12 Free and Cheap Date Ideas to Try in Vancouver

Vancouver is a beautiful city, but it is also known as one of the most expensive cities in North America. Fortunately, going on a date with your special someone doesn’t have to break the bank. Check out these fun free and cheap date ideas for Vancouver couples.

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Visit a night market

Market, Canadian

Dinner date at the Richmond Night Market

In the summer, there are two excellent street food night markets that pop up in the Greater Vancouver Area. Firstly, there’s the Richmond Night Market, which also happens to be North America’s largest night market. With over 500 food choices and 200 retail stalls, it’s a great place to spend date night. Alternatively, catch the Seabus on a Friday night to the Shipyards Night Market in North Vancouver, which has live music, a beer garden, a marketplace, and at least 35 local food trucks every week.

Go to a brewery

Brewery

Vancouver is known for its many independent craft breweries. Lovebirds will find them across the city—from Mount Pleasant to East Vancouver to Granville Island to Port Moody. The great thing is that a flight of beers or a glass is very inexpensive. Many breweries also have food trucks frequently parked outside, which is a cheap meal to accompany your cheap beer. Head out to Port Moody and check out Brewers Row, where there are four breweries along Murray Street. Begin at Moody Ales and end at Twin Sails.

Wander around Granville Island

Granville Island views | © Hayley Simpson

Check out the Vancouver Art Gallery

Art Gallery

For the creative couple, a visit to Vancouver Art Gallery doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Like many museums around the world, the gallery offers a discount on Tuesday evenings. From 5 to 9 pm, people can visit the gallery by donation, which means you can pay what you want. Current exhibitions include Claude Monet’s Secret Garden(ending October 1, 2017), and Emily Carr: Into the Forest(ending December 3, 2017). The Gallery Cafe is also known for its cheap, but delicious meals.

Go hiking

Views from Cypress Mountain hike | © Josh Stuart / Flickr

Have a laugh

Vancouver TheatreSports™ League is the city’s number one improv comedy company. They do 11 shows a week, 52 weeks a year, entertaining more than 60,000 people along the way. Join the crowd and have a laugh alongside your loved one. Regular adult tickets range from $15.75 to $24.25. However, on Sundays, they are discounted to $8.75 for the 7:30 pm show. Current shows include OK Tinder—Swipe Right Comedy, Oh Canada—The True North Strong and Funny, and #NoFilter—The LOL of TMI.
Vancouver TheatreSports™ League, 1502 Duranleau Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, +1 604 738 7013

Picnic in the park

A picnic may be an old-school date option, but it’s also one of the best. Head to Queen Elizabeth Park to watch the sunset over the city. Alternatively, Stanley Park has a lot of beautiful picnic spots and also has free movies after sunset on Tuesdays in July and August, which would perfectly complement your picnic. A third option is Rocky Point Park in Port Moody. Its ice cream store, Rocky Point Ice Cream, is one of the cheapest and best in the Greater Vancouver Area.
Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Queen Elizabeth Park, 4600 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Rocky Point Park, 2800 Murray Street, Port Moody, BC, Canada

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Beachy Belize

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A quick trip not too far away for those seeking a relaxing mini break. You will have plenty of free time to relax but also some awesome activities to experience the rainforest and the caribbean sea.

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Colonial Mexico

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An exciting mini trip exploring the lesser known colonial towns of central Mexico. This is hte perfect trip for someone with limited time off and still wants to turn on explorer mode and do something different.

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Adventurous Ecuador

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A remarkable 8 days adventure through the Andes and the Amazon rainforest. The best choice for adventure seekers wishing to visit the 2 most iconic areas of South America, in only 1 week and no flights.

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An alternative itinerary to classic Peru, from Cusco to Arequipa. This itinerary is great combination of highlights Cusco and Machu Picchu with the lesser known Arequipa and Colca Canyon.

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Seductive Southern Italy

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Edinburgh And The Scottish Highlands By Train

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Complete Portugal By Train

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Soulful South Korea

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Board game night

Another date night favorite from past decades, you can enjoy board games at home or in one of Vancouver’s board game-friendly restaurants. Storm Crow Tavern is known as Vancouver’s original nerd bar, as it has an outstanding board game collection. The best part is that the food is reasonably priced, and they have weekly specials, so it’s still a cheap and fun date idea. Pizzeria Ludica is another option, as they have over 800 board games from which to choose!
Storm Crow Tavern, 1305 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC, Canada, +1 604 566 9669
Pizzeria Ludica, 189 Keefer Place, Vancouver, BC, Canada, +1 604 669 5552

Sunset at the beach

Park

Sunset from Spanish Banks | © Tristan Todd / Flickr

See live music

Although going to a concert of a world-renowned musician will hurt the budget, there are many free and cheap live music performances happening across Vancouver every week. LiveVan is a great website, which lists many of the live music performances, including who, where, and how much it costs. There are also many pubs on Granville Street—and around Gastown—which feature live music weekly, such as the iconic The Roxy, which has been known for hosting the city’s best nights out for 27 years.
The Roxy Cabaret, 932 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, +1 604 331 7999

Salsa dancing

Preparing to dance in Robson Square | © GoToVan / Flickr

Stargaze at HR MacMillan Space Centre

The HR MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver is “like no place on earth.” In the evening, it costs $13 for adults to experience both a Planetarium Star Theatre Show and the Gordon Southam Observatory. However, visiting only the Observatory is by donation. It’s open on Friday and Saturday nights from 8 pm to midnight. The Observatory features a half-meter Cassegrain telescope, which allows you to stargaze and observe the skies around Vancouver, alongside your date.
HR MacMillan Space Centre, 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, +1 604 738 7827

Volcanic Iceland Epic Trip

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