In the society that I live in the UK, prostitution is illegal and is generally not something that is openly spoken about. You might think it is only for sex tourists , but I recommend that every adult visitor to Amsterdam pays a visit to the red light district. A simple walk through the streets provides an interesting cultural experience that you will not forget in a hurry!
The red light district in Amsterdam is the oldest area of the city. It is also the most central area of the city, and a tourist hotspot. Within easy reach of canals, hotels, bars, restaurants and museums, it is definitely something to tick off on a trip to Amsterdam. Amsterdam Centraal is the nearest train station, but there are other ways to get to De Wallen — the name for the general area where the red light district is.
When visiting Amsterdam, the closer to the centre you stay the more expensive it can be, so many tourists stay a bit further out and utilise the brilliant public transport systems here. Of course, cycling is a huge part of the culture in the Netherlands — hire a bike and cycle to the red light district from your accommodation! The Van Gogh Museum is located here, and there is plenty to see in the Rijksmuseum too. A red light district is an area where there is a high concentration of sex-tourism enterprises, such as sex shops, sex shows and organised prostitution.
A red light district will commonly have a high concentration of female prostitutes and may also include gay venues and male prostitution. The network of alleyways contains around one-room cabins, rented by sex workers who offer their services from behind a window or glass door illuminated by a red light.
As well as prostitution you will find sex shops, peep shows, a sex museum, sex theatres and cannabis-touting coffee shops in the red light district. This does not include street prostitution, and the work permits are not green cards; meaning that legal prostitution extends mostly just to EU citizens or permanent foreign residents.
