Amsterdam’s infamous Red Light District. The City is looking for options to reduce the number of “low quality visitors” this old neighborhood attracts. One option under serious consideration: move the prostitutes away from the area. Another possibility: curtail the number of cannabis cafes (“coffeeshops”), close them altogether, or bar sales to non-residents.
The Red Light District in Amsterdam is a major draw for tourists.
There are in fact three such districts, but the downtown neighborhood known as “De Wallen,” or “Rosse Buurt,” is the largest and best known. At peak times it sees some 900.000 visitors per week.
The area is also home to some 8.600 residents and 6.145 households.
Locals sometimes refer to the Wallen as ‘a square mile of misery,’ due to instances of human trafficking, exploitation, other criminal elements, and the nuisance caused by both overtourism and petty criminals.
While many visitors still believe Amsterdam has an ‘anything goes’ policy, the City of Amsterdam is actively looking at curtailing the number of prostitutes, pornography-related businesses, and coffeeshops (cannabis cafes).
Options being discussed include moving prostitutes away from the center of town and closing coffeeshops.
Visiting the Red Light District? See the Red Light Secrets Museum of Prostitution. You’ll learn the story of sex work in the Netherlands. The musesum is located in a former brothel.
You will also want to take a Guided Walking Tour of the district. Another popular Guided Tour also includes provides details about the area’s coffeeshops.
Browse our collection of articles about the Red Light District:
In the heart of Amsterdam’s red-light area, prostitutes have been kicked out to make way for a controversial new scheme promoting the city’s young fashion talent.
Amsterdam plans to close down its most famous district, citing sleaze, criminal activity and human trafficking. Not everybody is happy about it.
A majority of Amsterdammers — Amsterdam locals — says that while the Red Light District is an intrinsic part of Amsterdam, they nevertheless support the notion that the City must place limits on the prostitution business if criminal ties are proven.
The city of Amsterdam is making good on its promise to clean up its world-famous Red Light District. Plans to upgrade the 750-year-old neighborhood over the next ten years include banning window prostitution from all but two locations.
“The days that riff-raff have been allowed to control the most beautiful section of the Amsterdam’s historic centre are over.”
Though prostitution remains legal in Amsterdam through a system that ensures women receive STD testing and have legal rights, it looks like the red-light district is about to get less rosy.
The Dutch city of Amsterdam is to close one-third of the brothels in its famous red light district.