Hot date on the horizon? Luckily for you it's set to be another smokin’ summer in London, and there are tons of cool outdoorsy things you can do to impress them. Mostly involving booze, of course...
1. Cool off in a heatwave (and strut your stuff in your skivvies) at one of Hampstead Heath's bathing pools for a date aquatic, followed by much lounging about in the sun with a tinnie or two. Check out our fave cans here.
2. It’s al fresco cinema season and there are outdoor film screenings all over the capital! Snuggle up with your SO in front of a loved-up romcom, a clinch-inducing horror or heart-stirring drama. Grab a cushion and your beau and head to the Rooftop Film Club - always a winner.
3. Head to a new part of town. Peckham gets our vote - it's f*cking cool, the Rye is huge and pretty, AND we have the ultimate guide to Peckham with all the coffee, cocktails, pubs, wine and late-night partying you need for some wicked day-to-night action. While you're there, def check out the no-frills rooftop bar on a car park that everyone's banging on about - Frank’s. Epic city skyline, amazing sunsets and loads of cheap booze: what could go wrong?
4. If your date is a dog person, steal your mate's pooch and head out on a playdate to one of these awesome boozehound-friendly bars.
5. Sushi Samba - if you're a baller, this is where summer drinking's at. This place has two of the highest outdoor terraces in Europe, and there's fire, ridiculously beautiful views, fancy cocktails and some of the best sushi in the city.
6. When you realise a walk along the South Bank was actually a pretty sh*t idea, head to one of the best bars in town, Lyaness. It snagged the World's Best Bar award last year, so you know it's gonna be pretty special - plus the river views are killer.
7. A psychedelic rooftop in Shoreditch? Nice one. The Queen of Hoxton comes complete with crazy coloured cocktails, multi-coloured ice cream sandwiches and chilled hippie vibes.
8. No matter how long you've been a Londoner, it's never not cool to live large on a barge on the Thames. Tamesis Dock is a failsafe for a rocky pub date on the river, set on a converted 1930s Dutch barge. Another wicked floating option is Bruno's - pure romance.
9. Fancy swinging? Easy tiger. Head to Swingers for crazy golf on a rooftop. If you're sh*t that's cool too, 'cos you can just get involved with all the great booze they're slinging.
10. Your date care as much about getting that sweet Insta content as they do your face? They'll love a Sunday stroll around Columbia Road Flower Market. Plus there are some killer places nearby for roast lunches and silly Sunday sessions.
11. Two words: beer garden. There are the sh*t one-table-in-the-sun ones, and then there are the ping-pong tables, burger bar, BBQ, treehouse kind. We're about the latter. Check out this awesome lot for our faves.
12. Grab a bike and cycle along the canals - just don’t fall in. Cruise along and stop off at the wicked bars along the route between Angel and Haggerston, and finish it all up in Hackney Wick by grabbing a pizza and ice-cold beer at Crate Brewery. Probably don't try and cycle home.
13. Head to The Roebuck pub in Richmond - grab a beer and go sit on a bench across the road. Doesn’t sound very classy, but trust us: it’s one of the best views in London, overlooking the vast green park.
14. Wanna show off those muscles? Hit up the Serpentine and hire a pedalo to flex your calves, or give 'em two tickets to the gun show in one of their rowboats. Pull a Daniel Cleaver and read 'em some poetry as you float along. V romantic.
15. Avoid the madness of Borough and spend a morning at BarChick's fave Maltby Street Market. It's home to Little Bird Gin too, so you can slip down a few G&Ts before snacking on all the samples.
16. Make your Kew Gardens visit a boozy one with a hip flask in hand (BarChick sips whisky, if you’re asking).
17. Wine country in London? It's a thing... sorta. Head to Battersea to pay a visit to Blackbook, an urban winery under a railway arch. They source their grapes from just hours outside London and do the rest in-house. You'll get a peek at the process through their winery tour and tasting for just £20 a pop.
18. You can't go wrong with a day sesh on an epic sun-drenched terrace. These are our fave al fresco spaces to spend the day lowering those inhibitions with a couple of cocktails...
19. You can't go wrong with an all-you-can-drink brunch. 10 Mimosas in and some smashed avo, and you're golden. Here are London's best boozy bottomless brunches, according to us.
20. Feeling cultural? Book seats at The Globe for a Shakespeare session (if you’re tight, standing seats are only a fiver). Grab a drink upstairs at The Swan next door for cool views of the river.
21. Thirsty for adventure? Yeah you are. Challenge your lover to some athletic feats at Go Ape's ropes courses - there are loadsa locations, but we like to ride the Piccadilly line all the way to the end and get our treetop swingin' on in Cockfosters for the name alone. Plus it's right by The Cock Inn, so you can refuel properly once you're done channelling George of the Jungle.
22. Head to Sky Garden for an awesome view of London - it’s completely free, baby! And no need to tear yourself away from the romantic views - you can grab dinner up here too. Find delish seafood at Fenchurch or head to Darwin Brasserie for British oysters... you know why.
23. Sign up to Hidden City and they’ll send you on a crazy treasure hunt around the city. The questions are a good balance between difficult, but not impossible. There’s also loads of bars along the way and you can pause your time if you’re in need of a hydration stop.
24. Pet the pigs at Hackney City Farm, oink.
25. Book a canoe session along the Thames - but you know the rule: if they go in, you go in. Book a canoe here.
26. Get lost in the Hampton Court Palace maze. Or lose your date if they're salting your game.
27. Fancy some park positioned culture? How about grabbing tickets to the Regents Park Open Air Theatre? From Shakespeare to musicals, your date will be impressed... especially if there's interval ice cream!
28. Check out the dinosaurs at Crystal Palace. Let your inner Ross Geller shine through. Then head for mega sourdough pizza and drink £5 Negronis during happy hour at Four Hundred Rabbits.
29. Chilling in Central? Head up to the Alto rooftop at Selfridges and you'll find yourself on one of the fanciest sky-high bars in the city. They've got food, cocktails, views and loadsa foliage... perfect for taking the pic that'll make things Insta official, if that's your vibe.
30. Head to the Oxo Tower Brasserie for dinner, or to the Oxo Tower Bar for a killer view of the Thames where you can grab a glass of Sauvy B from the Cloudy Bay terrace, serving up vino until the end of July.
Updated 12/06/2023