If you’re planning to do something special for your significant other on the holiday of love, Bonus.ca has crunched the numbers to reveal the best date night cities across Canada. We created the index by ranking several factors, including the average cost of a meal for two, the number of romantic restaurants in each city, and how many fun couples activities there are.
The Top Date Night Cities In Canada
1. Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, in British Columbia, topped our list – with a total score of 77/110. The province’s capital scored highly because of its abundance of romantic restaurants, activities and bars.
The city is a brilliant spot for couples, especially the outdoorsy type. Sitting on the southern end of Vancouver Island, the city has no shortage of stunning outdoor spaces. Take a stroll around Inner Harbour and Fishermans Wharf, or if you’re a history fanatic, take in the stunning views of Craigdarroch Castle, Hatley Park and Empress Hotel.
However, it did score lower for the cost-focused factors – so that’s something to be aware of if you are planning a trip to the city.
2. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Charlottetown ranked in 2nd place, with a score of 60/110. Scoring especially highly regarding the number of ‘romantic’ hotels – making it the perfect spot for a romantic night away.
The seaside city is the largest in Prince Edward Island, and also the capital of the province. Despite its small size, it’s bursting with culture, hospitality and history.
Victorian-era homes, a busy harbour, and beautiful waterfront views line the streets. You can visit the Confederation Centre of the Arts if you’d like to learn more about the city or spend the night at The Mack to enjoy a theatre show.
3. Miramichi, New Brunswick
Following Charlottetown very closely behind, the largest city in northern New Brunswick, Miramichi, ranked 3rd on our list, with a score of 57/110.
The city ranked highly for cost factors, being one of the cheapest places to get a mid-range meal for two and a bottle of wine. Whilst it ranked lower in the number of hotels and activities, it’s a great option if you and your significant other want a quiet, no-fuss night away this Valentine’s.
Take a walk down Richie Wharf, or a boat ride across the Miramichi River – the city is full of history and friendliness – the perfect place to spend some quality time with your significant other!
4. Bathurst, New Brunswick
In fourth place is another New Brunswick city, Bathurst, with a score of 51/110. The city ranked highly regarding the affordability of meals, wine and cinema tickets compared to other cities – and was also the highest scorer for couples’ activities!
This seaside spot is perfect for more outdoorsy couples, with stunning natural beauty spots such as Pabineau Falls, Pokeshaw Rock and Plage Youghall Beach.
La Promenade is the perfect place to take a romantic walk with your loved one, independent shops and eateries occupy the waterfront, with plenty of activities throughout the day.
5. Summerside, Prince Edward Island
Ranking in fifth place is Summerside in Price Edward Island. The city scored 49/110 and was one of the most affordable places to get a romantic meal for 2 and have plenty of romantic spots to stay overnight.
Summerside, another seaside city, is the province’s second-largest city; historic streets line it, creating the perfect romantic backdrop for a trip away.
The museums are a standout feature of the city – so it’s great for history lovers. You can spend your days exploring the likes of the Wyatt Historic House Museum, the Pei Fox Museum and Bishop’s Machine Shop Museum.
See How Your City Ranked
Methodology
In each province, we chose the five largest cities (and any capitals not among the top five) according to population. We ranked them on 11 factors, with data collected from Numbeo, Tripadvisor and Momondo. Each factor was then scored using a normalization formula to give it a score between 0-10, with the final ranking based on an overall score of 110.
🥗: Avg. cost of a meal for 2 people
🍷: Avg. cost of a bottle of wine
🎥: Avg. cost of a cinema ticket for 1 person
👩🍳: No. of ‘romantic’ restaurants (per 10,000 people)
🧁: No. of cafes, bakeries & dessert shops (per 10,000 people)
🍻: No. of bars & pubs (per 10,000 people)
💃: No. of fun date night activities (per 10,000 people)
👩❤️👨: No. of couple-friendly attractions (per 10,000 people)
🧖: No. of spa & wellness centres (per 10,000 people)
🏩: No. of ‘romantic’ hotels (per 10,000 people)
💰: Avg. price of a ‘romantic’ hotel room
*Less than five cities were used in provinces that had less than five cities – this was done to ensure we could collect correct and consistent data across all locations.
