Romantic date ideas for your Valentine in Sydney

Forget overpriced roses and a box of chocolates. Whisk your other half out the door and off on a little romantic adventure with these Valentine’s Day date ideas.

Lost your enthusiasm for coming up with yet another creative date idea? There are a tonne of ways to celebrate love in Sydney without defaulting to the usual drinks and dinner date. View Valentine’s Day as a good excuse to try something new, and treat your loved one to a fun adventure in the city. 

Your Valentine’s Day might be sharing a moment with your other half, best friend, mum, kids, fur baby or just on your own as an anti-V Day salute of self care. Whatever your style, share the love with one of these local options.

#1. Put your love on canvas at Champainting

Brush up and wine down together with a paint and sip class at Champainting in Darlinghurst. What better way to spend time with your soulmate than by unleashing your creativity. Paint away with a BYO drink or nibble in hand, relaxing in the spacious private studio conveniently located in Sydney CBD. Be guided by teachers who specialise in drawing out your artistic abilities.

Image credit: Champainting

#2. Name a star after them at Sydney Observatory

How’s this for romance: having stars in your eyes, and one with your love’s name on it! Take your Valentine to the top of Observatory Hill, one of Sydney’s best grassy knolls for stunning harbour views and sunset picnics. Pop into the iconic Sydney Observatory at Millers Point and explore its features, including a fort, time ball and telescope. 

Sunset moments at Observatory Hill. Credit: Destination NSW

#3. Do a movie date night under the stars 

What’s more romantic than cosying up at dusk, savouring the warm weather, popcorn, and wine in hand as the lights go up on a big screen in one of Sydney’s most iconic outdoor settings? Summer hits and Sydney is all about the outdoor cinema experience, with half a dozen different alfresco options in and around the CBD. There’s spectacular suburban offerings like Sunset Cinema at North Sydney or Moonlight Cinema in Centennial Park, all about 10-15 minutes drive from the city. Or there’s the ever-popular OpenAir Cinema at Mrs Macquaries Point by the Botanic Gardens, with its 350sqm screen rising from Sydney Harbour against a backdrop of the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and city skyline. Catch a new release or classic, BYO or buy your eats and drinks there.

Sydney’s popular Moonlight Cinema. Credit: Centennial Parklands

#4. Share a sunset picnic at the Botanic Gardens

Forgo the usual set menu dining experience in a restaurant in favour of a relaxed alfresco picnic at Sydney’s picturesque The Royal Botanic Garden. Gather up your picnic blanket and a selection of your favourite goodies, find a spot on the grass by the harbour and park yourself for a warm-weather soiree for two with a view. You can even get someone else to prepare the food and drink for you, with a picnic box the likes of this one from Aussie chef Luke Nguyen’s Botanic House. 

Picnic with a view at The Royal Botanic Garden. Credit: Steve Back, Destination NSW

#5. Test your culinary skills together

Get hands-on with your loved one in the state-of-the-art kitchens at a Sydney Seafood School cooking class at the Sydney Fish Market in Pyrmont. Relax with canapes and drinks before watching talented professional chefs demonstrate how to cook up a gourmet seafood dish, and then give the recipe a crack yourselves at in the fully-equipped cooking islands. After you’ve tried your hand at the dish, you can take a seat in the private dining room and enjoy your creation over a glass of wine. There’s always something very satisfying about a meal you’ve cooked yourself, and to do it as a duo, well that’s pretty special if you ask us.

#6. Escape on a romantic getaway

Sometimes all you need with your love is to mix it up with a change of scenery. And you don’t necessarily have to travel far to achieve that. Book yourself into a hotel on the fringe of the city so you can enjoy the best of both worlds: easy access to all the action of the big smoke and a chilled inner city suburb vibe perfect for lazy waterside strolls and leisurely late breakfasts. At Aiden Darling Harbour, you can eat, drink and art without even leaving your room, should you want to bunker down in your super comfy king-size bed. And if you’re not ready to romance in February, you can always get a gift voucher to surprise your Valentine for a future date.