Date ideas for Dublin, Belfast and Valentine’s Day

With Valentine’s Day coming up, starry-eyed lovers everywhere are thinking about planning the perfect date for their partner. Put a smile on their face and earn some serious brownie points by getting organised early for something romantic and unique in Dublin or Belfast. 

If your partner appreciates subtle gestures and symbolism on a date, take a wander down Dublin’s Love Lane, which links Dame Street and the cultural hotspot of Temple Bar. Soak up all the romantic quotes and artworks that grace the wall, hand-in-hand with your Valentine. A perfect Instagram moment.

Nothing says I love you like a picnic for two. So wrap up, pack up that picnic basket and steal away for a stroll around the city’s Phoenix Park – the largest enclosed urban park in Europe. Bonus brownie points will go for those organise an intimate horse-drawn carriage ride for a view of the park to remember. 

Elsewhere in Dublin, you can make sweet music together by sitting in on a traditional music session, heading to a club or taking in a concert. Or for those seeking a heavenly way to celebrate their love, make a date with St Valentine himself. 

Dublin has a strong connection with St Valentine, and relics of the saint can be found at a shrine in Whitefriar Street Church. Couples go to ask him to watch over their lives together, especially on St Valentine’s Day itself. 

In Belfast, take you love to new heights on the ultimate romantic date setting of The Observatory on the top level of the Grand Central Hotel. This twenty-third-floor cocktail lounge is the tallest in Ireland and offers stunning panoramic views of the city. Savour snacks and a handcrafted cocktail with the twinkling backdrop of the city’s lights.

Or why not feed your creative spirit and make a date with the city’s street art? You can hire one of the Belfast Bikes to meander the streets and lanes, and then go for a spin around the Titanic Quarter, the Maritime Mile, or along the quiet banks of the River Lagan.

And if you can’t push the boat out on meal for Valentine’s Day, then when can you? Go all out with three courses plus sides and all the drinks at the likes of top Belfast eateries like Coppi, the Mourne Seafood Bar and Deane’s at Queen’s, or seek out OX, where you can impress your love with Michelin star dining.

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