Indoor Date Ideas

Know what happens when you leave the house for a date? You have to wear clothes with actual buttons and zips, waste time and money on travel, and then risk the weather messing up your look. No thanks. Instead, let’s get cozy and creative with these fun indoor date ideas. These plans are fun, inexpensive, and romantic—great for staying in and hanging out with your Bumble date.

We love cooking dates. You get to check if your date has secret chef talents, learn about each other’s communication styles, and then eat something (hopefully) delicious. Try these indoor date ideas to explore your compatibility and have a great night in. 

So everyone loves a portable pizza oven right now, but those are definitely outdoor equipment and therefore banned from our indoor date ideas. Good news—you can cook amazing pizza in any standard oven.

As Hannah, 28, says, “You get to know someone quicker when you both try something tricky, like making pizza dough. Being up for giving it a go is a big green flag for me!” So if you’re testing compatibility as well as their cooking skills, start your date by making dough together. All you need is pizza flour, water, yeast, and salt—you’ll find loads of good, simple recipes online. 

After taking turns kneading and letting your dough rise for a while, you can (try to) impress each other with the dough spinning thing. Not bothered about the dough part? Find ready-made pizza bases at your usual grocery store, or take the most low-fuss route and use tortillas. 

Then you can get right on to what it’s really about: Toppings. Stick to basics with mozzarella and tomato, spice it up with blue cheese and arugula, or make it meaty with your choice of protein. Believe us—there are no rules. The Italians don’t mind. They just want you to enjoy your pizza (and your date). 

Less keen on the cooking and all about the eating? We hear that. An indoor picnic is a cute way to bring the date vibes indoors and keep actual cooking to a minimum. Though if you love to bake, don’t let us hold you back. An indoor picnic will not be ruined by warm cookies, fresh out of the oven. But all you really need to do is grab a loaf of good bread, some butter or spreads of your choice, maybe a hunk of cheese, and anything nibble-worthy you’ve got hanging around in your fridge (jar of olives? A few grapes?). Arrange everything on a plate, or a big cutting board if you’re feeling fancy. 

Grab your biggest blanket, spread it on the floor, and throw every cushion you can find on top. Just remember to vacuum before your date arrives—the view from the floor does not forgive dust bunnies. 

When we think of great game nights, we usually imagine lots of players, dice flying around, and tons of fun. But some of the best games in the world are designed for only two players, and you can create your own fun indoor date plan with a game night tournament for two. 

Try a two-player board game like chess or backgammon, and you might be surprised at how much you love it. “You’ll never be bored if you can find a couple of great two-player games,” says Gerard, 29. “There are so many out there, but you can’t beat a classic card game.” 

Backgammon is quick and easy to pick up, but as you play and understand more about the strategy, you’ll be keen to play round after round. There’s a bit more to remember with chess, but your date might already know the rules. Or, you can test out your communication skills by learning together. 

And if you’re really loving the classic board games, but they’re feeling too easy-breezy? It might be time to try Go. This 2,500-year-old strategy board game is mind-melting, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll both be entertained for a lifetime. 

If you feel more like grabbing a controller and letting your competitive side shine, a video game contest might be the right choice for your indoor date night. We’re all about cute retro stuff right now, so amazing work if you can dig out a vintage system—but any console with two controllers works just fine. 

There are loads of excellent two-player games out there for your date night indoors. You could get competitive over mini-games, work together on a campaign, or play co-op. If you don’t have two controllers, we’re down for taking turns with puzzle-based games. One of you can control the character while the other shouts at the scre… uh, gives advice.

If you’re the less competitive type (or too competitive to bring it to a date just yet), we love these cute indoor date ideas for a cozy, relaxing night. 

An arts and crafts evening can be an excellent backdrop for gentle conversation and getting to know your date without staring them right in the face for hours. Learning basic needlecraft or knitting stitches together is a fun way to challenge yourself, or you could try air-dry clay or mini mosaics. Your local craft store or an online retailer will have plenty of beginner kits or the basic tools to get you going. 

Looking to laugh? Here’s one of our favorite indoor date ideas for couples: Set up two stations and dust off any dried-up old watercolor palettes or soft pencils. Then, challenge yourselves to draw or paint each other. Trust us, this can be unexpectedly romantic! But if you’re not ready to offend/be offended with blobby noses and wonky hairlines, we’ll allow a still-life scene with a few bits of fruit instead. If you’re not feeling super creative, adult coloring books are calming, enjoyable, and can get even the most logical brains thinking in color and shape.

If you’ve got the space, moving your minds and bodies can be a relaxing, empowering, and fun way to spend date night indoors. Annie, 31, says, “Yoga is a really important part of my self-care, and it’s cool to share it with dates every now and again. They don’t need to be good at it, but it’s great when they get why I love it!” 

Put on some chill music, and a bath towel makes a great stand-in if you’re short of a yoga mat. Check online for classes, and you can totally tweak this to your respective energy levels. Feeling something on the relaxing side? Pick a meditative Yin session or something with lots of floor poses. Want to get a more serious sweat on? Look for flowing Vinyasa with a bit more movement. 

Whichever indoor date idea you choose, please remember to stay safe and meet up with new dates in public spaces for the first time. We want you to feel completely secure before you invite someone new into your home. Once you feel comfortable, there’s an idea for every mood in this list of indoor dates for staying home.

We hope the dating experts at Bumble have inspired you to make your next date fun, cute, and cozy without leaving the house. Looking for someone to help you master chess or be your still-life painting partner? Sign up to Bumble now to find them!