9 Budget Valentine's Day Date Ideas

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Valentine’s Day is almost here, and while it is one of those things we usually save up for, this time we’re keeping it low-key and intimate.

Couple’s boating at Damdama Lake

If you have the luxury of a car and feel like going on long drive, then we’d recommend boating at Damdama lake. It’s a nice, peaceful spot for a picnic, and you can row or paddle across the lake in a lonesome boat, just the two of you. The Haryana Tourism restaurant also has a bunch of food options, {we went for some coffee and french fries}. Look out for the Saras cranes and the cormorants basking in the sun.

Where: Damdama Lake, Sohna

Distance from Delhi: 62 kms {approx.}

Price: INR 200 onwards

Contact: +91 9582555626, +91 9582555629

Check them out here. 

Travel through the galaxy at Nehru Planetarium

Image courtesy: Places To Visit In Delhi

If you want to hold hands and stare into the stars, then going to Nehru Planetarium is a great call. While you can go look at the dioramas together and impress each other with titbits of space-knowledge, we also think that its a great place to realise how large the universe is. And that you’ve managed to find your significant other in such a big big world.

Read more about the Nehru Planetarium here. 

Where: Nehru Planetarium, Teen Murti House, Teen Murti Road

Nearest Metro Station: Jor Bagh

Price: INR 50 per head

Timings: 11.30am, 1.30pm, 3pm, 4pm {Closed on Mondays}

Contact: 011 23014504, 011 23012994 or write to nehruplanetarium@gmail.com

Check out their website here.

Get on a Joy Train at Rail Museum

Image courtesy: Wikipedia

Relive your childhood on the Joy Train ride around the Rail Museum complex; there’s a massive model train section too, that will leave you guys pretty tickled {just like it did us}. It’s a great spot to learn some train history together and plan some fabulous trips.

Where: Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri

Nearest Metro Station: Jor Bagh

Price: INR 40 onwards

Timings: 9am - 4.30pm

Contact: 011 26880804

Check out their website here.

Touch the top of the world with the Delhi Eye

If all that walking around is not your cup of tea, then we can recommend the Delhi Eye, a ferris wheel to contend with. A copy of the London Eye, it gives you a glimpse of this gorgeous city for 20 minutes {and we’re totally open to canoodling 200 feet above the ground}. For all you thrill seekers, this is one way of getting your heart thumping, and not just cuz your sweetheart’s next to you. Read more here.

Where: Kalindi Kunj Park, Okhla

Nearest Metro Station: Okhla

Price: INR 250 per head

Contact: +91-98737 15909, +91-95402 31938

Find out more, here.

Get crafty at Surajkund Mela

Image courtesy: Vivek Mathur

Surajkund Mela is on till February 15, and we’re planning to go catch some old-school fun with kala khatta and cotton candy. They also have a pretty fun section full of rides and games. This is a great spot to buy each other spontaneous gifts, too! Read more here.

When: 1 – 15 February

Where: Surajkund, Faridabad

Nearest Metro Station: Badarpur

Price: INR 80 onwards

Timings: 11am – 10pm

Contact: 0172 2702955 - 57

Follow their Facebook page here. Check out the website here.

Practice your mad Shayari skills with Gulzar

Image courtesy: Jashn-E-Rekhta

An Urdu festival is all you need to bring back your days of courtship or continuing them, if you’re in that phase of your relationship. Catch Gulzar, Javed Akhtar and a bunch of our favourite poets at Jashn-e-Rekhta. Poets from all across India, Pakistan and US will shower you with couplets and drama, and the food court will have authentic Kashmiri, Deccani, Hyderabadi, and Lucknowi cuisine.

What an authentic old-world date to have!

When: 12 – 14 February

Where: IGNCA, 11 Man Singh Road

Nearest Metro Station: Central Secretariat

Timings: 11am – 9pm

Price: Free

Contact: +91 7827821852, +91 9650166533

Check out their website here. 

Read Marquez's love poetry at Tinder Readings

Image courtesy: Inspire Portal

Come to Coffee Home with your copies of Love in the Time of Cholera, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and Chronicles of a Death Foretold and revel in the prose of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. As he says, ‘No matter what, nobody can take away the dances you've already had,’ and here’s your moment to impress your loved one through Marquez’ words.

Where: Coffee Home, Baba Kharak Singh Marg

Nearest Metro Station: Rajiv Chowk

Timings: 2.30pm

Price: Free

Follow their Facebook page here. 

Show some moves at a Salsa class

Image courtesy: Whats On In Capetown

Go to Pamphilos in GK1 and learn some fun, sensual, and romantic moves on a winter afternoon, with Salsa Nights and Thank God For Dance. Learn Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba or Zouk and anyone {beginner or expert} is welcome to join in. There’s a pocket-friendly menu to be had and some fun gifts to win.

When: 13th Feb

Where: Pamphilos, GK 1 N-Block Market

Nearest Metro Station: Nehru Place

Price: INR 350 per head {cover charge that is redeemable on food and drinks at the venue}

Timings: 2pm - 7pm

Contact: +91 9910444819

Register here. Check out the Facebook page here.  

Movies and chill at these budget theatres

Image courtesy: Proptiger

If none of the above work for you, we recommend these budget movie theatres to catch some movies and eat all the popcorn. And when you're done, chug cheaply at these watering holes in the city.

Featured image courtesy: Post Cards Of India