Discover the highlights of Amsterdam on a private guided tour and let yourself be enchanted by the charm of the city.
Discover Amsterdam on a bike tour and learn all about the capital of Holland first hand from our city guides
A walk around the city as you wish, through historical places like Nieuwmarkt, the Jewish quarter, Dam, narrow streets and attractive courtyards.
We have put together an exciting tour for you on which you can get an idea of this fascinating city with all its history.
Take part in our bike tour through Amsterdam and explore the most famous and beautiful places and attractions of Amsterdam in three hours.
Experience a private guided tour of the red light district in Amsterdam. Learn more about its history and most famous sights
Explore Amsterdam in an open double-decker bus. Get in and out as often as you like and discover all the sights of the city in a flexible way.
Get a glimpse behind the scenes (and windows) of Amsterdam's red light district at the "Red Light Secrets" Museum of Prostitution.
Even if the red light tour past relevant pubs and living shop window dwellers with red neon lights on the first few metres is perhaps still a little suspicious to you - you need not to be afraid. The district "De Walletjes" has long been developed for tourism and is probably one of the safest corners in Amsterdam. The city itself is already taking care of this. In the 1970s and 80s the Red Light District was still a hot spot with an open drug scene. But since the city council began to make life difficult for brothel owners, massage parlours and cheap hotels, this has changed fundamentally - and the drug scene has also come to a standstill. Prostitution is still practiced here, but the number of shop windows behind which ladies offer their services has almost halved in the last ten years. Moreover, there is probably no place in the city that is more intensively monitored by the police. In "De Walletjes" there is still a little more despicable than in the chic splendour of the city - but today you can approach it with complete peace of mind.
In spite of a high police presence, you should take special care of your valuables in the red light district. As in many parts of the busy tourist centres, pickpockets are particularly popular here. Especially in the evening hours, the thieves especially benefit from the dense crowd in the narrow streets. You are dealing with professionals here, so it is best to stow your wallet in a safe place beforehand.
There is practically round the clock operation, at most in the early morning hours it becomes a little quieter for a short time. Not least because prostitution is prohibited between 4:00 and 8:00 am. Thus, those who do not feel like crowded and noisy tourists should better choose another corner of the city. In contrast, party-goers find bars, pubs and cafés in abundance in the evening hours. But those who simply want to soak up the atmosphere and stroll through the red light district will also get their money's worth during the day and enjoy that it is still a little less hectic than after sunset. De Wallen is one of the most beautiful and oldest districts of Amsterdam and therefore worth seeing at any time. But the nightlife here only pulsates after dusk.
Basically, it is unproblematic to take pictures in the Amsterdam red light milieu, but one should be discreet. No one objects to you taking normal holiday photos. Both the prostitutes in the shop windows and their potential customers do not want to be photographed. As long as you do not get too close to them, you should have no problems taking pictures on your red-light tour.
As described above, the city has done a lot to rid the neighborhood of crime and drug scene. Nevertheless, there are of course many exciting stories from this time, but there are only a few of them left to be seen today. On a local-guided red-light tour by a real crime journalist, however, you can learn a lot about what, at least at first glance, is no longer to be seen in Amsterdam's red-light district.
Amsterdam's red light district is located in the immediate vicinity of the Central Station. Directly on the shore between the canals "Oudezijds Voorburgwal" and "Oudezijds Achterburgwal", life pulsates while the women behind the shop windows still pursue the oldest trade in the world. Right at the train station, the city of Amsterdam has rolled out a red carpet of cobblestones for tourists. The project connects the most important sights in the sometimes somewhat confusing road network. However, the way to the red light district "De Walletjes" is hardly worth mentioning anyway.
Address:
Oudezijds Voorburgwal, Oudezijds Achterburgwal, Around the Oude Kerk
Amsterdam is an exceptional metropolis in many ways. It is not only the largely legalised cannabis sale that has made the Dutch capital the "city of sin". If you are not travelling from the Reeperbahn, the freedom of movement of the city will really catch your eye. On the one hand, this is not always completely G-rated, but on the other hand, weekend tourists mingle with the people in the world-famous De Walletjes. Quite a few even dare to go on a family outing - although the lightly dressed ladies behind the shop windows are still going about their business. We still advise against visiting with children.
The narrow streets of the historic old town are a sight in themselves. The narrowest of Amsterdam's narrow streets lies in the middle of the Red Light District. The Trumpettersteeg is only about one meter wide. On the other hand there are many prostitutes sitting behind windows in the houses. Of course you have to like this, but we recommend not to leave this part out on your red light tour.
At the beginning of the millennium, the Netherlands reformed the Prostitution Act. Since then, prostitution has been considered a trade, which should provide sex workers with labour rights and the state with transparency and taxes. In "De Wallen", most women have since rented the shop windows for about 150 euros and can then negotiate prices and services with the clients. Facts worth knowing:
Red light in the shop window: Please do not disturb! The lady is busy right now.
Blue light in the shop window: This is a transsexual prostitute.
Treat women with respect: Viewing is okay, touching is only allowed with the consent of the woman and against money.
Not only the colourful lights and neon signs advertising live sex shows and strip clubs remind us of Hamburg's Reeperbahn. Of course Amsterdam is also a very popular destination for stag parties. The offer of more or less disreputable establishments but also normal bars, clubs and red light tours probably leaves nothing to be desired. If it's not too noisy here, you can find a lot of accommodations in the centre. For those who want to be guided to the best places to spend an unforgettable evening, a guided tour through the red light district is recommended as a start into the night.