Date ideas by city
16 dates for Edinburgh, in the order the city deserves, with real places near the centre for the stops.
Calton Hill is a short walk from Princes Street and costs nothing, which makes getting up for the sunrise an easy sell.
The ideas
Especially good here2 hPocket changeAn alarm neither of you wanted, a view with nobody in it, and the first coffee of the day.
The twist: Phones stay in pockets until the sun is fully up.
In Edinburgh, try
3 hDinner moneyOne hour, not the whole building. Then a bar to argue about what you saw.
The twist: Each choose the piece you'd steal. Defend it.
In Edinburgh, try
2 hFreeSmall rooms, free to walk into, and nobody minds if you whisper.
The twist: Title every piece yourselves before you read the label.
In Edinburgh, try
3.5 hA treatA reason to wear the good outfit, and a drink at the interval.
The twist: Guess the ending at the interval. Write it down. Loser buys the nightcap.
In Edinburgh, try
3 hDinner moneyA table for two, then a walk with no destination until somebody's feet hurt.
The twist: Order for each other. No vetoes.
In Edinburgh, try
2 hPocket changeTwenty minutes apart in a bookshop, then coffee while you explain yourselves.
The twist: Write the first page a note before you hand it over.
In Edinburgh, try
2.5 hDinner moneyBad shoes, worse technique, a plate of chips in the middle.
The twist: Every gutter ball is a truth. Every strike is a dare.
See it on the map
2.5 hA treatSixty minutes to find out how the two of you work under pressure. Drinks after to recover.
The twist: No blaming until the first drink arrives.
In Edinburgh, try
3.5 hDinner moneyThe back row, shared popcorn, and somewhere still open after the credits.
The twist: One of you picks the film, the other picks the seats and the snacks.
In Edinburgh, try
2.5 hDinner moneyA pocket of coins, air hockey grudges, and a prize nobody needs.
The twist: Pool your tickets. Whatever they buy lives on the shelf forever.
See it on the map
3 hDinner moneyA beginner's wall, chalky hands, and one of you holding the other's rope.
The twist: Dinner's on whoever says 'I can't' first.
See it on the map
3 hA treatWarm water, no phones, and the slowest two hours of the month.
The twist: Not one word about work. Not one.
See it on the map
2.5 hDinner moneyA private booth, a song you both pretend not to know every word of.
The twist: Each of you picks the other's solo.
In Edinburgh, try
2 hDinner moneyHolding hands is not optional; it is structural.
The twist: Whoever falls first buys the hot chocolate.
See it on the map
2 hPocket changeSomething sweet from a bakery, a blanket, and the best view in town as the light goes.
The twist: Each of you brings one thing the other has never tried.
In Edinburgh, try
2 hPocket changeA planetarium if the sky's against you, the darkest viewpoint in town if it isn't.
The twist: Name a star after the other. Make it official on a napkin.
In Edinburgh, try
Real places
The best-placed spots within 1.5 km of the centre, ranked the way the dates map ranks them. Tap one to see it on the map.
What the map knows within 1.5 km
Places and map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Anyone can add what is missing at openstreetmap.org.
Pick a day, see the forecast and the sunset, and let the map fill each idea with places a short walk apart. Save it as a plan and send it to them.
Museums, tours and the things worth booking ahead, through our partner Tiqets.
Partner link: if you book through it, we may earn a commission. It costs you nothing extra.
Before the date
Pick one of these ideas, then send the plan as a little page they open on their phone: a letter, a countdown, a ticket for two.
Opens the gift templates. Free to start.
