12 Sweet Date Ideas in Manchester, UK

Seeking inspiration when it comes to date ideas in Manchester, UK? Look no further! We’ve put together a list of 12 sweet date ideas to help you start planning a date that you and your beloved will adore, so keep reading.

1. Plan a private date at a Peerspace

For our first date idea in Manchester, we’re recommending you look on Peerspace, the largest online marketplace for hourly venue rentals. The platform connects you to thousands of venues in hundreds of cities across the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and beyond – and there are quite a few in and near Manchester, too.

As a Manchester-based example, imagine planning a date at the Suite Spot, a lateral three-bedroom penthouse in the Northern Quarter. You might want to cook your date a delicious meal in the home’s open-plan kitchen, or perhaps watch your favorite movie together using the projector in the multi-functional living space. What a cool place to spend a day or an evening with the person you love!

2. Take a spooky Manchester ghost tour

Manchester is full of history, and with all that history comes ghosts! One of the most highly rated tours is Flecky Bennett’s Manchester Ghost Walk, which will have your date clinging to your arm for comfort as the tour guide recounts spooky tales of Manchester’s past.

3. Take a cooking class together

Consider a cooking class at one of Manchester’s top cookery schools, like Food Sorcery, where you can learn to cook a variety of different cuisines including Vietnamese, Italian, Japanese, Malaysian, Mexican, Korean, Spanish, Sri Lankan, Thai, Middle Eastern… the list goes on! Either way, you and your date can enjoy the delicious fruits of your labor while bonding over the shared learning experience.

Check out our favorite rooftops and outdoor spaces in Manchester if you prefer al fresco dating!

4. Visit a museum that fascinates you both

Yet another benefit of living in Manchester is the abundance of choices you have when it comes to truly great museums. For this date idea in Manchester, choose from one of the 10 best museums in Manchester–whether you’re more interested in the Manchester Art Gallery or the People’s History Museum, you’ll find options catered to all kinds of interests.

5. Go rock climbing together

Are you and your date athletic types? Then visit Parthian Climbing Manchester. Amazingly, it’s a unique rock-climbing facility that’s actually located inside an old church. You’ll have a blast as the two of you take turns clambering toward the ceilings, appreciating the combination of modern construction and historic architecture, and chasing that endorphin high. Be sure to follow the rock climbing portion of the date with a delicious meal, as you’re both sure to have worked up an appetite by that point!

6. Go for a walk in nature

The natural beauty surrounding Manchester is worth exploring. You might take your date to Lud’s Church (“a prehistoric landscape that wouldn’t feel out of place on the set of Jurassic Park”), Malham (with “landscapes forged in the last Ice Age, rare flora and fauna and some of northern England’s most spectacular views”), or any of the other destinations on this list of the best walks to enjoy around Manchester from Manchester’s Finest.

7. Go bowling

Here’s a fun date idea in Manchester: bowling! But not just any bowling – visit Dog Bowl Manchester for a truly fun and unique bowling experience. The venue not only has late-night ten-pin bowling, but there’s also a retro arcade, plus mouthwatering food and thirst-quenching cocktails to fuel the fun. (This can even be a pretty affordable date idea if you take advantage of the “Beer, Burger And Bowl For £16.50” offer they have Tuesdays through Fridays.

8. Collaborate on an escape room

If you and your date enjoy puzzles and relish a challenge, an escape room is an awesome way to collaborate and get closer with your date. Reviewers particularly love Breakout Manchester, where you’ll have an hour to escape from any of their 17 themed escape rooms with a variety of difficulty levels–including a cursed carnival, a magic emporium, a detective agency, a zombie lab, and lots more.

9. Hang out at an old pub

Manchester is known for its pubs, some of which date back hundreds of years. For your next date night, enjoy a delicious beer, some delicious traditional pub food, and a bit of history at the Sawyer’s Arms (which has been there since 1730) or the Oxnoble (which dates all the way back to 1804), among others on this list of the best old pubs in Manchester. You and your date may just feel like you’ve stepped back in time together!

Learn all about hiring a venue for events in Manchester with our informative guide!

10. Plan a picnic

For a daytime date, visit one of Manchester’s many beautiful parks, like Heaton Park or Platt Fields Park, and pack a delectable picnic (in a real basket, if possible!) for the two of you to enjoy and a blanket to sit on. Picnics are a classic date activity for a reason–the fresh air and sun is relaxing yet invigorating, and it’s a great opportunity to get to know your date better with relatively few distractions.

11. Go biking around the city

You can combine this date idea with other ideas on the list–for instance, you might start the day with a picnic, bike to a local museum, and then bike over to Dog Bowl Manchester to finish the day with some bowling. If you don’t have bikes of your own, you can always rent a bike for a day through Manchester Bike Hire.

12. Visit Cultplex

Cultplex describes itself as “the home of cult films, video games, and cool nerd stuff in Manchester,” and if that sounds like it might be up you and your date’s alley, it’s definitely worth a visit! You can see all kinds of movies, old and new, indie and mainstream, plus join their amateur gaming league, try out their cult film pub quiz, and lots more (here’s a list of what they’ve got going on in the near future).

Find unique proposal venues in Manchester on Peerspace