The best cheap date ideas in Singapore under $20

Get your skates out and head down to HiRoller for a session at the rink. A two-hour session with rental equipment costs $18 on weekdays, and $21 on weekends, so do try to book a slot on weekdays for a cheaper price. HiRoller also features various themed nights, be it a Swiftie sing-along or an NCT Dream night, so be sure to check out their website to see what events are on while making your reservation.

Marine wildlife enthusiasts should not miss out on The Live Turtle & Tortoise Museum, for it currently holds the Guinness Book of World Records title for the largest collection of turtles and tortoises. Starting at $10 per person, you can wander through the museum and admire various species such as the Sulcata tortoise and Pig Nose Flying turtle. Petting and feeding some of the animals are also allowed at the museum, just make sure to be gentle when interacting with them.

Check out a replica of the first camera ever made and other iconic cameras at the Vintage Cameras Museum. The camera-shaped museum features rare collections of photographs and also allows you to hold and examine some of these vintage cameras up close. After going through the exhibits, head over to the Click Art Museum next door, where the artworks incorporate optical illusions to encourage visitors to play with camera angles and poses to take the most realistic-looking photograph. Goof off with your partner and pretend to fight an alligator at this one-of-a-kind museum.

Sing all of your favourite tracks at Teoheng KTV– a karaoke chain that has been around since the 90s. Don’t worry, the song list is not limited to songs from the 90s and before, but has been updated to include pop hits from the 2000s till now. The smallest room starts at $13 per hour during off-peak hours and can go up to $15 an hour from 7pm onwards. It can also fit up to four people, so grab another couple and go on a double date for double the fun.

Head into one of Kommune’s Kosy Rooms and either play multiplayer games or sing your favourite Korean tracks with your partner. Kommune’s karaoke system is from TJ Media, meaning that you have access to the latest Kpop hits, as well as a variety of songs in other languages such as English, Indonesian, and Japanese. Kommune’s gaming rooms offer over 30 multiplayer games to encourage healthy competition and team bonding, ensuring a fun time with your boo. Although the weekend rates can be costly, coming in at $24 an hour, we recommend that you go before 2pm from Mondays to Thursdays, where it’s $14 an hour.

Enjoy over 30 different rock climbing lanes or go bouldering at The Rock School. Work as a team to figure  out the best route to scale the four-metre-tall walls, and share the joy of reaching the top together. The climbing routes are refreshed each week, providing a new challenge for more advanced climbers, thus making their multi-shareable pass that starts from $85 more worth it. However, beginner climbers who wish to try it once can purchase a single entry pass for $19.

Take your typical walk-along-the-river date up a notch by renting a kayak or a canoe and paddle on the river instead. Row along the sparkling Kallang Basin and keep an eye out for the family of otters that frequent the area. Rentals start from $12 per person during non-peak hours and from $14 per person during peak hours, so do try to go during weekdays for a better deal.

Keep a physical memory of your date by taking pictures at a photobooth or studio. Solace Studios consists of five classic rooms with different coloured backgrounds and four rooms where you can choose to either take your pictures from a low-angle or use a fisheye lens. Make full use of the extensive props area, dress to the nines and take the perfect picture to remember your date by. After taking your pictures, take a stroll along the ever-trendy Haji Lane and stop by one of the many pretty cafés to finish the day.

Check out our list of the best photo booths and studios in Singapore to find one near you.

Catch a film that would typically fly under the radar at the newly opened Golden Village x The Projector (GVxTP) – a collaboration that seeks to showcase both blockbuster and independent, arthouse films to all audiences. The cinema also has a bar for you to get snacks for the movie, or to grab a bite after and have a long, in-depth discussion about the film’s themes.

Some friendly competitive spirit is good to break the ice – especially if it's the first date. Bring along another couple to The Mind Café to make up some numbers, so that you can play over 700 variations of board games. Nothing like some old school fun to help you forge some real connections, and perhaps some romance. 

Head to this relaxing, almost meditative space in Chinatown for some Chinese tea-drinking with your date. This zen-like oasis is perfect for slowing down and getting to know each other. At the same time, you get to enjoy the subtleties of Chinese tea like Dancong and chrysanthemum. And when conversation lulls, you can just take your time watching the shop owners as they carry out their mesmerising tea brewing rituals. 

Do you and your date love cats? Visit The Kitten Sanctuary, which specialises in the rescue of pregnant cats as well as neonatal kittens – which means you'll get to play with adorable kittens at this shelter. Entry to The Kitten Sanctuary costs only $20 per person, giving you an hour of play with adult cats and kittens housed across three separate sections. The cats here are well socialised, and tolerant of pets and cuddles. 

If you and your date need a break from reality, then head to the beautiful Lazarus Island for a picnic and frolic on the beach. To make the most of it, head out on the first ferry at 9am on weekends and 10am on weekdays to claim the sands for yourself. For the most Insta-worthy shots, trek further inland to the reclaimed Pulau Seringat, north of Lazarus where you'll find a pavilion set against a panaromic view of Singapore mainland. It costs only $18 per person for a round trip. 

When you’ve done MacRitchie to death, trekked the Southern Ridges and can picture Bukit Timah Hill’s summit by memory, it’s a sign to explore a different park. There are five trails to choose from in Thomson Nature Park that span over 3.8km. Each trail takes you on a sightseeing tour to see ferns, ruins, macaques, streams and the Raffles' banded langur – a highly elusive and endangered monkey. The nature park also houses a former Hainan village in Singapore and visitors can get a glimpse of this from the ruins and rubble that has been left behind from its heydays in the 60s. See the remnants of a rambutan plantation, a farm and several old village houses (one of them used to belong to the family behind popular Singapore eatery, Han's). Old street signs have also been left untouched so you're literally walking through an old kampung in 1960s Singapore. 

For $20 per hour or $36 for two hours (that's less than $20 each if you decide to splitsies), Hai Bin Prawning in Punggol is perfect for a bottle of beer and, if luck is on your side, a heaped-up plate of fresh prawns. Plus there's plenty of time for conversation while waiting for a prawn. Equipment and bait are included in the hourly fee, along with barbecue pits, charcoal, satay sticks and salt for seasoning. Talk about a romantic setting – it’s set up under a thatched roof with hanging red lanterns above plastic chairs that surround six ponds, all regularly filled with live prawns.

Visit the Science Centre Singapore Observatory on any Friday (except public holidays), from 7.45pm to 10pm, to stargaze. Using one of its telescopes, you're able to see at least one of the four brightest planets in our solar system – Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars – at different times of the year, as well as other stars and the moon. Keep a look out and prepare to be awed.

Flying a kite isn’t just a family-friendly activity. It can also be romantic – you really learn a lot about your partner when you try to assemble a particularly challenging kite together – so don’t underestimate it. Invest in a kite (or make your own) and bring your date to the green plains of Marina Barrage. The unblocked views of the Singapore skyline give you many opportunities to capture nice pictures of you and your date. Do arrive early as it gets crowded, especially on weekends.

Forget about shelling out the $20 Dome entrance fee – the equally impressive outdoor gardens are free and open till 2am daily. Plan your trip to coincide with the 745pm and 845pm Garden Rhapsody show, afterwards explore the Heritage Gardens before ending the night at the Dragonfly and Kingfisher lake, a quiet (and darkened) part of the garden to sneak in a kiss.

While Instagrammers will have you believe that picnics consist of gourmet grocery store items, a more real (and heartwarming) way is to pack your favourite hawker dishes – satay, chicken wing, carrot cake, chicken rice all make excellent picnic food. To complete the vibe, grab a beach towel – way more comfortable than a straw mat – some tea lights and head anywhere outdoors.

There’s an abundance of cool non-bar centric rooftops to explore in Singapore. Some of the better ones include the plant-filled space found at the top of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, the Pinnacle@Duxton where the 50th story sky bridge is accessible for just $6 per person (capped at 200 individuals), and at Esplanade’s which when timed right gives a great view of Marina Bay Sands’ nightly light show.