Travel To Amsterdem

Travel To Red Light District - Amsterdam

Most Europeans know of the notorious Red Light district in Amsterdam. No doubt a number still think it a dangerous place, where hookers meet drugs and all is underground and seedy: a place probably dreamt up by ultra left-wing bearded types in the 60s, which the Netherlands has been trying to forget ever since.

Wrong I’m afraid. As recent visitors to Amsterdam's Red Light District will tell you, you are more likely to spot young couples in the narrow streets than dirty old men in macs. It's an area, lets not forget, which as been amusing and entertaining visitors and locals alike for about 500 years.

It also happens to be one of the oldest parts of the Dutch city, with enough architectural delights to take your eye, especially when the scantily clad women are on a break. Many argue that the Red Light District is one of the prettiest parts of the Amsterdam, with creaking old buildings hunched over a tree-lined canal.

If buildings aren’t your thing, a music lover can have one hell of a weekend without even taking off his trousers. It often seems that bands are belting it out in every bar on every street, their numbers increasing as evening shadows lengthen.

Prostitution is bound to be on everyone’s mind when visiting the Red Light District, and it certainly isn’t hidden from view. Women advertise themselves in street windows brightly lit with red lights (hence the name). You can look, but taking photos will not win you many friends as bodyguards patrol the area.

Something about the openness of the services these women provide makes it much less seedy than it sounds. Amsterdam's Red Light District seems a million miles away from the back street sex industry in the UK.

These prostitutes religiously fill in their tax return each year, and even have access to a special Government-run medical care. They also operate under a strict code of conduct that ensures all licensed prostitutes undergo an annual Aids test and that all customers wear condoms. The girl's even have their own trade union!

For the more academic sex enthusiast there is an erotic museum which houses an incredible five floors of 'enjoyment and arts', as they put it, and even has a stall selling hand painted condoms.

All in all, the experience is memorable, enjoyable and surprisingly inoffensive. If the sight of a penis shaped fountain is enough to make you weak at the knees then perhaps this isn’t the place for you, but for everyone else, Amsterdam’s Red Light District cannot be recommended enough.