In a nutshell
- Amsterdam’s red light district De Wallen is one of the city’s most popular attractions — and worth visiting both day and night.
- In this guide you’ll find everything you need: the best things to see, important rules of conduct, safety tips, and honest advice for women visiting solo or with friends.
- Don’t want to explore De Wallen alone or want to learn more about the neighborhood? We really recommend booking a guided Red Light District tour — we did it ourselves and loved it.
What Is the Amsterdam Red Light District?
The red light district De Wallen is located near Amsterdam Central Station and is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Amsterdam.
Think of it as Amsterdam’s version of Hamburg’s Reeperbahn — but squeezed into a maze of narrow streets lined with historic canal houses.
Sex shops and strip clubs sit alongside erotic museums, coffee shops, and brothels with women in the windows — all packed in more tightly than you’d expect.
And of course everything is lit up in classic style with neon signs that give the whole place that unmistakable “sinful atmosphere.”
The Amsterdam Red Light District covers 6 streets:
- Warmoesstraat
- Oudekerksplein
- Oudezijds Voorburgwal
- Oudezijds Achterburgwal (center of the district)
- Zeedijk
- Nieuwmarkt
Where Is Amsterdam's Red Light District?
To help you get your bearings, we’ve marked the Amsterdam Red Light District and its top highlights on a map.
When Should You Visit the Amsterdam Red Light District?
The best time to visit Amsterdam’s Red Light District depends entirely on what you’re looking for.
During the day, De Wallen feels almost like a normal residential neighborhood. The sex shops and museums are already open, but so are the usual cafés and restaurants. It’s much quieter and you can look around without any hassle.
From around 8 PM, the Amsterdam Red Light District gets busier with every passing hour. That’s when the shows start and the brothels, clubs, and bars open their doors.
By the way, you can easily fit the Red Light District into your itinerary even if you’re only in Amsterdam for a day. If you’re on an Amsterdam weekend trip, we’d say it’s a must.
Attractions in the Amsterdam Red Light District
De Wallen is famous for its wild nightlife — but there’s genuinely a lot to see here during the day too. Here are the highlights by day and by night:
Daytime Highlights
- Cafés: Our favorite is Quartier Putain
- Oude Kerk: Large church and the oldest building in Amsterdam
- Condomerie: A specialty condom shop
- Sex shops: 5 shops in De Wallen
- Red Lights Secret: Museum about the history of prostitution — we absolutely loved it! You can book tickets in advance here.
- Coffee shops: The Bulldog is the most popular coffee shop
- Monuments: De Gestreelde Borst and Belle near the Oude Kerk
Also read:
Nighttime Highlights
- Pubs: The Old Sailor is the most popular pub
- Table dance bars: La Vie en Proost is the best table dance bar in De Wallen
- Coffee shops: Open at night too
- Strip clubs: The Bananabar is frequently recommended
- Peep shows: The Sex Palace is famous for its shows
- Live sex shows: Casa Rosso runs shows every hour
- Moulin Rouge Erotic Theater: A mix of different erotic acts
Guided Tour of the Amsterdam Red Light District
If you’d rather not explore the Amsterdam Red Light District on your own — or if you want to really understand what De Wallen is all about — joining a guided tour with a small group is a great option.
You’ll get plenty of insight into the neighborhood and the people who work here, and you’ll probably feel a lot more at ease too. The tour takes you through the most important streets of De Wallen and to some key spots in the Amsterdam Red Light District over 1.5 hours.
We’ve done the tour ourselves and found the broad overview of the neighborhood really helpful. Afterwards, we felt confident enough to wander the streets on our own.
So the tour takes away a lot of the apprehension you might have going in. That’s genuinely valuable.
Book Amsterdam Red Light District Tour
Rules of Conduct in the Amsterdam Red Light District
Not just for your own safety, but also out of respect for the sex workers, there are a few rules you should follow.
No photos of the women!
Please keep your camera in your bag. Neither the workers nor other staff want to be photographed by every tourist who walks by. Plenty of phones have already ended up in the canals because people didn’t respect this rule.
Be considerate
Many ordinary residents live in De Wallen and have to get up for work the next day. Try to keep the noise down.
Watch out for pickpockets!
Pickpockets take advantage of the crowds, especially when the Amsterdam Red Light District gets busy. Keep a close eye on your valuables at all times.
Avoid street dealers
You’ll be approached by people selling substances on street corners throughout the red light area. Don’t buy anything from them. The coffee shops on-site are a much better alternative — you’re safe, and you know exactly what you’re getting.
Blue light
A window with a blue light means that a transgender sex worker operates there.
Services
For anyone who wants to use the services on offer: be respectful. Looking is free, but touching requires the woman’s consent and your money.
Transactions with Sex Workers: What You Need to Know
Here are the most important facts about transactions between clients and sex workers:
- In the Red Light District, cash is pretty much the only and best form of payment.
- Workers in De Wallen charge an average of 50 to 100 euros for 15 to 20 minutes.
- If you’re interested in a woman, you knock on the window and negotiate. Offering prices that are too low is considered disrespectful.
- Absolutely nothing happens without a condom.
- Kissing is off limits — it’s considered too intimate, and this must be respected. Otherwise, almost anything is possible as long as the price is right.
- Anyone who wants to stay longer will also have to pay more.
Tips for Women in the Amsterdam Red Light District
Thinking about visiting the Amsterdam Red Light District as a woman? Here are some tips from us, woman to woman:
Never walk around alone!
As a woman, try to walk through De Wallen at night with at least one other person. It’s not excessively dangerous, but better safe than sorry — and you’ll feel much more comfortable too. During the day, you can explore the neighborhood on your own.
Entry for women
Always check at the entrance whether women are allowed in. Most brothels only admit men, and there are no or very few male sex workers in De Wallen. Shows, bars, and other venues are generally accessible to women.
Don’t just go off with anyone!
This is really important. We don’t want to paint a grim picture, but it’s an unfortunate reality that prostitution and human trafficking are closely intertwined. Definitely have fun — but make your safety your top priority.
Police in the Amsterdam Red Light District
Police officers patrol De Wallen — in uniform, in plain clothes, on foot, by bike, and on horseback. Security and protection are constantly present.
If you feel uncomfortable or need help, approach them right away. If no patrol is in sight, you can reach Dutch emergency services by calling 112.
Is the Amsterdam Red Light District Dangerous?
The Amsterdam Red Light District is no more dangerous than other red light districts.
Petty crime and theft are certainly part of the picture, but the police have a good handle on the neighborhood. As a woman, you should always exercise caution — but the same goes for any busy tourist area in a major city.
Prostitution in Amsterdam
Want to visit the Amsterdam Red Light District with a clear conscience? Here’s some context about prostitution in Amsterdam.
Sex workers vs. the city government
De Wallen is a genuinely controversial topic. The Red Light District attracts so many tourists every year that the city government is worried about preserving the neighborhood and its historic canal houses.
More than ten years ago, Amsterdam already tried to clean up the area with Project 1012 — named after De Wallen’s postal code. Some windows had to close, but the desired effect never materialized.
More recently, there’s been talk of relocating De Wallen outside the city center and building a mega-brothel there.
The workers in the neighborhood are not at all happy about this. They want to stay in De Wallen and have been actively launching petitions to that end.
Where do the sex workers come from?
The majority of sex workers in Amsterdam come from Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia. Only about a third are from the Netherlands.
Do the sex workers work voluntarily?
Most sex workers in Amsterdam do their job voluntarily. However, there is always an unknown number of cases involving forced prostitution and human trafficking.
A UNHCR investigation found in 2018 that between 100 and 200 such cases are uncovered in the Netherlands each year.
Brothels in Amsterdam are subject to strict government controls, which helps ensure the protection of both workers and clients as much as possible.
History: How De Wallen Came to Be
The Amsterdam Red Light District can be traced back to the 17th century. At the time, Amsterdam was one of the most important port cities in Europe, with ships constantly coming and going.
That’s exactly why De Wallen is located so close to the harbor — and today’s train station. The neighborhood was a popular meeting place for sailors.
After months at sea, they wanted to come ashore and have a good time. And despite a ban on prostitution, the trade steadily took hold.
In the early 19th century, the ban was lifted and the establishments — until then called gaming houses — became proper brothels, even if they were still not entirely legal.
It wasn’t until 2000 that prostitution in the Netherlands was fully legalized.
