About this experience
Explore Amsterdam’s Red Light District on a walking tour with a French-speaking guide. Learn about the history of the area, the city’s coffeeshops, and the challenges they face today.
Highlights
- Get a critical perspective on sex work in Amsterdam's Red Light District
- Discover the Red Light District on a walking tour with a French guide
- Look behind the scenes in the district and learn how sex workers earn a living
- Visit the old harbor and take photos in front of the “Dancing Houses”
- Learn about the history, politics and culture of Amsterdam coffeeshops
What's included
- French-speaking guide specialized in French tours
- Walking tour of Amsterdam's Red Light District
- Tips for exploring the area independently
How to use
- Show Mobile Ticket
- At Redemption Counter
What to expect
Go on a fun but also critical 1.5-hour tour through Amsterdam’s famous Red Light District with a French tour guide, specialized in French tours. Learn about the average nightly income of sex workers, how many customers they have, and which sexual acts pay the most. You’ll also learn about the development of coffeeshops in the city and the political climate surrounding them.
From the National Monument on Dam Square, head to Warmoestraat, one of Amsterdam’s most famous gay streets. Pass the Condomerie, a unique condom store, and learn about the history of contraception in Amsterdam. Your French guide will also share fun facts about the Condomerie and how it came about.
Take a look at the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam’s oldest church, and explore its paradoxical connection to the Red Light District, all explained in French.
Discover how sex work in Amsterdam works: how clients and sex workers negotiate, what their average income and expenses are, their taxes, how they rent the famous red-light windows, and who owns the rooms. Your French guide will also explain the safety measures the city has in place to protect the women.
Explore Amsterdam’s old harbor, the place where it all began. This is where the Red Light District first developed. Stop for photos in front of the “Dancing Houses,” one of the city’s most picturesque spots.
What does it mean that Amsterdam’s coffeeshops are both a blessing and a curse? Learn how they started, the challenges the city faces because of them, and what the future might look like for Amsterdam’s coffeeshop culture. The tour does not include a visit inside a coffeeshop, but you can explore one on your own afterward.
Before the tour ends, your French guide will give tips on exploring the area at your own pace, including recommendations for visiting a classic 1970s peepshow if you want to see one later.
Terms & conditions
The tour is conducted in French.
Since 2020 the tourism restrictions of Amsterdam prohibit tours in front of the red windows. The route has been adapted to the new rule but you will get the chance to see the windows in the heart of the district at your own pace