place in a restaurant in Covent Garden, London. It was perhaps an ambitious class to go for and the end result was not all that great but I did have a lot of fun! The glass of Prosecco certainly helps you get into a creative mindset… 

Price
£64 for 2

Check out the best deals on experiences from Virign Experiences here.

clueQuest Live Escape Room

An escape room is the perfect competitive date idea. At clueQuest, you’ve got one hour to solve Mr Q’s missions and you’ll need every second.

Although these games say they’re for 3-6 people, I find that any more than three is a crowd and it’s actually perfect for couples.

Facing a challenge together and completing is such a satisfying feeling and an activity date such as this is a great bonding activity.

The aim of most escape rooms is to simply escape the room but at clueQuest, you’ve got to save the world from destruction. It’s James Bond-esque as you battle against time to stop the evil Mr Sheep from taking over the world!

There are three different missions to choose from but Operation Blacksheep is my favourite.

Perfect for: couples a few dates in, double dates, competitive dates

Price
Off-peak: £25 pp
Peak: £30 pp
Address
169-171 Caledonian Road
London, N1 0SL
Website
cluequest.co.uk

Other Things to Do in London for Couples

Tipsy Tea at Mr Fogg’s Residence

Afternoon tea has become hugely popular over the past few years but few of them offer a truly unique experience.

My Fogg’s Residence is tucked away in the back streets of St James Park and inside you’ll find a wonderfully eccentric venue and bar.

Prices start at £40 and this will get you 1 full teapot of your cocktail of choice as well as mini sandwiches, cakes and sweet treats.

There’s a large range from salmon buns to chicken wraps followed by chocolate brownies and red velvet cake followed lastly with a mini egg tart.

Whilst the food is very good, there isn’t anything particularly unique about it. What you come here for is the buzzing atmosphere, the live music and the sense that you’ve been transported to another world. Just look at the decor ⬇

This London venue is full of old-fashioned plush sofas and armchairs, empty birdcages, old artefacts, stuffed animals, portraits and more. It’s a real eclectic mix that is just so strange and striking that it just sort of … works?

The staff are all dressed as if they come from another era which just adds to the whole idea that you’ve somehow stepped back in time.

Your afternoon tea experience begins with a complimentary tipple as you peruse the menu. There are three different packages to choose from depending on how much you want to drink.

You can opt for one pot of cocktail tea, as I did, for £40pp, or you can go for the bottomless champagne option, which is £72pp.

There are then 6 drink options you can choose from: three spirited teas and three champagne teas. We both opted for spirited teas on this occasion, “Ladies that Lapsang” and “A Tropical Tincture”.

The latter seemed significantly stronger and had a distinct tea taste whereas the latter was more like an alcoholic fruit cocktail mix.

The staff are very attentive throughout your experience at Mr Fogg’s, always ready to give you a helping hand or top up your drinks. What’s more, there’s a live piano player in the corner who plays modern pop songs in a classical style, which is something really special.

All in all, this is the sort of place where you could easily while away a couple of hours pretending you’re in the comfort of some gentleman’s manor as opposed to a bar in central London. The decor really is on another level with a gorgeous bar area, decorated shelves and an eclectic mix of souvenirs.

Perfect for: couples, double dates, group dates.

Price
From £40 pp
Address
15 Bruton Lane
London, W1J 6JD
Website
mr-foggs.com

Film & Fizz at One Aldwych

Film & Fizz takes your classic cinema date and ups the ante. Not only do you get to watch a new release in a private screening room, but you’re treated to complimentary popcorn and champagne too!

If that wasn’t enough, your film and fizz is followed up with a sumptuous three-course meal with a special set menu at the Indigo restaurant in One Aldwych. This is definitely one of the more romantic date ideas in London. 

If you’re the sort of person that quakes at the idea of organising a great date themselves then this is the perfect option for you as you get a sort of fancy “package deal” date. Perhaps a good option for those short on anniversary ideas in London?

From 6:30pm til around 10:30pm, your whole evening is planned out for you, all you need to do is order two tickets online and turn up on time.

Whilst each ticket costs £55 per person, which at first seemed rather steep to me, I did a bit of quick maths and realised that if you were to go to any normal cinema in London at the weekend, order popcorn for two, a glass of champers each, followed by a three-course meal in a 5-star hotel, you’d be spending at least £55, if not more.

As such, this is actually very reasonably priced for the experience, which is in a private movie theatre and a completely catered experience with lots of friendly staff on hand.

A private movie theatre definitely has to be one of the coolest date ideas London has to offer!

This London date location is perfect if you’re looking to seriously impress with very little effort on your part.

Check out my full review of Film & Fizz Night.

Price
£55 pp
Address
1 Aldwych
London, WC2B 4BZ
Website
www.onealdwych.com

So there are eight of the best date ideas in London for people who want to do something more interesting than just dinner or drinks!

I hope this list of different date ideas London has to offer inspires you to do something more exciting for your first date.

These are all great activity dates and are five of the best places to go on a date in London. If you’re up for something even more adventurous, you might even consider these kayaking and canoeing adventures near London!

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[This post was expanded and updated in 2020]