Winter date ideas: 40 cozy plans for when it's cold outside

• Budgetfree
• Best forplayful couples, any stage
• Time1 to 2 hours

Everyone becomes eight years old on a sled. Find the hill locals use, race each other and try one run together on the same sled. No sled? A sturdy plastic tray or a trash bag works and is even funnier.

• Budgetlow
• Best foroutdoorsy couples
• Time2 to 3 hours

If you can walk, you can snowshoe. Many outdoor shops and parks rent them, and some trails offer guided moonlight walks. The forest is quiet in a way it never is in summer, which makes it easy to talk.

• Budgetfree
• Best forany stage
• Time1 hour

Forget the basic snowman. Each of you gets thirty minutes to build something: a dragon, a portrait of the other person, a tiny snow version of your favorite restaurant. Then judge each other with complete seriousness.

• Budgetfree
• Best forplayful couples
• Time30 minutes

Build a fort each, agree on "no faces" and pick a prize (loser makes the hot chocolate). It's a ridiculous amount of fun and it ends naturally when you're both soaked and laughing.

• Budgetfree
• Best forromantic, any stage
• Time1 hour

The first real snowfall of the year changes how a city sounds. Text your date "first snow, are you in?" and go for a slow walk while it's still falling. Streetlights in the snow do the rest.

• Budgetmedium
• Best foractive couples, second date on
• Timehalf day

Easier on the nerves than a big mountain and you're both beginners together. Many Nordic centers offer short lessons with rentals. Expect some falling, a lot of laughing and a big appetite afterward.

• Budgetmedium
• Best formixed couples (one skis, one doesn't)
• Timehalf day

You don't have to ski to enjoy a ski resort. Ride a gondola or chairlift to the top for the view, have lunch at the mountain hut and come down for the lodge fire. Ask about foot-passenger tickets before you go.

• Budgetsplurge
• Best forspecial occasions
• Time1 to 3 hours

A horse-drawn sleigh under blankets is pure postcard. Dog sledding is the wilder version, with very excited dogs and a lot of noise at the start. Both are worth it for an anniversary or a winter trip.

• Budgetlow
• Best forcouples who like a challenge
• Time1 hour

Waterproof blanket, a thermos of soup, grilled cheese wrapped in foil and something sweet. Pick a spot with a view and keep it short. The point isn't comfort, it's the story you'll tell later.

• Budgetlow to medium
• Best forfirst or second date
• Time1 to 2 hours

Rinks in parks and city squares come back every winter. Go on a weeknight when it's calmer. Hold hands "for balance", race one lap and save the real talk for the hot drink afterward. A classic is Nathan Phillips Square, one of our Toronto date ideas.

Tip: Too warm for outdoor ice where you live? Local hockey arenas often have public skate sessions, and some are open year-round.

• Budgetfree
• Best forromantic, early birds
• Time1 hour

Winter sunrises are late enough that you don't need a crazy alarm. Drive or walk to a spot facing east, bring coffee or cocoa in a thermos and a blanket. Breakfast at a diner afterward makes it a full date.

• Budgetfree
• Best forany stage
• Time1 to 2 hours

An empty beach in winter feels like a secret. Wrap up, walk the waterline, look for sea glass or shells and end at a seaside café or fish and chip shop. Wind in your face, cheeks red, very good conversation.

• Budgetfree
• Best foroutdoorsy couples
• Time2 to 4 hours

After a cold snap, some waterfalls freeze into huge ice sculptures. Check trail conditions, wear good boots or microspikes and pick an easy route. More trail ideas are in our hiking date ideas.

• Budgetfree
• Best forromantic, night owls
• Time1 to 2 hours

The Geminids peak around mid-December and are one of the best showers of the year. Long nights help. Get away from city lights, lie back on a blanket in a sleeping bag and count shooting stars together. Look up the peak night before you plan.

• Budgetfree to medium
• Best forany stage
• Timehalf day

Some cities throw a party right in the coldest weeks. In Canada there's the Quebec Winter Carnival and Winterlude in Ottawa, in the US the Saint Paul Winter Carnival. Smaller towns have ice sculpture days and snow festivals too. Check your local events calendar in January and February.

• Budgetlow to medium
• Best forfirst to third date
• Time3 hours

Minor league, college or a local club game: the atmosphere is loud, the breaks are made for talking and nobody minds if you don't know the rules. Bet on the score and the loser buys the snack.

• Budgetmedium to splurge
• Best forromantic, special occasions
• Time2 hours

Many restaurants and rooftop bars put clear domes or heated huts on their terraces in winter. You get the cold view without the cold. They book up fast on weekends, so reserve early.

• Budgetfree to low
• Best forbrave couples
• Time1 to 2 hours

Lots of towns host New Year's Day or charity plunges into a lake or the sea. Run in, scream, run out and get warm fast. Only with a safe, organized event and only if you're both healthy enough for cold water.

• Budgetlow
• Best forfirst date, any stage
• Time2 hours

Pick three cafés within walking distance. Order the hot chocolate at each and rate it: richness, toppings, mug, vibe. The short walks in between keep things moving and the scorecard is a great keepsake.

• Budgetmedium
• Best forcouples, third date on
• Timehalf day

Sitting in hot water while the air bites your face is one of winter's best feelings. Natural hot springs, a city bathhouse or a spa with an outdoor pool all work. It's a lot of skin for a first date, so save it for later.

• Budgetfree to low
• Best forfirst date, gray days
• Time1 to 2 hours

Conservatories and botanical glasshouses are warm, humid and green when everything outside is gray. Take your coats off, walk among palms and orchids and pretend it's July. Many are free or cheap.

• Budgetlow to medium
• Best forfirst or second date
• Time1 to 2 hours

A steaming bowl is the coziest thing you can order in January. Pick a place neither of you has tried and slurp without shame. Bonus: noodles are a good test of who can laugh at themselves.

• Budgetlow
• Best forweekend mornings
• Time1 to 2 hours

Indoor and winter markets keep going all season with root vegetables, cheese, bread and hot cider. Shop for one ingredient each, then cook a dinner around both at home.

• Budgetlow to medium
• Best forany stage
• Time2 hours

Find a pub, lodge or bar with a real fireplace. Get there early enough for the seats right next to it and order something warm. You don't need a mountain, just the feeling of having earned it.

• Budgetmedium
• Best forsecond date on
• Time2 hours

Tours are indoors, a little educational and end with a tasting. Ask about the small local places, they often give the tour themselves. Plan a ride home and a snack, or pick the non-alcoholic tasting.

• Budgetmedium
• Best forcouples, dark weekends
• Timehalf day

On short winter days, go out during the light. A Saturday or Sunday matinee followed by a slow, late lunch somewhere with stew on the menu leaves the evening free for the couch.

• Budgetlow
• Best forcouples, the darkest weeks
• Timeevening

Turn the heat up, spread towels on the floor, put on summer songs and make tropical drinks and something grilled. Sunglasses are mandatory. It's absurd, which is exactly why it works in February.

• Budgetlow
• Best forfoodies
• Time2 to 3 hours

Each of you makes a small pot of your best chili or soup. Swap bowls, judge blind and award a ridiculous trophy. The loser does the dishes, the winner chooses the next date.

• Budgetlow
• Best forpatient couples
• Timeafternoon

Kneading, waiting, kneading again: bread gives you built-in breaks to talk, play cards or nap. The whole home smells amazing and you eat it warm with butter at the end. Start with a simple no-knead loaf if you're new.

• Budgetfree
• Best forromantic, any couple
• Timeevening

Pretend the power's out. All lights off, candles on, phones in a drawer. Play cards, tell stories and cook something simple on the stove. It's amazing how much you talk when there's nothing to look at.

• Budgetlow
• Best forcouples, third date on
• Time2 hours

Make a filling, buy wrappers and fold together at the kitchen table. Your first ones will be ugly. By the twentieth, you'll be competing on pleats. Steam, pan-fry, eat too many.

• Budgetlow
• Best forcute dates
• Time2 hours

Marshmallows are easier to make than you'd think: sugar, gelatin, a mixer and a little patience while they set. Cut them into squares, set out toppings like crushed cookies, cinnamon and chili, and build the most over-the-top hot chocolate you can.

• Budgetlow
• Best forcozy couples
• Time1 to 2 hours

A ball of yarn each and a beginner video. It's slow, calming and leaves your hands busy while you talk. Make each other a very lumpy scarf by spring.

• Budgetlow
• Best forromantic
• Time1 hour

Score the chestnuts, roast them in the oven or over a fire and peel them while they're hot. Add a rule: every chestnut comes with a story the other person hasn't heard yet.

• Budgetlow
• Best forcrafty couples
• Time1 to 2 hours

Glass jars, glitter, a little glycerin and tiny figures from a craft store. Each of you builds a scene that means something to the other person. It's a gift and a date at the same time.

• Budgetfree
• Best forbookish couples
• Timeevening

Build one big nest of blankets and pillows, light a candle and read side by side. Every so often, read your favorite sentence out loud. Quiet dates count too.

• Budgetfree
• Best forcouples
• Time1 to 2 hours

Winter is the best time to dream about warm days. Spread out a map, list three trips you'd love, pick one and plan the first day in detail. Then move on to our summer date ideas for the shorter plans.

• Budgetmedium to splurge
• Best forcouples, weekend trips
• Time1 to 2 days

Australia's ski season runs roughly June to September, with resorts in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales and the Victorian Alps. New Zealand has the bigger mountains around Queenstown and Wanaka. Even if you don't ski, a lodge, a fire and a snowball fight are worth the drive.

• Budgetfree to low
• Best forany stage
• Time2 to 3 hours

Vivid Sydney fills the harbor and the city with light installations, usually from late May into June. Other cities run winter festivals with light trails and fire pits too. Go on a weeknight, bring a warm drink and walk the full route. More harbor plans are in our Sydney date ideas.

• Budgetlow to medium
• Best forcouples, friends
• Timeevening

Real Christmas falls in summer in Australia, so many people throw a cold-weather version in July: roast dinner, pudding, a fire and the songs about snow that never quite fit a December heatwave. Host one for two or invite friends.