Date Night Ideas in Delhi: 28 Plans for Every Budget (2026)
Updated 2026-10-04 · 7 min read · by the delhi2go team
The best date nights in Delhi mix the city’s monuments with what it does well after dark. Try a sunset at Sunder Nursery or Lodhi Garden, the Red Fort light and sound show, live jazz at The Piano Man, or a Qutub-view dinner in Mehrauli. Below are 28 plans grouped by budget for two, from free to splurge, each with the area and the nearest metro. For live events tonight, see our date night events page.
Quick picks
| Date idea | Area | Budget for two | Best time | Nearest metro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunder Nursery evening | Nizamuddin | ₹100 | Sunset to 10 pm | JLN Stadium or Jangpura (Violet), then auto |
| Lodhi Garden + street art | Lodhi Road | Free | 5–7 pm | Jor Bagh (Yellow), JLN Stadium (Violet) |
| Red Fort “Jai Hind” show | Old Delhi | From ₹500 | After sunset, Tue–Sun | Lal Quila (Violet) |
| Akshardham water show | Akshardham | ₹220 | Evening, Tue–Sun | Akshardham (Blue) |
| Comedy line-up | HKV / Saket / Gurugram | ₹400–₹1,400 | Weekend nights | Green Park, Malviya Nagar (Yellow) |
| Jazz at The Piano Man | Safdarjung Enclave | ₹2,000–₹4,000 | 8:30 pm sets | Green Park (Yellow), then auto |
| Escape room | Connaught Place | ₹2,200–₹2,400 | Any day | Rajiv Chowk (Yellow/Blue) |
| Rooftop drinks in CP | Connaught Place | ₹2,800–₹3,000 | After 7 pm | Rajiv Chowk |
| Qutub-view dinner | Mehrauli | About ₹4,000 | Sunset | Qutub Minar (Yellow) |
| Indian Accent | Lodhi Road | ₹6,000+ | Dinner | JLN Stadium (Violet) |
Budgets are estimates for two people. Restaurant figures are the venues’ listed cost for two, before drinks top-ups.
Free or under ₹500 for two
1. Lodhi Garden at sunset, then the Lodhi Art District. Walk past the Lodi-era tombs as the light turns gold, then wander the murals in Lodhi Colony nearby. Both are free. See our Lodhi Road guide.
2. An evening at Sunder Nursery. Delhi’s prettiest park stays open until 10 pm (last entry 9:30 pm), and tickets cost ₹50 each. Picnics are allowed, and the lawns around its restored Mughal-era monuments are perfect for an unhurried evening.
3. Kartavya Path and the National War Memorial after dark. India Gate is lit up at night, the lawns are full of families and ice-cream carts, and the War Memorial (free) holds a short retreat ceremony each evening. Nearest station: Central Secretariat.
4. Hauz Khas lake at sunset. Buy the ₹20 online tickets for the Hauz Khas complex and watch the sun drop over the lake from Firoz Shah’s madrasa. The complex closes around 6 pm, so arrive by 5 pm in October.
5. Agrasen ki Baoli and a Connaught Place stroll. See the stepwell in daylight, then walk the colonnades of CP’s Inner Circle for coffee or kulfi. Barakhamba Road (Blue Line) is the nearest station.
6. A free concert at the India International Centre. Most IIC programmes, including classical recitals, film screenings and talks, are open to the public without tickets. It makes an unusual and quietly romantic date.
7. The Sunday Book Market. Pick books for each other at the Daryaganj market, which now runs at Mahila Haat on Asaf Ali Road every Sunday. Browsing is free.
8. Dilli Haat INA. It costs ₹30 each to get in, and food from the state stalls (momos from the Northeast, Bengali fish fry, Kashmiri kahwa) keeps the bill small. Nearest station: INA (Yellow/Pink).
₹500–₹2,000 for two
9. The Red Fort light and sound show. The “Jai Hind” show is narrated by Amitabh Bachchan and runs twice every evening after sunset, except on Mondays. Tickets start at ₹250, and the front rows cost more. Follow it with kebabs in Old Delhi.
10. The Akshardham water show. The evening Sahaj Anand Water Show costs ₹110 each. Phones aren’t allowed inside the temple complex, which makes it a rare, fully phone-free date. It’s closed on Mondays.
11. Boating at Purana Qila. Boating returned to the Old Fort’s lake in 2025, at ₹125 per person for 20 minutes, after almost a decade. It started on a trial basis, so check before you go. Fort entry is extra.
12. A comedy show. Line-up shows at rooms in Hauz Khas Village, Saket and Gurugram cost ₹199–₹299 each, while solo shows at The Laugh Store in CyberHub are typically ₹599–₹699. Browse comedy events.
13. A Majnu ka Tilla café crawl. Tibetan bakeries, laphing and momo spots line the lanes of Delhi’s Tibetan colony by the Yamuna. It’s about 1.5 km from Vidhan Sabha station (Yellow Line).
14. An Old Delhi food walk you plan yourselves. Start with parathas at Paranthe Wali Gali, whose shops date back to the 1870s, and end with dinner at Karim’s near Jama Masjid (around ₹1,600 for two).
15. Dastkar Nature Bazaar. Dastkar runs themed craft bazaars of about 100 stalls at Andheria Mor, Anuvrat Marg, through the year. Entry is around ₹50, and there’s plenty of street food.
16. Qutub Minar in the evening. Tickets are ₹35 each online. The tower is lit after dark, and the complex has opened for evening viewing in recent seasons, so confirm the current hours on the ASI ticketing site.
17. An open mic. Audience tickets cost ₹69–₹149, and you’ll see poetry, storytelling and comedy in one sitting. Our open mic guide explains how they work.
₹2,000–₹5,000 for two
18. Jazz at The Piano Man. Delhi’s best-loved jazz club has rooms in Safdarjung Enclave, Saket and Gurugram. Sets start at 8:30 pm, and you book on the club’s website. Covers of around ₹500 per person are common on gig nights. See our Piano Man venue page.
19. An indie gig at Depot48. This GK-II venue has live, mostly original music five nights a week, at around ₹2,500 for two with food and drinks. Our live music guide has more.
20. An escape room. Mystery Rooms has a branch at M-94 Connaught Place, opposite Shankar Market. For two players it costs ₹1,100 per person on weekdays and ₹1,200 per person from Friday to Sunday. It tests your teamwork quickly.
21. A heritage walk. Delhi Tourism runs three-hour morning walks every Saturday and Sunday through Shahjahanabad, Mehrauli, Hauz Khas and Connaught Place, at ₹1,000 plus GST per person. See our heritage walks page.
22. A haunted walk. For something different, Delhi Tourism’s evening haunted walks to Malcha Mahal and Feroz Shah Kotla cost ₹800 plus GST per person. They’re for over-15s, and each walk needs at least six people.
23. A recliner movie at PVR Director’s Cut. The luxury cinema at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, has plush recliners and food served to your seat, and it costs more than a regular multiplex. Take a cab.
24. Rooftop drinks in Connaught Place. Lord of the Drinks (G-72, around ₹2,800 for two), Ministry of Beer (M-43, around ₹2,900) and Farzi Cafe (Inner Circle, around ₹3,000) are reliable CP picks. See our Connaught Place guide.
25. Dinner with a Qutub view. Qla, in the old blueFROG space on Seven Style Mile, and Dramz, a whisky bar with a rooftop on Kalka Das Marg, both look out towards the Qutub Minar. Each costs around ₹4,000 for two. See our Mehrauli guide.
Splurge: ₹5,000 and up
26. Indian Accent, The Lodhi. One of India’s most celebrated restaurants, regularly listed among Asia’s 50 Best. Budget around ₹6,000 for two before wine, and book ahead.
27. Olive Bar & Kitchen, Mehrauli. A whitewashed courtyard, fairy lights and the Qutub nearby, at around ₹5,000–₹6,000 for two. It has been a Delhi favourite for anniversaries and celebrations for years.
28. Sevilla, The Claridges. Spanish and Mediterranean food in an al fresco garden setting that opens at 7 pm, at around ₹6,000 for two. It’s best from October to March.
Make it a good night
- Book ahead on weekends, especially The Piano Man, the escape rooms and the splurge restaurants.
- Check closing days. The Red Fort show and Akshardham are closed on Mondays.
- Plan the ride home. Most metro lines run until roughly 11 pm. After a late dinner in Mehrauli or Gurugram, book a cab rather than racing for the last train.
- Think about the air. On smoggy November evenings, swap outdoor plans for indoor ones. Our indoor things to do page helps.
- Try something hands-on. Pottery, painting and cooking workshops run most weekends. Browse workshops.
For dates on a specific day, our this weekend page lists every show, gig and pop-up across Delhi NCR.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good cheap date idea in Delhi?
An evening at Sunder Nursery (₹50 each, open until 10 pm) or a sunset walk in Lodhi Garden and the Lodhi Art District (free) are both lovely. Follow either with street food or a ₹199–₹299 comedy line-up for a full evening under ₹1,000.
Where can couples go at night in Delhi?
Kartavya Path and the National War Memorial are open in the evening and free. The Red Fort light and sound show runs after sunset, and The Piano Man has live jazz from 8:30 pm. Sunder Nursery stays open until 10 pm.
Which is the most romantic restaurant in Delhi?
For a splurge, Indian Accent at The Lodhi, Olive Bar & Kitchen in Mehrauli and Sevilla at The Claridges are classic choices, each around ₹5,000–₹6,000 for two. For a Qutub Minar view at a lower price, try Qla or Dramz in Mehrauli, at around ₹4,000 for two.
Is the Red Fort light and sound show still running?
Yes. The 'Jai Hind' show at Red Fort runs twice every evening after sunset except on Mondays, with tickets from ₹250. The Purana Qila show, 'Ishq-e-Dilli', has been suspended for an upgrade.
What can couples do in Delhi on a weekend morning?
Join a Delhi Tourism heritage walk (₹1,000 plus GST per person, on Saturdays and Sundays), go boating at Purana Qila, or walk Mehrauli Archaeological Park before the heat. In winter, Okhla Bird Sanctuary is beautiful early in the day.
