Know Before You Go: Visiting Amsterdam’s Red Light District

Also known as De Wallen, Amsterdam's Red Light District is best known for its sex workers, strip clubs, and marijuana coffee shops, as well as its picturesque streets and canal-fronted historic buildings. Private or group tours of De Wallen’s 800-year-old Red Light District are a great way for first-time visitors to learn about the history of sex work or hash, with two of the city’s most intriguing museums found in the heart of the neighborhood—Red Light Secrets: the Museum of Prostitution and the Hash, Marihuana, and Hemp Museum. Depending on what you’re most interested in and the age of the participants, Amsterdam Red Light District tours can focus on the more family-friendly history and culture of De Wallen or more risque attractions.

Technically, there are three different Red Light Districts in Amsterdam, with De Wallen being the area most commonly referred to as the Red Light District. The other two are Singelgebied and Ruydaelkade, a canal in the De Pijp neighborhood. While these other red light districts are focused more on the red light aspect—red lights were traditionally hung outside brothels to attract potential customers discreetly—De Wallen is a popular tourist area in its own right, with many visitors coming for the architecture, history, culture, and bars and restaurants, as well as the X-rated attractions.

While it might be better known for its more X-rated activities, Amsterdam’s Red Light District in De Wallen wears many faces, and visitors should expect a very different experience depending on the time, day, and season of your visit.

Whatever time of year you visit, the busiest—and often the best—times to visit the Red Light District are weekend (Thursday to Sunday) afternoons and evenings, with the afternoon crowd leaning more toward sightseeing, culture, and history (and perhaps a little intrigue), and the evenings tending to attract more partiers and people looking for a good time.

The best time to visit the Red Light District in Amsterdam depends on the season. Summer and Christmas/ New Year are usually the busiest times of year in Amsterdam, whereas Monday to Wednesday the rest of the year can be pretty quiet, especially during the cooler, wetter months.

Insider tip: Late afternoon is usually the best time to take a tour of De Wallen, with many guides taking advantage of the slight lull between the daytrippers leaving and party people arriving.

The main Red Light District area in Amsterdam is in a neighborhood called De Wallen in the heart of the historic city center. De Wallen is about a 10-minute walk south of Amsterdam’s Central Station and is bordered by Dam Square, Chinatown, and Nieuwmarkt.

While there are many tram stops close to De Wallen, the Red Light District is best visited on foot, with many streets and alleyways too narrow and sometimes too crowded to be accessible even by bicycle.

The Red Light District is one of Amsterdam’s oldest neighborhoods and is open all year round to visitors who want to walk through the streets. However, you must pay an entry fee to visit most of De Wallen’s museums, sex shows, or other attractions. Coffeeshops, cafés, and bars usually don't have a cover charge to enter, but you should buy drinks—even if you’re just popping in to use the bathroom (Amsterdam is notorious for its lack of public restrooms).

Most things in Amsterdam’s Red Light District are priced similarly to the rest of the Dutch capital, although drinks and food at some bars and restaurants may be a little more expensive due to the heavy tourist crowd. Tours of Amsterdam’s Red Light District are also comparable to those around the rest of the city. However, they can work out as excellent value for money, with entry to museums and other attractions sometimes included in the cost of the tour.

Afternoon and early evening tours are still a great way to experience the Red Light District, with private tours giving you the best insight into what goes on behind closed doors or in coffee shops—if you want to know, of course.

You can also join walking tours around the city, including the Red Light District. This can be a great way to learn about how the neighborhood's history weaves into the fabric of the city and the Dutch East Indies Trading Company, rather than the Red Light District being the sole focus of the tour.

The legalities of the Amsterdam Red Light District are slightly different from what is tolerated. For example, within the windows and brothels, sex work is legalized and regulated, with sex workers required to undergo mandatory regular testing. Drugs, however, are another story—as is street drinking.

Most drugs are still illegal in Amsterdam, including cannabis, but the latter is tolerated, which means that it is still subject to different rules—including that it should not be consumed outside of coffee shops. You should note that smoking weed and public drinking are not permitted in the Red Light District, and even walking around with an unopened beer may land you a strict fine.

With regulations regularly changing, joining a tour is the best way to learn more about what is legal. That way, your guide can give you the most up-to-date information and answer any questions.

There is no dress code to visit Amsterdam’s Red Light District. De Wallen, like much of Amsterdam, is, on the whole, a pretty open-minded and accepting place where people are free to express themselves through fashion and clothes. However, you should always be respectful in how you dress and how you respond to others and what they’re wearing.

It’s also worth noting that some of the streets around De Wallen can be pretty uneven and you may do a lot of walking, so you’ll want to be comfortable in your footwear and outfit.

First settled in the 13th century, De Wallen—commonly known as Amsterdam’s Red Light District—was not built with accessibility in mind. The neighborhood is home to the narrowest alleyways in Amsterdam, and some of the streets are cobbled—and that’s without mentioning the crowds or the bicycles.

While parts of the Red Light District are more accessible than others, like the main streets of Oudezijds Voorburgwal and Oudezijds Achterburgwal, travelers with mobility issues may want to time their visit to avoid the crowds, join a private tour with a local guide, or avoid any congestion issues by hopping on a sightseeing boat trip through the Red Light District’s canals.

Like most places in the capital, Amsterdam's Red Light District is a reasonably safe place to visit, with police regularly patrolling the streets. However, petty crime like pickpocketing is pretty common. Travelers should pay attention and try to keep any valuables out of sight, especially if you plan on visiting in the afternoon and evening when the neighborhood is filled with (often rowdy) tourists and big groups.

Travelers should also be cautious about using drugs—even in coffee shops where marijuana use is tolerated. Visitors are also warned against buying any drugs on the streets and advised not to procure the services of sex workers outside of the regulated windows and legal brothels.

Taking pictures in Amsterdam’s Red Light District is a controversial topic. Of course, anyone can take pictures of De Wallen’s historic buildings and bridges, but if you turn your camera on the people in the windows, there’s a reasonably high chance your camera or phone will end up in a canal.

Understandably, most sex workers do not consent to having their photographs taken, especially by ogling tourists. Whatever your opinion of them, this is their place of work, and they are tax-paying citizens who have the right to be there without being photographed. If you want to find out more about what it’s like to be one of the people in the windows, you can join a tour—current or former sex workers lead many—or visit the Museum of Prostitution, Red Light Secrets.

• What not to do in Amsterdam’s Red Light District? Despite what some people may think, Amsterdam’s Red Light District is not a vice-filled free-for-all, and there are quite a few rules. These include no photos of the workers, no loitering outside the windows, no public drinking—even carrying alcohol is prohibited—or smoking marijuana, no public urination, no littering, and no noise pollution. Visitors can even be fined for public drunkenness, so it’s always worth acting respectfully and respectably.

• Is Amsterdam’s Red Light District expensive? Amsterdam’s Red Light District is free to enter, and prices are comparable to other touristy areas around Amsterdam. You can also find museums and show entrance fees online before you go.

• Is Amsterdam’s Red Light District suitable for children? Parts of Amsterdam’s Red Light District are unsuitable for minors, and other parts depend on the type of conversations you’re willing to have with your children. If you’d prefer to avoid any issues, you can join a child-friendly tour or stick to the areas around the Red Light District instead, like Chinatown, Dam Square, and Nieuwmarkt.