Red Light Districts of Amsterdam – #1 De Wallen or Walletjes

#1 De Wallen or Walletjes

When most people refer to “the Amsterdam Red Light District” they mean the largest and most famous one, located in the warren of streets around the Oudezijds Voorburgwal & Oudezijds Achterburgwal canals and the grand Oude Kerk, bordered on the west by Damrak (the major road and tram route stretching between the city’s main train station, Amsterdam Centraal, and Dam Square, where the National Monument pokes lecherously at the sky) and, on the east, by Nieuwmarkt Square.

View our Amsterdam Red Light District Map – De Wallen or Walletjes, which features all of the locations mentioned above.

Locals refer to it as de Wallen or Walletjes, meaning “the canals”, and consider it to be a rather run-down and shabby area, best left to the tourists.

From the Airport, you simply get a train to Amsterdam Centraal station (should take less than 20 minutes), walk straight out the front of the station and stroll down Damrak, note the tourist canal boats docked to your left and, immediately past them, turn left onto Oudebrugsteeg (“Old Bridge Street”), where you cannot miss the distinctive green and white signage and canopies of The Grasshopper (Was one of Amsterdam’s biggest coffeeshops until city council closed it down in January 2014).

Continue walking along Oudebrugsteeg, ensuring to inhale the narcotic aroma as you breeze past The Grasshopper, and you will very soon find yourself on Warmoesstraat, which will be your first taste of Amsterdam’s Red Light District but only sex shops and coffee shops so far. You can venture forth down Lange Niezel and, turning to your right, you will soon be enjoying the bizarre site of the beautiful Oude Kirk (literally “Old Church”) ringed by a street full of African prostitutes in windows – not a bad primer for the uniquely strange journey you are about to take through the world’s oldest and most notorious red light area.

Use our Amsterdam Red Light District Map – De Wallen or Walletjes to decide where to go next, it contains all 18 of the streets listed below.

Alphabetical list of all the streets containing prostitute windows with street views (where possible) in this main Red Light District:

Bethlemsteeg (This dead-end alley is so small even Google street view never made it down here.

Bloedstraat – mostly shemales, be sure to read “How to Find LadyBoys, Shemales and Transvestites in Red Light District of Amsterdam”.

Dollebegijnensteeg

Enge Kerksteeg

Goldbergersteeg -is a cul de sac, so one way only.It is fairly new street built and opened in the 1990s It is a small street which backs on to the Hotel Winston

(Entry not possible).There are six red light windows numbered 3 to 8. Numbers 1 & 2 are around the corner on Sint Annendwarsstraat

Gordijnensteeg – mostly shemales

La Vie en Rose -is the only surviving part of the red light district with windows not outside. La Vie en Rose has 9 windows, but some do be empty most of the time, specially daytime but well worth a visit.No charge to enter.

Molensteeg -is right in the centre of all the action, the heart of the Red Light District. There are windows running in all directions- north, south east and west, Molensteeg, Oudekennissteeg, Oudezijds Achterburgwal canal.

Monnikenstraat –

Oudekennissteeg

Oudekerksplein

Oudezijds Achterburgwal

Oudezijds Voorburgwal

Sint Annendwarsstraat

Sint Annendwarstraat

Stoofsteeg

Trompettersteeg