Amsterdam Red Light District Walking Tour

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Take a walk on the wild side with a guided walking tour through Dark Amsterdam, the infamous Red Light District. Accompanied by a friendly and knowledgeable local, you'll tour the area in safety for an enlightening and illuminating experience!

The tour takes you to the area that's synonymous with Amsterdam, the Wallen (Red Light District), passing monuments and entering narrow old streets such as the well-known Zeedijk street. In the past it was one of the most dangerous streets in Amsterdam, where sailors could be found searching for local amusement. Nowadays, instead of the shady bars of yester year you'll find lively and welcoming Dutch pubs and restaurants.

The walk includes a visit to the Prostitute Information Center, where you will be offered a free drink and can chat with a former prostitute who will explain the system and answer any questions you might have.

Your safety is guaranteed during this excursion into Amsterdam's darker side, as a reliable and trustworthy guide will be accompanying you.

USD $29.27

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Warren C	April 2012
Tour was very imformative and an eye opener to how the industry works, great intro to the area as well a must do tour, if anybody thinks this is sleazy they are very much mistaken

Review by: Teilia C	April 2012
Not a bad tour...learnt a lot, but it was hard to understand our guide.....we werent in the district for too long either obviously a big group of people staring into windows is a tad obvious!

Review by: Tatiana N	March 2012
It was OK to have guided tour on Red Light District.

Review by: John M	March 2012
WELL WORTH the cost!! You cannot possibly understand this district if you choose to walk through on your own. Our guide, Chantell was fabulous! Growing up in Amsterdam, to her, prostitution is common place and an accepted line of work (as long as it's not your mother, sister, cousin, niece, friend, etc.) She is extremely familiar with the district, it's occupants, and the field, although she has NEVER participated in that line of work. She is funny, pleasant, informative, and obviously loves her job as a tour guide. Mariska, a former sex worker, was also great. She provides insight into the field in the hopes of creating greater understanding for visitors. She has also started a foundation to educate others on the history and current status of sex work in Amsterdam. She established this foundation entirely on her own, and through donations from visitors who appreciate her education efforts.

Review by: Jennifer K	February 2012
Fascinating experience! It was really interesting to learn about the licensing and laws surrounding the day-to-day life of a sex worker.

Review by: sruti t	January 2012
Standing and walkign for 2.5 hours is strenous. Would ahve preferred a shorter trip.

Review by: Ruth Ng	December 2011
very informative!

Review by: SET	November 2011
Chantall is a perfect guide, confident, sensitive, tolerant.This tour provides a very informative insight to the world behind the windows. Talking to Mariska was really interesting. I would definitely recommend this tour.

Review by: Alex K	November 2011
What a great tour! Our guide Chantell was very friendly and informative.... Gives you a better appreciation of the Red Light District, which you would otherwise not get if you just walked it yourself!

Review by: Dawn K	October 2011
The tour guide taught us a lot about the culture and history of the Red Light District. Going to the Prositition Center was interesting too. Although it is not necessary to have a tour guide for the Red Light District I would recommend this tour.

Review by: Cally Y	October 2011
We had a ball! Well worth taking a look.

Review by: Rachel	October 2011
Good tour - lots of great information and we had a fun group

Review by: Richard F	September 2011
What a fantastic, and moving, experience. Chantal and Jan were excellent guides. Chantal was knowledgeable, funny and always sensitive to the issues involved. Seeing the Prostitute Information Center and hearing Mariska, its founder, was a really helpful, too. I hope it goes from strength to strength.

Review by: Leanne R	September 2011
very imformative, sometimes funny, otherwise entertaining - great guide

Review by: nellybee83	September 2011
Good tour, liked the info and was interesting to see things from a different point of view, I would say do it

Review by: Woodpeker	September 2011
Interesting, but rushed, rain didn't help and the group size is alittle too big, around 30 pax. Knows the operators of various outlets so ask her for tips and discounts to shows, if u so wish. Operated by Lindenburgh Tours

Review by: Diane N	September 2011
This is a absolutely outstanding tour. Our tour guide Shantel was great. She was a native of Amsterdam and well versed in the red light district. The meeting with the ex-prostitute was very enlightening and really explained how legal prostitution is very different, yet can still have the stigma. I highly recommend this tour -- it was fun and informative!

Review by: Cynthia V	August 2011
Tour was too crowded. Guide was too soft spoken and everyone could not hear her. The stop at the Prostitute Information Center was interesting and the highlight of the tour.

Review by: VALENTINA P	July 2011
Very Interesting and funny

Review by: Carin Marais	July 2011
I am so glad that we did include this tour in our itenerary. At first we thought we could do it on our own, but I will recommend doing it first with this tour and then you can experience it on your own if you wish to do so. This tour gives you a lot of insight in the world of the girls behind the glass windows. When you are presented with facts on how they do business and how they survive it you will look at them with different eyes than their normal clients. I found myself having a lot of respect and empathy for them afterwards.

Review by: Kathleen B	July 2011
It was very interesting and educational.

Review by: Brian W	July 2011
A very informative evening. The discussion with the ex-prostitute was interesting. It gives an entirely different view of what happens in the district. A very good and amusing guide.

Review by: Schumack	June 2011
The guide was very knowledgable and provide interested facts about the city. It was nice to hear his experience and knowledge of the city. It was interesting to learn how the city started and grew. The stories about ghost and legends of the city. Talking with a former prostitute was also very interesting and gave a first hand knowledge of the history of the city. Also the tour guide was first rate.

Review by: Isabel R	June 2011
Unlike the Cannes excursion this was fun and professionally handled.

Review by: Ai Ming H	May 2011
good

Review by: Angela V	May 2011
Very informative. Would have liked more time to ask questions at the PIC, more detailed information and personal stories from the hostess. Overall very fun!

Review by: Sheila J	May 2011
Very imformative and interesting. Good guide

Review by: John C	May 2011
Great opportunity to see the red light district with a knowledgeable tour guide who gives an insight into the way the 'business' works! Mixed group of men and women of all ages on our tour - not at all pervy so don't worry!

Review by: Anatoly K	May 2011
Very interesting and informative tour.

Review by: Theodora L	May 2011
A little overpriced and you can get better a better deal with the new amsterdam tours

Review by: Helen H	May 2011
I am really glad I took this walking tour as I'm not sure I would have felt comfortable doing this on my own. Our guide was informative and going to the Prostitution information centre to actually ask questions of a former prostitute took away the "dirtyness" of the business. It was so interesting to see the contrasts in the area - for example a church right across the street from a sex shop and a coffee shop that sold pot. Can't get much more different than that. I do recommend this trip if you're there on your own but want an insight into this area of Amsterdam.

Review by: Franklin B	May 2011
It was well organised and well done. Historical details were given and the tour was carried out with dignity.

Review by: Olga H R	April 2011
Although I had seen parts of the Red Light District many years ago, we really felt this was a worthwhile tour. The group was quite large, but it was manageable and we discovered many things about this industry that we didn't know. (Although our walking tour of Amsterdam gave us details that were missed here). Very informative and interesting, including the former trade worker who we met at the end of the night. We would definitely recommend it.

Review by: Maureen W	April 2011
very informative guide - a good way to see the Red Light District and learn the history of the area as well as getting answers to all those questions you want to ask.

Review by: Kerry J	April 2011
Very informative! I had no idea that the girls working in the Red LIght District were not regulated. Great way to absorb the culture in Amsterdam. I enjoyed this tour and would highly recommend it.

Review by: Michelle F	April 2011
Excellent guide who knew his stuff! Informative, interesting, and certainly eye-opening! The chat with the retired sex-workers was the highlight.

Review by: James M	March 2011
This was an excellent tour. _br/_ The guide was very informative, spoke English extremely well, and I would recommend this to anyone. We stuck close to the guide throughout the tour and got many of our questions enthusiastically answered. It saved us from an otherwise mediocre night and gave us the confidence to wander there by ourselves later.

Review by: Donnay G	March 2011
We enjoyed the information centre on prostitution, but a lot of the information our guide gave us on the night we'd already read up about on the internet. It was interesting, but not an absolute must-do.

Review by: Bev F B, New Zealand	July 2010
Entertaining, interesting and should not be missed!

Review by: Anna T, United States of America	June 2010
Our guide was very informative. It was very interesting talking to the woman who had been a hooker. We could ask whatever questions we wanted and she answered them .

Review by: Dorothy S, United Kingdom	June 2010
Our guide was amazing. She was informative and humurous and the meeting with a former prostitute was informative and interesting. Would highly recomment this tour.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	May 2010
Our tour guide was extremely informative and she made our tour a memorable one. She spoke with enthusiasm and also had a great sense of humor. The Prostitute Info Center was also very good the gal there gave us information and insight about what a prostitutes life is like and she was willing to answer any questions we had. I highly recommend this tour. The two hours went by very quickly.

Review by: Ron T, United Kingdom	April 2010
My wife and I did wonder about having a wander around the Red Light District on our own. We had heard it was quite safe if you didn't do anything silly like take photos or speak to strangers! Fortunately we chose a group tour and found out much more than we would have if we had gone it alone. The walk took us through the main streets and along very narrow lanes we would not have found without our guide. Our first visit was at a centre for working girls where all of our questions were answered - at least all those we were prepared to voice. We were lucky we were in a small group so it was easy to ask questions as we were going along. This walk really added to our enjoyment of Amsterdam and we went back the next day to take photos of one or two things we had had pointed out, particularly the statue of Belle.

Review by: Nicky R, Ireland	April 2010
Informative.

Review by: Robert M, United States of America	January 2010
Fun evening, our guide was excellent.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	January 2010
Excellent way to experience the Red Light District whilst also getting a history of the area. Interesting, in depth and facinating.

Review by: Anonymous, Jordan	November 2009
Recomended for anyone who doesnt have this thing on their countries but make sure that your wife is not with you.

Review by: Elysayyad S, Egypt	November 2009
Walking through Amsterdam RLD should be done during your visit to Amsterdam it is absolutely fantastic. Guide who came with us was perfect.

Review by: Gary S, United Kingdom	September 2009
This is such a great trip to go on, You can freely walk round the right light district on your own and you don't feel odd or threatened at all everyone in Amsterdam is so friendly, but this tour is so much more than a walk round the right light district, its informative! The guide was great, a huge knowledge of the area past and present. I must say the The prostitute information center was excellent, it really made me change my views of the whole work ethic of the lady's working. Both guides were great, you just must do this tour, you get so much more out of it than just going round yourself.

Review by: Andrea L, United States of America	September 2009
This was a great tour! So much interesting knowledge. If you have ever wondered what really goes on in the Red Light District, you must go on this tour!