MY LONDON, unusual places

Eltham Palace

Inside the beautifully decorated Eltham Palace. Image: Alamy

Given to Edward II as a royal residence, Eltham Palace in south-east London dates back to at least the 14th century but is today better known as a romantic Art Deco treasure. It became the home of Stephen and Virginia Courtauld, who met while Stephen was climbing in the Alps at Courmayeur; and they settled there after marrying. Maintained by English Heritage and regularly open to the public, the palace’s Tudor great hall – where Herny VIII played as a child - contrasts starkly with the stylish 1930s living quarters and gardens they shared with Mah Jong, their pet lemur. The sumptuous setting and their home’s lavish design make the palace eternally popular with dating couples – on your visit be sure to check out Virginia Courtauld’s gold-plated bathroom and make time for a private picnic on the estate’s manicured lawns.

Address: Court Yard, Eltham, Greenwich, London - SE9 5QE
Getting there: buses 126 and 161; Eltham and Mottingham train stations are both a half mile away.

Tom Jones is the author of Tired of London, Tired of Life: One Thing A Day To Do In London, (Virgin Books: £12.99) and also writes about London daily on his blog tiredoflondontiredoflife.com

Zoe Craig’s choice: Sample the best of Brixton

The classic film-then-food date is freshened up in Brixton. Image: Alamy

The best dates are a delicate balance of the familiar and the intriguing. To achieve this, try Brixton, where the everyday and unexpected stand side by side. Start with a romantic film at the Brixton Ritzy. It’s one of London's finest Picturehouse cinemas and hosts plenty of special events so you can surprise your date with a post-film Q&A with the director or something from the NT Live programme, where theatre performances are broadcast live to cinemas around the world. Afterwards, head around the corner where you can reveal your more adventurous side. Seven at Brixton is a casual, low-lit pintxos-and-cocktail place in Brixton Market Row. Go upstairs, where the two of you can find a quiet corner and share some delicious Basque Country tapas. Fuel your date's relaxed banter with excellent £5 cocktails. (Try the Electric Avenue, a winning mix of apple vodka, pomegranate juice and marmalade.) A date who took me on a similar date here a few years ago made a particularly good impression on me – reader, I married him.

Address: Brixton Ritzy: Brixton Oval Coldharbour Lane, London SW2 1JG; Seven at Brixton: 7 Market Row, London SW9 8LB
Tube: Brixton

Haunted Histories Walks

If roses, chocolates and hearts scare you senseless and old-fashioned, schmaltzy dates makes you want to hurl, then how about taking your beloved on a ghost walk around spooky Smithfield in East London instead. Haunted Histories Walks run regular tours of East London, and are surprisingly conducive to romance – with tours recounting chilling tales of sinister occurrences and bloodcurdling murders, there are plenty of opportunities to cuddle up for comfort as you traipse the cold streets of London. In that respect it’s just as effective as watching a scary movie together, but you can do something educational too. Double win. And once you’ve scared yourselves silly, you can warm up and snuggle in the delightfully named Butcher’s Hook and Cleaver pub (61 West Smithfield), for a feast of pies, sausages and pork scratchings

Hidden London’s choice: Keats House, Hampstead

Keats House in Hampstead. Image: Greg Balfour Evans / Alamy

Romance still resonates through Keats House in Hampstead, which is now a museum dedicated to its famous former resident: the poet John Keats. It was here that he fell in love with the girl next door, Fanny Brawne, and wrote Ode to a Nightingale and most of his other best-known works, but their relationship was doomed to end prematurely. He contracted tuberculosis and died at the age of just 25. The museum’s collection of memorabilia includes books, paintings, letters, keepsakes and even the engagement ring Keats gave his beloved. If you’re the type who likes to do your homework before a cultural outing, you might like to view Jane Campion’s Bright Star, a film to which your tour guide may well make a few references. Opening days to Keats House vary throughout the year so be sure to check in advance of your visit. Whenever you do go, however, you can expect to see plenty of couples enthralled by the household and the sad story of young love lost.

Address: Keats House, Keats Grove, London NW3 2RR
Getting there: London Overground to Hampstead Heath

Hidden London is a website devoted to the capital’s lesser-known places, with a new section called ‘The Guide’ that focuses on relatively recherché attractions with qualities that make them worth visiting, or at least stopping to admire on your way past.

Secret London’s choice: taking the Thames Clipper to Greenwich

The Thames Clipper service provide a different perspective of London. Image: Krys Bailey / Alamy

It's always surprising how many Londoners haven't taken the Thames Clipper sevice to Greenwich, which always feels like a day out of London. It’s a great excursion, passing many original London landmarks as they were meant to be seen: from the river. Coming back after dark is magical, passing under Tower Bridge with the lights of the City shimmering on the Thames. In Greenwich, there’s an endless choice of romantic things to do to pass the day. Listen to Handel’s Water Music in a private booth at the Maritime Museum, or run hand-in-hand through the spooky Greenwich Foot Tunnel. Admire the ceiling of the Painted Hall in the Old Royal Naval College or buy an old-fashioned game to play together in the traditional games shop Compendia in Greenwich market. For a meal, try The Guildford Arms for no-nonsense, beautifully made British food.

Address: you can access the Thames Clipper route map and timetablehere.

Secret London is a guide to the hidden corners of London from travel writer Kieran Meeke, who is also editor-in-chief of the iPad-only TRVL magazine. Follow him on Twitter @SecretLDN.

Obsessed with London’s choice: dinner at Dans le Noir?

Dans le Noir?: we love what they've done with the place.

Above all, a date should be memorable and, if nothing else, dinner atDans Le Noir? makes for a meal you’ll never forget. The restaurant’s name means ‘in the dark?’ and diners eat devoid of any natural or artificial light source, in a pitch-black room. Guided by blind staff, you work your way through a mystery meal – you can order a menu for meat or seafood eaters or vegetarians but aren’t told what you’ll be served – and so have the chance to experience food (and your date) free from preconceptions based on visual cues; instead the focus is on taste and smell (and conversation ). Phones and other distractions are checked at the door so for an hour it’s just you and your date, and 58 others. Expect a few culinary surprises and a new perspective on dining. For a more traditional end to your meal there’s a lit bar for post-dinner drinks or, even better, you can access the nearby Zetter Townhouse cocktail lounge, where sumptuous concoctions and a crackling fire await.

Address: 30-31 Clerkenwell Green London, EC1R 0DU; (Zetter Townhouse: 49-50 St John’s Square, London EC1V 4JJ
Tube: Farringdon

From supper clubs to pop-up shops, Obsessed with London editor Drisk posts about the weird and wonderful happenings of London. Follow@OwLondon

John O’ Ceallaigh’s choice: Wilton’s Music Hall

Intimate, and free, musical performances are held at the hall's Mahogany Bar. Image: James Perry

Wilton’s Music Hall’s faded grandeur is all the more unexpected when viewed against the characterless facades that surround it. Buffeted by cab shops and takeaways in an unprepossessing corner of Whitechapel, the world’s oldest music hall has attracted courting couples since 1858. In those glory days, its ornate grand hall and gilded interior were an obvious draw; decades of dereliction mean modern-day visitors now discover a crumbling, timeworn building that beautifully evokes a vanished past. That’s not to say it’s a musty relic. Concerts, plays and cabaret performances are regularly held at the venue, and on most Mondays – always check the listings – musicians perform free old-fashioned tunes in the hall’s intimate Mahogany Bar. It’s well worth taking in a tour of the hall (£6) from 6pm on the same evening, and then lingering to hear whatever performance is scheduled, all the while sipping good-value beer or wine at your leisure.

Address: Graces Alley, Tower Hamlets,London,E1 8JB
Tube: Aldgate East; Tower Hill

John O’ Ceallaigh is the London content editor for Telegraph.co.uk and manages The Telegraph’s London portal: www.telegraph.co.uk/london . Follow him @johnoceallaigh and @TelegraphLondon.

GLP’s choice: cabaret aboard Battersea Barge

The performance space at Battersea Barge. Image: Battersea Barge

A date is a careful balancing act between seeming original and not looking too kooky, all the while turning what’s essentially an extended interview into an effortless evening of endless entertainment. Enter cabaret as the solution – whether it’s terrible or terrific it’ll give you plenty to talk about. To add some extra interest, why not throw a barge into the mix? Battersea Barge isn't the easiest place to get to, but that's half the fun. Navigate through the nearby riverside industrial roads and you'll come to the static vessel’s little white gangway. Think twice before donning the six-inch stilettos. Inside is a bar that's a true quirky treasure – kitschy in a good way, with an intimate atmosphere but surprisingly spacious. Upstairs there are sweeping views of the Thames. Down the spiral stairs is a well-stocked bar area with a small stage. Be warned that acts can be pretty risqué, but the standard is high. Add to that some of London's friendliest staff, and first-rate finger food, and you've got yourself a pretty memorable night – just make sure you order a taxi in advance to get you home.

Address: Nine Elms Lane, London SW8 5BP (behind the Fed Ex Building).
Tube: Vauxhall station is about 10 minutes’ walk away.

OUTDOOR SWIMMING AT HAMPSTEAD HEATH