30 indoor romantic date ideas

You may think that a standard dinner and a movie date are really boring. Plus, there's not much you want to see at the cineplex or you've practically memorized your favorite restaurant's menu. At-home date nights are a great opportunity to prove that your relationship can be exciting without expensive bells and whistles. Here you will find great romantic ideas for an at-home date.

What do you need to create a romantic picnic indoors

Picnics are always associated with outdoor activities. It’s certainly a pleasure to eat at the beach, in the forest, or in a park, but it’s not always possible. Especially now, in a quarantine period. The solution is to picnic inside. It’s more fun than a formal dinner and just as perfect for feeding a crowd of friends and family as it is ideal for a romantic date night option.  These great romantic dinner ideas for two at home will help you to make something special for your loved one. How to prepare a picnic at home? Enjoy these tips.

Set the mood

Use a coffee table as the ideal spot to have dinner. You could also use your dining table or just spread out your favorite blanket and have a picnic on the floor. Pluck the petals off roses and scatter the petals around the perimeter of the blanket. Place several candles strategically around the room.  Have everything within easy reach so you don’t have to get up to grab anything from the kitchen. Just remember, the fewer distractions during your date, the more room for romance!

The best romantic indoor picnic food ideas

Do not pick heavy foods and keep it classy. Good choices are sandwiches, fresh salad, avocado, or a baguette with specialty meats. Mediterranean foods are also great for romantic picnics.  Avoid messy things like pizza or chicken wings. Think of foods that are simple to eat and won’t leave a residue on your hands, or stains on your shirt. Ask your date if they are vegan or vegetarian and make sure to see if they have any food allergies.

Prepare tasty snacks

It is a good idea for those who like to chat while enjoying the meal. Think of snacks that don’t require the use of any utensils. It can be nuts, chocolate, a cheese plate, or olives. Do not buy potato chips, use apple chips as an alternative.
Of course, the best way to prepare a great snack is cheese platter. It’s really easy to make a beautiful cheese plate to enjoy. With a great cutting or cheese board, it will be even more awesome! Just include key ingredients, and then arrange them to let them shine. The more you practice arranging cheeseboards, the more comfortable you will become with the art of piling-high. How to make a perfect and tasty cheese platter in 5 steps? Read our article ‘Perfect cheese board: everything you need to know’

Buy your favorite beverage

You can have champagne, non-alcoholic champagne, or even seltzer water in flutes for a picnic. It can also be tea, coffee, cocoa, or hot chocolate. It doesn’t matter. But you and your sweetheart should both love the beverage you choose! If you’re a teenager or need to drive, you should pick the non-alcoholic alternatives. If you’re on a tight budget, you can get sparkling wine as an alternative.

Cook a dessert to increase the romance

If you don't bake you can pick up fresh cookies or specialty sweets like cannolis or chocolate croissants at a local bakery. However, if you’re on a limited budget or like to bake, making desserts at home is a cheaper alternative. Chocolate has properties that promote happiness and has health benefits. If you don’t feel confident with your baking skills, go with a boxed cake mix or brownie mix.

Other romantic ideas for at-home date nights

Remember, some of the loveliest memories are created in simple and intimate settings. You do not need to leave the house if you have a stay-at-home date night idea. It is perfect to create romance at home. It’s also a nice change of pace from watching movies on the couch! We have a few great indoor date ideas to fit any bill. Some of them are totally free, while others won't cost a fortune. Try one of these fun, new dating adventures once a week, to keep spicing things up between you and your favorite person for months on end.

Cook something new

Put on some romantic music and cook a delicious meal together. You can use a service to deliver the meal kit you prepare or find a recipe that uses the ingredients you have on hand. You'll appreciate the meal, even more, knowing you made it together. Plus, you save some money.  Dress up to make it feel like a real occasion.

Go stargazing in the backyard

Stargazing is a free and extremely romantic activity that everyone can enjoy. On a clear night, lay out a blanket in the backyard and snuggle up with your partner to enjoy the fresh air and each other's undivided company and attention.

Create your own at-home pizza

Who wants to make pizza? Have a little extra fun in the kitchen. Make dough for your own yummy pizzas topped with whatever you both like. Make one big pizza or two separate individual pizzas and decide whose is best.

Take online personality tests

It can be very fun and entertaining! Cozy up on the couch with a computer and try to learn more about one another through online personality tests. Do you know what your partner's love language is? Some fun questionnaire tests will get you talking, and since you know your significant other best, you can tell if you think their results are accurate.

Camp out at home

Set up a tent or some sleeping bags in the living room and cozy up with your sweetheart. You can watch a movie on your laptop, tell stories, or even just talk. Complete the at-home date night with some indoor activities, laugh, eat, drink wine, and enjoy your evening.

Go through old photos

A good trip down memory lane is a perfect way to reconnect and bring up some old memories of the two of you. It is really romantic, you will remember something special about your relationship. Shared experiences bond people, so pour yourselves a glass of wine and cue the nostalgia.

Have an ice cream night

Pick up a few of each of your favorite ice creams and lay down on the couch or bed, switch on your tv, find something on Netflix and relax. Do not count the calories, just relax. It’s a nice plan :)

Make an at-home spa

Wow, yes, it will be great! You do not need to go anywhere to experience a spa. The perfect excuse for lounging around in plush robes, lighting a few candles, then turning up the romance by giving each other massages or enjoying a nice bath. Try one of these easy DIY foot scrub recipes and give each other relaxing foot massages.

Do a craft together

Craft time isn't just for the kids. Try these cute scrabble tile coasters from Simply Darling, or make a collage with a few of your favorite old photos. It is a good way to get closer. Working on the project together will help you to connect without words.

Have a video game night

Thank God, something really nice for a man! Grab a controller and playfully challenge your partner to a game. You can up the ante by letting the winner choose what you do in bed later. Great time to relax and have some fun.

Make a pillow fort

Embrace your inner kid and make a blanket and pillow fort with your spouse or partner. A fun and easy activity that can be really romantic.  Need we say more?

Have a movie marathon

You can spend the whole day watching movies. Get comfortable in bed and pick a movie series. Whether you opt for all the Harry Potter movies or some popular tv series, make some tasty popcorn and let yourselves enjoy hours upon hours of uninterrupted movie time. It's so much better than a tired dinner and a movie date night.

Monopoly time

A little friendly competition can get the sparks flying again in your relationship. Of course, if you think it might get a little too competitive, and those sparks might turn into an incinerating rage, you’d probably be better off trying something else.

Put a puzzle together

An epic puzzle is a great game not only for your brain. Try to put it together in one night. Try your luck at one with more than a thousand pieces and see how far you can get. It is really fun! Pick some great tunes, have a glass of wine, and enjoy.

Eat by candlelight

You can order take-out and add some extra romance by eating it by candlelight. It instantly enhances the mood and will make you feel like you've gotten away from it all. Just imagine that there is no electricity at home.

Have an outdoor movie night

Set up a projector in the backyard with some comfy blankets or pillows to create your very own outdoor movie theater. Watching a movie under the stars. What could be more romantic? Make popcorn, snacks, and enjoy the evening.

Slow dance

Turning up the tunes, getting dressed up, and dancing with your partner. Such a romantic evening! It's an excuse to get close and reconnect on a flirty, physical level. It will help you to get closer. If you want, you may even try to learn new dance movies from Youtube.

Make your own paint and sip

DIY your own paint party and have a new experience in the comfort of your home. You can just set up some easels and grab a few paintbrushes of your own. Paint a photo of a place that holds significance for you both, or try to recreate your favorite photo of each other. It doesn't have to turn out perfectly, it's the process that's the most fun.

Cozy up around a fire

Few things are more romantic than relaxing in front of a cozy fire. If it’s summer or fall and the weather’s nice, try a fire outside. If it’s winter, try lighting a fire in the fireplace, laying blankets on the floor, and cozying up with a bottle of wine or an indoor picnic. If you don’t have a fireplace, you can light a group of candles, dim the lights, and snuggle up.

Tackle a home improvement project together

Need to finish a home improvement project? Do it together. If both of you want to change something in the house, this is the best time to start. From painting to laying down tile, there are small projects you can get done in just one evening. Plus, it will mean more if you do it together.

A couples quiz night

If you want to learn more about each other, this is an awesome opportunity. Funny, interesting and such a nice way to spend the evening.  You can make your own version of the Newlywed Game, play Truth or Dare, or make a set of “Would You Rather?” cards. For example, “Would you rather go skydiving or hang gliding?” You can even make up your own quiz by writing down a set of 10 or more questions you’ve always wanted to ask your spouse, where nothing’s off-limits.

Have breakfast in bed

Unless you’re a very early riser, you’ll most likely be having your “breakfast” date at night after the kids are in bed. But breakfast for dinner can be a lot of fun, and if you bust out the tray tables and eat your breakfast in bed, you can even pretend you’re in a fancy hotel.

Try a new hobby together

Do you have something you’ve always wanted to try? Now is the time! A date night might be the perfect time to try it. Whether it’s a cooking class, dancing lessons, painting, or photography, tackling something together as a couple can produce shared feelings of accomplishment that can strengthen your relationship. Just make sure it’s something you’ll both enjoy.

Try yoga

It is not only good for your health and body. Yoga will help you to feel more connected to each other, to control your emotions, to relax and calm down together. Use YouTube in your living room, of course. Pro tip: pick up some cute activewear ahead of time.

Have a karaoke night

Karaoke is one of the most fun at-home dates! Sing your favorite songs with your sweetheart all day/night long. Have a friendly competition! You can look up karaoke versions of songs on YouTube and purchase wireless mics to use. Or you can just look up YouTube videos of your favorite songs + lyrics and just sing your hearts out. This date night idea is a real mood booster and a nice way to remember that it is not necessary to leave home to have some fun together!

Wine tasting at home

Do you love going to wine tastings? You can have your own tasting at home. You can pick some wine you wanna try, make a fancy cheese board with all the essentials and enjoy this awesome experience. If you want, you can even invite a few friends and taste wines together and rate them! You can turn it into a double or triple date at home!

Plan a dream trip together

We know everyone loves to travel, but, of course, we can’t travel all the time. Sometimes on an at-home date night, you can plan your dream trip. You can find locations on Pinterest, Instagram, look through the many travel books, or watch travel videos on Youtube. Try giving yourselves a budget and see what kind of trip you can plan. It’ll be interesting to see how differently each of you goes about it. As a bonus, you’ll have a fun vacation planned for the future.

Read something together

Maybe you laugh at the sensational covers of the grocery store checkout aisle bodice-rippers, but the stories inside can get seriously steamy. Pick up a romance novel, a funny or even serious book that suits your style, and take turns reading it out loud to each other for a unique date night you can enjoy any time.

DIY your own photobooth

You can create great memories even at home with just a phone. Create some cute and really great photos. Print out some props or get out the costume box to give your pictures some funky flair. Maybe you'll even come up with next year's Christmas card.

Take a bubble bath

Plenty of people have an ample tub, or even a bathroom Jacuzzi, that they never use. Now you can change that and make a real home-spa with bath salts and bath bombs. Take a break from the routine, slow things down, and get romantic by soaking in a relaxing bubble bath with your loved one. Do not forget to turn on some romantic tunes to make everything even better! The bathtub caddy tray will help you to make everything perfect.

The best romantic ideas for a home date

The most romantic among us still have to occasionally settle for the staples: dinner and a movie or a quiet night in—even if you do have a million romantic date ideas.  Whether it’s memorable due to perfect planning, thoughtfulness, or just pure connection, the perfect date can stick in your mind for years to come. As long as you’re focusing on each other – connecting, communicating, and enjoying each other – that’s what really matters. And that’s good news for busy parents everywhere.