Amsterdam: Red Light District guided tour (TOP RATED)
Description
Start this tour in front of the Amsterdam Voyager Hotel. From here you will walk to the famous Amsterdam Red Light District. First part of the tour leads through the old town area and Amsterdam's Chinatown. Here you get a insight of the history of Amsterdam and the area. Then walk to the center of the Red Light District where the guide will tell you everything about the prostitution, coffeeshop culture and history of the Amsterdam Red Light District. Your guide will tell you how it is working as a prostitute in the Red Light District, the liberal laws and tell you many interesting facts. Your guide will also tell you about the coffeeshop culture of Amsterdam. Learn where the name “coffeeshop” comes from and some of the weird laws we have on the consumption and production of soft-drugs.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Walk through the narrow streets and see all the sights that the Red Light District has to offer! Learn about the history and the current situation of the Red Light District and explore the streets of Amsterdam with your local guide.
1. The dam, Also known as the City built on trees: Due to the soil in Amsterdam consisting of a thick layer of fen and clay, some buildings in the city are built on wooden poles that are fixed in a sandy layer that is approximately 11 meters deep. Since the old days, the houses in Amsterdam were known to have been built on wooden foundation piles that are driven deep into the clay, peat, and water until they reach the first layer of solid sand.
The area is a part of the Red Light District, tob e specific, part of the Old Town area. So this is the oldest part of the city that is why there is a lot of history as well.
Pub The Ape, also known as Int Aepjen in Dutch. Built around 1540 and one out of two remaining wooden buildings left in Amsterdam. Which is very special as there was a big fire in 1452 and after that point the government decided that buildings should have brick facades.
The Waag used to be one of the city gates of Amsterdam, a part of the defensive wall. It was built around the 1400s and is the second oldest building of Amsterdam. Later on it was used as a guild, craftsman’s organizations, situated themselves within the Waag and around the square.
The smallest house of Amsterdam was built around the 1700s and was first used as storage place for the VOC trading company. Later on people started living in the house for a very long time.
This is the world’s first condom shop special for condoms, in place here since 1987. You can get a size customized condom and all kinds of special condoms.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Not recommended for travelers with limited mobility
Reviews(719)
What a great tour with Sophie! She was very knowledgeable. Her tour was always fun with her humor and attention to details. Highly recommend!
The tour was a little less than an hour and a half. The historical and cultural information was fine. But there wasn’t much time spent in the red light district.
Very informative. Katie was a very friendly, funny and knowledgeable guide. She answered all questions and provided lots of useful and interesting facts. The tour is a great way for first time visitors to Amsterdam to learn valuable insight into the do's and don'ts of Amsterdam as well providing lots of interesting historical facts and stories. I would recommend taking this tour very early on a first trip to Amsterdam.
Was interesting and we saw more than the red light district. Learned alot about the city itself and was a good short tour. Ben was a great guide!
Great tour with Robin! It was a wonderful balance of history and contemporary experience, with utmost respect for the workers. Also, we got wonderful recommendations throughout and after the tour. I will recommend this tour to friends/family.
Kevin was an excellent guide. He was knowledgeable, engaging, and shared a wealth of information about Amsterdam. We learned so much and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I would highly recommend this tour—it was one of the highlights of our visit!
Great experience and knowledge. Robin was very engaging. Would definitely recommend it for a nice history lesson.
I always wondered what else was behind the enigma of the Red Light District and you get a good idea with this interesting and informative tour. Yes, you see Prostitutes but you learn about their business and how it has developed from the what use to be a very dangerous form of life to a much better structured business that is no longer that obscure and dangerous. No pimps, the ladies decide who they choose and what they choose to do and they make a lot of money doing it. Makes you appreciate their choices more. Regarding the "Coffee Shops" and the drugs in Amsterdam, its a choice and they are somehow regulated although there are still mafias operating. The stories are interesting. Enjoyed the your!
We really enjoyed this tour. We got to learn all about the history of Amsterdam and how the red light district came to be. We also learned about the history of Amsterdam's coffee shops. Esther, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable. She shared the efforts everyone has put in to protect the workers and make the red light district as safe as possible. The one thing to note is that the district can be very busy so all of the description is done before and after you walk through.
The person who did the tour was amazing and inviting on conversations. Really knew what they were talking about. Gave opportunity for pictures and questions. Well worth the booking if you want to know more about the history or the red light district and also explore it if you have never been.
