Autumn Date Ideas | London’s Cosiest Date Spots
Autumn.
It’s the perfect time to ahem, fall for someone.
And as your humble advisors regarding the best of London, allow us to take you on a little whirlwind tour of the most date-worthy events and places to visit in this fair city this season, from candlelit orchestral performances and hidden bars, to bookshops on barges and the chance to admire the gently colour-shifting treetops as you hurtle over them at 30mph on London’s biggest zip wire…
That’s one for the speed daters.
So without further ado, behold our Autumn date ideas…
Go to the Little Orchestra’s Twilight Transitions
It only sounds a teeny bit romantic.
Details: 22nd & 23rd September | Oval Space, 29-32 The Oval, E2 9DT | £20-35
Go to the Prohibition Party
Pretend your love is forbidden.
Details: 30th September | Secret location | From £30
Get Locked Up Together in Alcotraz
Plan what you’ll do when you get out.
Details: 28th September – 17th December | 212 Brick Lane, E1 6RL | £30
Pretend It’s Still Warm at Backyard Cinema
Sink your feet into actual sand for the last time this year.
Details: Until 6th October | Mercato Metropolitano, 42 Newington Causeway, SE1 6DR | From £16.50
Go on a Cosy Cruise with Cocktails Ahoy!
THIS is what floats your boat.
Details: October weekends | Alfred Le Roy, Canalside Queen’s Yard, E9 5EN | From £26
Go to a Pub with an Open Fire
…These are our favourites.
Go Cider Tasting
Here’s a decent place to do that.
Details: Throughout Autumn | The Draft House, 206-208 Tower Bridge Road, SE1 2UP | £45
Drink Hot Toddies Together
They’ll make you feel better, even if you already feel fine.
Go Apple Picking!
Credit: Steve p2008/Flickr
With the apple of your eye, of course.
Details: Daily | Garsons, Winterdown Road, West End, Esher, KT10 8LS | Pay per kilo
Carve Pumpkins Together
Or maybe just hollow them out and fill them with lattes.
Go to a Costume Shop, and Choose Halloween Outfits for Each Other
They can make ANYTHING sexy these days.
Go Conker Hunting…
Credit: wivens/Flickr
…then battle each other.
Go to a Fireworks Display
Credit: Jdmoar/Flickr
Unless you already have enough fireworks of your own…
Go Star-Gazing
Not the Leicester Square kind, the Greenwich Observatory kind…
Details: Royal Observatory, Blackheath Avenue, Greenwich SE10 8XJ
Go Deer-Spotting in Richmond Park
Credit: Smudge 9000/Flickr
It’s surprisingly easy to track them down.
Details: Richmond Park, TW10 5HS
Go to an Oktoberfest Wearing Lederhosen/Dirndls
Everyone else will look underdressed. Trust us.
Go to Some Museum Lates
Learn how awesome museums are without all the other people.
Go on a Ramen Crawl
Share a single hearty, warming bowl of goodness at each stop. Start here
Go to a Popup Cinema (With Blankets)
They still run past September, amazingly.
Book One of the Igloos at Coppa Club
They’re back! And you can find more of them here…
Details: Available now, book here | Coppa Club, 3 Three Quays Walk, Lower Thames Street, EC3R 6AH
Check out Beauty and the Feast
And argue over who gets to be ‘beauty’.
Details: From 6th October | The Vaults, Leake Street, SE1 7NN | From £45
Go to the Harry Potter Supperclub
Expecto a magical evening.
Details: Until 24th February | LIBRARY, 112 St. Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4BD | £75
Toast Marshmallows at the Midnight Apothecary
It’s a rooftop cocktail bar in a garden. What’s not to love?
Details: Fridays and Saturdays | Brunel Museum, Railway Avenue, SE16 4LF | £5
Before Going Downstairs to See an Adventure Film, Under the Thames
Seriously.
Details: 19th & 26th September, 5th & 12th October | The Brunel Museum, Tunnel Road, SE16 4LF | £20
Go to the Underground Knees Up
Dress, and talk, like it’s the 1940’s.
Details: 6th October | The Vaults, Leake Street, SE1 7NN | £95
Go to a Rollerdiso on a Rooftop
It’s not quiiiite ice skating season yet…
Details: Thurs-Sat until end of September | Roof East, Level 8 Car park, Great Eastern Way, E15 1XE | £10
Go Vintage Shopping Down Camden Passage
Buy each other weird antique spoons and Hokusai prints.
Visit One of London’s Cosier Museums
The candlelit tours of Sir John Soane’s house are well worth the queue.
Details: First Tuesday of every month | 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2A 3BP | Free
Go Horse Riding in Hyde Park
Crunching leaves is so much more satisfying when you have hooves.
Details: Daily | Hyde Park Stables, 63 Bathurst Mews, W2 2SB | From £99
Feel Intellectual at the London Literature Festival
This year, they’ve got Tom Hanks, Hillary Clinton and Philip Pullman in the line-up.
Details: 13th October – 1st November | Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX
Go for the Perfect Roast
Maybe try all of them, just to be sure.
See a Play in a Candlelit Theatre
It’s the Globe’s closed-roof – and sliightly more autumn-friendly – cousin.
Details: 21 New Globe Walk, SE1 9DT | From £10
Go on a Day Trip
Pretty sure two total strangers could end up engaged here.
Curl Up with Books in a Barge
Yes, of course they also have live music nights.
Details: Open 12-7pm daily | York Way, Granary Square, N1C 4AA
…Then Curl Up with Books in a Bar
BYOC East was basically invented for autumn evenings.
Details: Monday – Saturday | 19 Bevis Marks, EC3A 7JA | £30
Take in the changing Autumn colours from the world’s biggest city zip wire
You’re literally falling for each other.
Details: Until 1st October | Zip World, Lambeth Palace Road, SE1 7JY | £22.50
Cosy Up with Campfire Club
Ludicrously autumnal.
Details: 15th & 22nd September | Various (woodland) venues | £10
Take Blankets to the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
And get boozy hot chocolates if you’re still feeling chilly…
Details: Until 23rd September | Regent’s Park, NW1 4NU | From £25
Play all the board games in Draughts
Loser gets the drinks in.
Details: Open daily | 337 Acton Mews, E8 4EA
Have your own Ghost moment in a pottery class
Then sip smugly from your slightly off-centre mugs by the fireside later.
Details: Various dates | Ceramics Studio Co-op, Juno Way, SE14 5RW | From £55
Go to an immersive performance with storytellers and a live orchestra
Oh, and it has a bottomless mead-laden, Masterchef-led feast, too.
Details: 19th – 22nd October | Secret location | From £29
Take a leisurely dinner cruise along London’s canals
London Shell Co are serving game feasts every Tuesday.
Details: Game menu available every Tuesday in October/November | The Prince Regent, Sheldon Square, W2 6DS
Go for a dip (in a heated pool)
It’s basically like a giant jacuzzi.
Details: Reopens 30th September | London Fields West Side, E8 3EU
See the Rachel Whiteread exhibition at the Tate Britain
Then discuss over brunch with live jazz in their restaurant.
Details: Until 21st January | Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1P 4RG | £15
Eat warming Scottish scran at Mac & Wild
And then head to their virtual game shooting room after.
Details: Monday-Saturday | 9a Devonshire Square, EC2M 4YN
Head to a TT liquor cocktail masterclass
Because gin jackets are cosier than beer jackets.
Details: Regular dates | TT Liquor, 17b Kingsland Road, E2 8AA | £70
Hibernate in one of London’s hidden bars
Any of these should do quite nicely.
Make sweet sweet chocolate together
If it doesn’t work out, at least you can now make chocolate martinis.
Details: Regular dates | My Chocolate, 10c Branch Place, N1 5PH | £75
Go on a Basquiat bonanza
Credit: Edo Bertoglio courtesy of Maripol
See the mind-blowing exhibition at the Barbican before heading to this jazz gig inspired by his work.
Details: From 21st September | Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS | £16
Hole up at Humble Grape for the evening
Their third instalment in Islington has a wine library.
Details: Open daily | Humble Grape Islington, 11-13 Theberton Street, N1 0QY
Treat each other to Ichibuns
Because that’s what true love’s all about.
Details: Open daily | 22 Wardour Street, W1D 6QH
Autumn Date Ideas | Main image: Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Want more date ideas? Check out 100 fool-proof year-rounders right here