Although the weather can be miserable, there are tons of cute and romantic winter date ideas in Toronto worth going out in the cold for.
From cozy indoor activities to lit-up outdoor affairs, there’s always something fun going on in the city.
Obviously the easiest winter date idea is watching Netflix shows and cozying up for date night at home, but sometimes you just gotta get out and do something different and fun.
Here are some of the most fun and unique winter date ideas in Toronto to keep you warmed up!
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More winter activities in Toronto
If you’re looking for more fun stuff to do in Toronto this winter, you might enjoy these posts:
- Looking for fun activities? Peep out these fun things to do in Toronto or these free things to do in Toronto.
- Searching for cool photo spots? Visit these winter photo spots in Toronto or indoor photo spots in Toronto.
- In the mood for a getaway? Go on one of these winter getaways in Ontario.
- Visiting during the holidays? Here are festive things to do in Toronto!
Fun & unique winter date ideas in Toronto
Do a guided tasting tour at St. Lawrence Market
Spend a whole morning (or afternoon, if you’re not morning people) sampling everything from cheeses, to wines, to mustards at the adorable St. Lawrence Market.
You can either grab tickets to a guided group food tasting tour around St. Lawrence Market, or you can meander around and explore yourselves.
I did the tour as part of a story assignment I was doing with Lonely Planet a few years ago, and I had so much fun!
If you’re exploring St. Lawrence Market on your own, be sure to grab an authentic Montreal bagel at St. Urbain Bagel and fresh perogies at European Delight!
You can also enjoy whatever you get on the outdoor patio if it’s not too cold outside!
St. Lawrence Market is open everyday except for Mondays, and it’s the perfect spot for a cute winter date in Toronto.
It’s also a lot less busy during the week than on the weekends if you’re looking to avoid the crowds.
There are also plenty of incredible restaurants in the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood, also known as Old Town Toronto (the oldest neighbourhood in Toronto!)
LOCATION: 95 Front St E, Toronto, ON
Do an Italian cooking class at Eataly Toronto
If y’all love to cook and y’all love Italian food, definitely try your hands at a cooking class at Eataly Toronto.
You can learn to make authentic handmade pasta, pizza, and even tiramisu!
Most of Eataly’s cooking classes range from $100 to $150 per person, which is a little pricy, but worth it if you’re looking to go on a special and unique winter date experience in Toronto.
Afterwards, you can enjoy wine and oysters at Diana’s Seafood inside Eataly, or even grab some of their delicious house-made gelato.
LOCATION: 55 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON
Get competitive at Snakes & Lattes
When in doubt, stop by Snakes & Lattes and go on a cute board game date.
Snakes & Lattes is one of the most fun winter date ideas in Toronto, and definitely one of my favourite things to do in the city!
You totally forget how fun board games actually are until you play them again.
While it’s fun playing games with a group of friends, it’s also fun playing games as a couple – Adam and I love hitting up board game cafés!
There are tons of fun games meant for two players, and the employees at Snakes are always happy to suggest and teach you new ones.
The entrance fee is $8 per person, and they also have food and drink for purchase as well.
We always love getting the Nutella Latte here!
It’s nice that they have thousands of board game options to choose from, which you probably don’t have at home.
Scrabble is my fave board game to play on dates (mostly ’cause I always win lolz).
You can visit Snakes & Lattes at their OG location on College, in the Annex, or in Midtown Toronto!
LOCATION: Various locations
Do a paint date night at Paint Cabin
Paint Cabin is a cute little art bar located in Leslieville, and it’s the perfect spot for a romantic winter date night out.
It’s always fun being able to let loose and be creative, and a paint date night is a great way to show off your artistic side to your partner.
You can choose all sorts of artistic activities like watercolour and acrylic painting, and most classes are in the $50 per person range.
Plus, you can enjoy beer or coffee while you get your art on!
LOCATION: 723 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON
Explore the Art Gallery of Ontario
For ya artsy folks, pay a visit to the AGO and take a look at some art for a couple of hours.
There’s so much to see at the gallery, and they usually have some cool special exhibitions going on.
Right now, you can check out the Keith Haring and KAWS exhibitions at the AGO!
The AGO is such a cute place to take your S/O all year-round, and you can get some ~aesthetic~ couple photos.
Entrance to the AGO is actually free for those 25 and under, and free for everyone on Wednesday evenings (though you have to book a time slot on Monday mornings).
Otherwise, you can snag tickets to the AGO online!
If you’re looking for somewhere to eat afterwards, definitely head over to Chinatown nearby for some of the best Asian restaurants in the city.
LOCATION: 317 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON
Get pampered at Hammam Spa by Céla
Spend a relaxing day with your S/O and enjoy the perfect pampering at the Hammam Spa by Céla.
Their Unite Package includes a Hammam steam ritual, 90-minute couples’ Swedish massage, mini facials, and private suite with bubbly and chocolate.
If bubbly isn’t for you or your partner, you can opt for non-alcoholic options instead.
The whole couples’ experience is 3 hours and costs $922!
LOCATION: 2901 Bayview Ave, North York, ON
Wander around the Power Plant Gallery
The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is a really underrated spot to visit in Toronto, and I’m really surprised that more people don’t talk about it.
They always have cool and unique exhibitions going on, and it’s rarely very busy!
The gallery is also completely free to visit, so it’s a great affordable winter date idea.
The gallery is located right by the Harbourfront, so you can do a romantic walk along the docks after.
You can then grab a hot cup of joe at Boxcar Social, one of my favourite Toronto coffee shops, or hit up one of the best Harbourfront restaurants!
LOCATION: 231 Queens Quay W, Toronto, ON
Visit the Royal Ontario Museum
If you and your S/O are more into museums than galleries, hit up the ROM for an afternoon of seeing art, world culture, and natural history exhibits.
The ROM is actually the largest museum in Canada and one of the largest museums in North America, which is pretty cool!
My favourite part of the ROM is definitely the dinosaur exhibit – it’s just so cool to see.
You can buy your tickets to the ROM online ahead of time to make it easier!
They also have a 19+ event called ROM After Dark that’s actually really fun, where you can enjoy live entertainment and food and drink!
LOCATION: 100 Queens Park, Toronto, ON
Go café hopping in a cute Toronto neighbourhood
Café hopping is one of my absolute favourite activities to do in the city, and there are so many fantastic Toronto coffee shops worth visiting.
Hit up a new neighbourhood you’ve never really explored before and stop into a few cute cafés!
Kensington Market, Queen West, and Yorkville are all great neighbourhoods for café hopping (and shopping!)
You can share a coffee and pastry at each spot, or get your caffeine on and try different drinks at each café.
Have a romantic dinner at one of Toronto’s many fancy spots
Warm up with a nice and romantic dinner if you’re feelin’ fancy.
Go out for a romantic tasting menu dinner at one of Toronto’s many amazing restaurants, or just visit one of the best restaurants in Toronto.
Winterlicious is the perfect excuse to visit fancy restaurants in the city – you get to order from prix fixe menus at dozens of top restaurants across the city, and they’re great because you get to sample a bunch of different dishes for a set price!
Outside of Winterlicious, a lot of other Toronto restaurants have tasting menus on the regular, and they switch up the menus every now and then.
Canoe is a pretty romantic spot, but it’s quite overpriced for just okay food, and it really is just worth going for the CN Tower views.
DaiLo is one of my absolute favourite restaurants in Toronto, and they have a tasting menu for $108 per person.
Have a romantic staycation at a Toronto boutique hotel
Get cozy with your S/O and book a winter staycation for the night or weekend at a local boutique hotel in Toronto.
The Drake Hotel is a trendy and artsy West Queen West hotel, and they’ve got a super cool rooftop patio (for summer) and restaurant on the main floor (perfect for brunch).
If you’re looking for something a lil’ more minimal and modern, The Annex Hotel is a cool 3-star hotel in a century-old building with rooms filled with art by local artists.
There’s no front desk, so check-in is done online – it’s kinda like an upscale Airbnb!
You can hit up the best Annex restaurants while you’re in the neighbourhood.
The Broadview Hotel is a chic 4-star boutique hotel in a historic Victorian building with a stunning, light-filled bistro on the main floor.
And if you’re looking for somewhere ~fancier~ for a staycation, Hotel X Toronto is a stunning 5-star boutique hotel near Ontario Place.
Wander around Ripley’s Aquarium
I know many Torontonians who never get around to doing touristy activities, and it’s usually because they can be pricy and potentially overrated.
I’ve been to Ripley’s Aquarium quite a few times since they opened, and every single time has been fun.
It’s huge inside and there are so many unique sea creatures to see!
My fave parts of the aquarium are definitely seeing all the sharks (a lil scary) and jellyfish (so cool).
Spend a couple of hours exploring the aquarium with your beau, then hit up one of the many amazing restaurants in the Entertainment District.
LOCATION: 288 Bremner Blvd, Toronto, ON
Play games at the Rec Room Toronto
You can’t not have fun while at the Rec Room, and it’s a great indoor date idea you can do during the winter.
It’s warm inside, there’s an arcade full of games, and the food and drinks are pretty good!
How The Rec Room works is that you buy a game tag which you can load with game credits, and you can bring it every time you visit.
You can play arcade games using the game credits, and collect reward points towards a prize.
The game credits and reward points never expire, so you can keep coming back and save for the perfect prize for your S/O!
There’s also an in-house restaurant at The Rec Room where you’ll find all kinds of elevated comfort foods, and the food is actually pretty good.
The Rec Room is actually located right across the street from Ripley’s Aquarium, so you can hit up both and make it a full date day.
You can also find The Rec Room in Mississauga, Barrie, and London!
LOCATION: 255 Bremner Blvd, Toronto, ON
Go ice skating at Nathan Phillips Square
Going out in the winter cold ain’t fun, but it’s worth it for a cute ice skating date.
Nathan Phillips Square is the most popular skating rink in Toronto, and the “Toronto” sign they added back in 2015 makes it all the more cuter!
Afterwards, you can warm up at one of the best restaurants along Queen Street.
If you’re visiting during the holiday season, you can check out the Cavalcade of Lights while you’re here!
LOCATION: 100 Queen St W, Toronto, ON
Go through obstacles together at Pursuit OCR
Are you and your S/O more into fitness activities?
Try going through the massive obstacle course and jumping into the ball pit together at Pursuit OCR.
It’s basically a giant (30,000 square feet) indoor park for adults who want to get in touch with their inner kid again.
Warning: this ain’t for the faint of heart (or people who get tired easily from being out of shape, AKA me).
Their original location used to be at Queen and Dufferin, but they moved to a ginormous space in Etobicoke several years ago!
LOCATION: 75 Westmore Dr, Etobicoke, ON
Stroll through the Distillery Winter Village at the Distillery District
Of course, the holiday season ain’t complete without a visit to the Distillery Winter Village.
It’s the perfect romantic date idea in Toronto, with plenty of things to do and restaurants to visit in the neighbourhood, especially during the holidays!
Snap cute couple photos with all of the festive decorations and indulge in the delicious holiday eats.
If you’re looking for somewhere nice to dine together, you can hit up Cluny for French cuisine or Boku for Japanese eats.
It’s best to explore the Distillery Winter Village in the evening to enjoy all the dazzling holiday lights, but it’s also really nice to visit during the day as well!
The Distillery Winter Village is happening everyday from now through December 31st (except for Christmas Day, when it’ll be closed).
Tickets (starting at $15 plus tax) are also required for entry Friday through Saturday after 4 PM, but it’s a free event otherwise.
Wander around Bloor-Yorkville Icefest
Another fun day date activity to do during the winter months: stopping by the annual Bloor-Yorkville Icefest.
Check out some of the cool ice sculptures around the stunning Yorkville neighbourhood, some of which even light up at night!
It typically happens every February, and it’s a completely free event.
And if you’re in a shopping mood, you can stroll around Yorkville and hit up all the fancy stores together.
Don’t forget to visit one of the best Yorkville restaurants for a delicious and hot meal, or grab a coffee at one of Yorkville’s best coffee shops!
Best winter date ideas in Toronto:
- Go on a guided tasting tour at the St. Lawrence Market
- Do an Italian cooking class at Eataly Toronto
- Do a paint date night at Paint Cabin
- Get competitive at Snakes & Lattes
- Explore the Art Gallery of Ontario
- Wander around the Power Plant Gallery
- Visit the Royal Ontario Museum
- Go café hopping in a new neighbourhood
- Have a romantic dinner at one of Toronto’s many fancy spots
- Have a romantic staycation at a Toronto boutique hotel
- Get pampered at Hammam Spa by Céla
- Wander around Ripley’s Aquarium
- Play games at the Rec Room Toronto
- Go ice skating at Nathan Phillips Square
- Go through obstacles together at Pursuit OCR
- Stroll through the Distillery Winter Village
- Wander around Bloor-Yorkville Icefest
There are plenty of fun and romantic date ideas you can do in Toronto during the winter to make the cold weather a little less miserable.
These winter date ideas are totally different than your classic dinner and movie or Netflix and chill dates, and they’ll surely impress your S/O.
Have you done any of these winter date ideas? What are the best winter dates you’ve gone on in Toronto? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram!
More winter activities in Toronto
If you’re looking for more fun stuff to do in Toronto this winter, you might enjoy these posts:
- Looking for fun activities? Peep out these fun things to do in Toronto or these free things to do in Toronto.
- Searching for cool photo spots? Visit these winter photo spots in Toronto or indoor photo spots in Toronto.
- In the mood for a getaway? Go on one of these winter getaways in Ontario.
- Visiting during the holidays? Here are festive things to do in Toronto!
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