Prostitution is legal in the Netherlands, and in Amsterdam, most of it is concentrated in the Red Light District. Even if you don’t want to play, this is a place you may want to see at night, when the red lights reflect from the canals’ inky surfaces. Lots of visitors come here out of curiosity or just for fun. There’s no problem with wandering around, and you don’t need to worry much about crime as long as you stick to busier streets — and keep an eye out for pickpockets. Visiting women going around in groups of two or more won’t be noticed any more than anyone else, but a single female might be subject to misrepresentation.
The Red Light District, known in Dutch as Rosse Buurt, isn’t very big. The easiest way in is on Damstraat, beside the Krasnapolsky Hotel on the Dam. Then stick to the main drag on Oudezijds Voorburgwal, as far north as the Oude Kerk, the venerable Old Church, which stands watch over this passable representation of Sodom and Gomorrah. If you don’t mind the weird-looking, sad-sack males and the heroin whores hanging around on the bridges, you can go farther in to the parallel canal, Oudezijds Achterburgwal, and to Nieuwmarkt’s cluster of good bars and Chinese restaurants.
The Amsterdam Red Light District covers a large area of the oldest part of the city. The buildings are tall, thin and crowd together, overlooking the tree lined canals. The Amsterdam Red Light District is a beautiful area and the later it gets, the busier it gets. And the darker it gets, the more obvious the glow of the fluorescent red lights above the many windows in the area becomes. Plenty of Amsterdam Hotels can be found near to De Walletjes in Red Light District. Book the best and most budget friendly accommodation.
