Red Light District Tour in Amsterdam

It has never occurred to me to find a tour to check out the district. It seems that you can get your fill of rubbernecking by walking through the area by yourself. The women, and I am sure a number of men and sexually ambiguous people as well, are displayed in their own windows as they attempt to entice passers by to share some money with them.

Given the crackdown on sex trafficking these days, I am surprised that a tour company would offer such tours, but you never know, do you?

Ha, I guess little do I know ;-P. Thanks for info.

The Prostitution Information Center seems to organise tours. I know them as a serious organisation, aiming at improving the working conditions of the sex workers. Actually I am a little bit surprised they are still active. It might be a good idea to email them whether the information on their website is up to date.

Thank you.

Given the crackdown on sex trafficking these days, I am surprised that
a tour company would offer such tours

Say what? Prostitution is regulated in Holland, and an essential part of the history of the city. Just doing a quick google search you can find no less than 25 different walking tours of the district. You can even book such a tour via Airbnb. I know someone who did a walking tour organized by a major cruise ship that docked in the city.

We took a daylight tour of the district on the RS Holland & Belgium tour. It was informative. The local guide for this tour was well educated on the history and significance of the area. There is much more than prostitution in the district.

We also went to a coffee shop as part of this tour. No one made any purchases.

Sorry I don't remember the name of the guide, she did do other tours of the district. If I run across it I will add the details here.

While I haven't taken a tour, I can assure you that they are possible and that the RLD has one of the prettiest canals in all of Amsterdam: see it during the day! It's a very old part of the city so a walking tour that provides historical background as well as an overview of 'the business' practiced there today is advised.

https://www.amsterdam.info/red-light-district/

Do note that it is absolutely forbidden to take pictures of the working girls, and they do mean business about that.

It’s not that large, so just wander. Not certain what a tour would provide. The marajuana museum is very near it.

hey lt
look at what kathy or ton recommended. go on a early tour since that area is bumper to bumper of people in the evenings. there are bars shops hotels restaurants all long the gorgeous canal. never went on tour but if i go to amsterdam i will go. i have my own opinions about that subject, hard to see this , don't have any daughters but this is their way of making money and surviving. i think it's exploited but that's my 3 cents worth. learned alot from our landlord that we rented an apartment from and other interesting details about amsterdam. go with an open mind and do take a canal cruise. have an empanada at an argentine steak house yummy
aloha

I highly recommend "That Dam Guide", www.thatdamguide.com . I used them in March because I was a little hesitant going to the Red Light District at night, especially on a Friday night. I booked their tour and wound up with Lee as my personal guide (I was the only one booked that night). She was very knowledgeable about the area and gave detailed descriptions of the history of the area, the current views, what was going on, how things came about, and how things worked. She did encourage questions about anything. The most surprising thing I found about the Red Light District is that it seemed like over half of the people wandering around were tourists just looking, including many women. The rest were mainly bachelor and bachelorette party groups with very few of the "unsavory characters" I imagined I might run across. It was a pretty festive area. Never once during, or after, the tour did I fell uncomfortable or unsafe.

Thanks so much Davey! Will definitely look into that.

"There is much more than prostitution in the district."

This is what makes it so interesting to visit. In particular, the Amstelkring (The Little Church In The Attic) is a double surprise. You wouldn't expect a hidden church in the middle of the Red Light District, and you wouldn't expect it to be so large given both its name and the exterior appearance of the house it's in.

Rick's Red Light District walk in his Netherlands book is very good, highlighting the diversity of the area (day care centers, Asian restaurants, historic gay bars, etc), as well as some of the changes he's seen (the street with Asian restaurants was, not too long ago, filled with heroin addicts).

That sounds perfect for us. Thanks for this info.

We did a tour with Amsterdam Red Light District Tours which featured The Fokken Twins, now retired sisters who worked as prostitutes for 50 years. Elard, the owner, was great and getting to talk with the twins was really interesting. They know everyone in the district and have some very interesting stories about their decades working in various spots around the RLD. They did even talk about some sex trafficking that has occurred, so to think that it doesn't happen just because prostitution has been legalized is naive.

We did a wonderful tour with That Dam Guide which went through the Red Light District. I think he's one of the best!