Attractions in the Red Light District

We've covered the sex-related side of Amsterdam's Red Light District in plenty of detail, and it's no secret the neighborhood is also packed with cannabis coffeeshops. But there's a lot more to De Wallen, as locals call it, than sex and drugs. This is the oldest part of Amsterdam, and even if walking past the window workers makes you a bit uncomfortable, skipping the neighborhood entirely on a first visit would be a mistake.

You'd have a hard time avoiding it anyway. It starts right across from Centraal Station, and it's home to many of the city's hostels and budget hotels, plus plenty of bars and restaurants.

Here are the highlights that are worth your time whatever your reason for being here.

Before you go: the rules have changed

The district is still open to everyone, but the city has tightened things up considerably since this page first ran:

• No smoking cannabis on the street. Since 25 May 2023, lighting a joint outdoors anywhere in the Red Light District, and on Dam Square, Damrak and Nieuwmarkt, can get you a €100 fine. Smoke inside a coffeeshop instead.
• Earlier closing on weekends. On weekend nights, bars and restaurants in the core of the district close at 2:00 and stop letting new guests in at 1:00, under city rules that run until April 2027.
• No guided tours past the windows. Organized tours in the district have been banned since 2020, with fines for guides and tour companies. You can walk through on your own, and the attractions below are fine to visit.
• Don't photograph the window workers. It isn't just rude; you'll get an earful, and sometimes worse.

Oude Kerk (Old Church)

It surprises people that Amsterdam's oldest building sits smack in the middle of the Red Light District, with windows lining the square around it. The church was consecrated in 1306. Rembrandt was a frequent visitor, his children were christened here, and his wife Saskia was buried here in 1642, according to its Wikipedia entry.

Today the Oude Kerk doubles as a contemporary art venue, so you'll find a current exhibition set among the old tombstones. Per the church's own site, as of 2026:

• Open Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 18:00, Sunday 13:00 to 17:30. Closed on King's Day (27 April), Christmas Day, and a few days between exhibitions.
• Adults pay €14.50, students and 13 to 17 year olds €7.50, and kids 12 and under get in free. The Museumkaart and I amsterdam City Card also get you in free. A free audio tour is included.
• From late April to the end of October you can add a guided climb of the 67-meter tower (155 steps, minimum height 1.20 m). The combined ticket is €22 for adults.
• It's cashless, so bring a card. Mornings before noon, and Tuesdays and Wednesdays, are the quietest times.

If you only care about the outside, looking at it is free. If you like old churches at all, it's worth the ticket.

The bronze breast, and Belle

Just a few meters from the Old Church, look down. Set into the cobblestones is a small bronze relief of a hand cupping a woman's bare breast. It appeared overnight in February 1993, the work of an anonymous artist known as De Onbekende Beeldhouwer (the Unknown Sculptor). There's supposed to be some deeper symbolism in putting it here. We still don't quite get it, but it's fun to find.

Nearby on the same square stands Belle, a bronze statue of a woman in a doorway, unveiled in 2007 as a tribute to sex workers around the world.

Prostitution Information Center

Founded in 1994 by former sex worker Mariska Majoor (who also came up with Belle), the PIC is a small storefront at Enge Kerksteeg 3, right beside the Old Church, and it's easy to miss if you don't know it's there. You can walk in and ask anything about how the industry works, browse books, or join one of their "Walk 'N Talk" sessions, which start at 17:00 on open days. As of 2026 it's open Wednesday to Saturday, 12:00 to 17:00. The people who run it are friendly and used to questions from nervous first-timers, so don't be shy about going in.

Our Lord in the Attic

This one wasn't on our original list, and it should have been. Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder, at Oudezijds Voorburgwal 38, is a 17th-century canal house with a complete Catholic church hidden in its attic, built when Catholics couldn't worship in public. Climbing up through the house into the church is one of the best museum experiences in Amsterdam. It's open daily 10:00 to 18:00, and adult tickets are €18 as of 2026 (free with the Museumkaart or I amsterdam City Card). See our guide to Amsterdam museums for more.

The Waag

The most striking old building in the area is De Waag, the weigh house on Nieuwmarkt. It dates to 1488 and started life as a gate in the city walls. For centuries, goods coming off the ships were weighed here and then sold on the square outside. The upper floors are home to Waag Futurelab, a technology and society lab that runs public events and workshops. It makes a great backdrop for photos, and the free walking tours cover its history well.

Nieuwmarkt

The big square around the Waag is still a market, as its name ("new market") suggests. The main event is the Saturday farmers' market, when organic produce and food stalls take over the square. The rest of the time it's lined with café terraces, and it's a great place to sit and watch the world go by. It's also a reminder that this is a residential neighborhood where thousands of people live, with live sex shows and window workers a few steps away.

Zeedijk and Chinatown

Amsterdam's "Chinatown" isn't much of a town. It's mostly one long, winding street called Zeedijk, running from just opposite Centraal Station down to Nieuwmarkt. What it does have is restaurants from all over East and Southeast Asia lined up next to each other: Chinese, dim sum, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai. The competition keeps prices reasonable, which makes it one of the better streets in the center for a moderately priced meal. Oude Hoogstraat, a few blocks south, has a few more cheap Asian places.

Condomerie

Not one for the kids, but plenty of adults get a kick out of this shop at Warmoesstraat 141. It opened on 1 May 1987 and bills itself as the world's first specialist condom shop. Inside you'll find condoms in more sizes, colors and novelty packaging than you knew existed. It's a shop, so it's free to walk in, but it's narrow and often crowded, and they don't allow photos inside.

Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum

Another stop that isn't for the whole family, the Hash Museum at Oudezijds Achterburgwal 148 has been in the district since 1985. If you're expecting a Cheech & Chong funhouse, you'll be disappointed. If you're interested in cannabis as a plant, a medicine, a fiber and a political football, it's well worth an hour. Per the museum's site, admission is €10 with an audio tour (€9.50 online) and kids under 13 get in free with an adult. It's open Monday to Thursday 12:00 to 20:00 and Friday to Sunday 10:00 to 22:00. Forget the free tokes of the old days: this is a museum, not a coffeeshop.

>>more information on the Amsterdam Marijuana Museum

Red Light Secrets

If you're curious about what goes on behind the windows but don't want to be a gawker, Red Light Secrets, the Museum of Prostitution at Oudezijds Achterburgwal 60, is the respectful way to find out. It's set in a former brothel, you can walk through the working rooms, and you can sit in one of the red-lit windows yourself. It's open daily from 11:00 to 01:00, and tickets started at €14.50 when we checked.

Erotic Museum

Amsterdam has both an Erotic Museum and a Sex Museum. The Erotic Museum at Oudezijds Achterburgwal 54, right in the district, spreads several floors of erotic art, photos and oddities. We've always found it a bit underwhelming. The Sex Museum (Venustempel) at Damrak 18, a few blocks away, is bigger and better. We're listing the Erotic Museum here to be complete, but if you only do one, make it the Sex Museum.

Where it all is

Everything above is within a 10-minute walk of the Oude Kerk. For the rest of the city, see our Amsterdam map page.

FAQ

Is the Red Light District safe to walk around?

Generally yes, and there's a heavy police presence. The usual big-city rules apply: watch for pickpockets in the crowds, and ignore anyone on the street offering to sell you drugs. What they sell is fake at best.

Can I visit with kids?

In the daytime, the Oude Kerk, Our Lord in the Attic, the Waag and Nieuwmarkt are all fine for families. The window streets are a judgment call you'll have to make yourself.

Can I take a guided tour of the Red Light District?

Not past the windows. Tours through De Wallen have been banned since 2020, though general city walking tours still operate elsewhere in the center.