Red Light District tour in Amsterdam
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
See a different side to Amsterdam with this guided tour around the edges of the Red Light District. Learn about the history of sex work, Dutch tolerance policies, and the neighborhood’s unique culture—gaining insight most travelers miss out on. As of 2020, tours inside the district are no longer permitted, so this experience takes you along the perimeter and provides a handy map to help you explore the area independently—and respectfully—once the guided walk ends.
- Gain a deeper understanding of Amsterdam’s historic Red Light District
- Explore the surrounding area with a guide providing insight you won't find in a guidebook
- Learn the significance of coffee houses in the city’s culture and history
- A tour ensures a relaxed pace and feel
What's Included
- 1,5 hour walking tour around the Red Light District in Amsterdam
- Map with information for the last stretch of the tour
- Small gift guaranteed to bring a smile to your face
- Tours in the Red Light District have been prohibited since 2020, so this tour goes to outskirts
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Bistro BerlageBeursplein 1, 1012 JW Amsterdam, Netherlands
The meeting point is Beursplein, on the square. Please wait at the bottom of the stairs of Bistro Berlage, we will meet in front of the bistro. The guide will be waiting by the large black lantern, holding a sign that says 'Guidance'.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Red Light District (De Wallen)
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Dam Square
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Warmoesstraat
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Zeedijk
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Nieuwmarkt
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Kloveniersburgwal, Amsterdam
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
7
Paulusbroederssluis
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This walking tour takes 1,5 hours. In between passing the highlights, the group explores the city on foot while the guide discusses various topics along the way.
- Niet aanbevolen voor reizigers die slecht ter been zijn.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 179 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Very informative tour! My husband and I learned a lot about the history and current operation of the red light district, which continued to inform us about Dutch culture and perspectives. Very well done…our guide, Manouk, was amazing!
It’s was an amazing tour, Daniel did an amazing job. We learned so many different things beside information on the red light district.
Our guide was great. There were only the two of us, so it was like a private tour. He was very knowledgeable and friendly
Great tour guide! Extremely knowledgeable and well-versed about the area. I would definitely recommend this.
Very pleasant, pace not too hectic. David is knowledgeable and engaging. Gave us very interesting information.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Dear Joan,
Thank you for your lovely feedback! We’re so glad you enjoyed the relaxed pace and David’s engaging way of sharing his knowledge. We’ll happily pass your kind words on to him!
With kind regards,
Team Guidance Travel
Knowledgeable guide, interesting and easily walkable. Also felt very safe while on our own. Would recommend.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Dear Lorraine,
Thank you so much for your recommendation! We’re happy to hear you enjoyed the tour and had a comfortable, enjoyable experience exploring the area. We really appreciate you taking the time to share this with us!
With kind regards,
Team Guidance Travel
David was very informative. I learned a lot about Amsterdam and the history of the Red Light District as well as the current culture.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Dear Trish,
Thank you so much for your kind review! I'm delighted to hear you enjoyed the tour with David and learned more about both the history and the present-day culture of the Red Light District. I'll be sure to pass your lovely words on to him. :-)
We hope to welcome you back to Amsterdam again someday!
Warm regards,
Team Guidance Travel
They canceled our reservation less than 5 hours before the start time without any messages. That is very disappointing.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Dear Lois,
Thank you for your feedback, and we're very sorry for the disappointment this caused. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, we had to cancel the tour. We do everything we can to avoid cancellations, as we know how frustrating they can be. The booking platform did send a cancellation notification in advance, but we're sorry to hear it was missed.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and hope you still had a pleasant stay!
Warm regards,
Team Guidance Travel
So fun! And everything we wanted to know! Our guide was so informative and accommodating. We had a ball!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Dear Trina,
Thank you for your kind words! It was so much fun having you on the tour, and I loved seeing how well you connected with the rest of the group. :-) I had a great time guiding you all.
Hope you had a great stay, would love to welcome you back someday!
Warm regards,
Manouk
Fun tour with a great tour guide, Carlos. Learned a lot about the history of the Red Light District.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Dear Marc,
Thank you so much for your kind review! I'm happy to hear you had a fun tour with Carlos and enjoyed learning more about the history of the Red Light District. I'll be sure to pass your lovely words on to him. :-)
We hope to see you again on your next visit to Amsterdam!
Warm regards,
Team Guidance Travel
What a fantastic tour! It was educational, fun, and eye-widening. We had not paid much attention to the red light district, but when we realized it was the oldest part of the city we decided to take a tour. So glad we did! Highly recommended!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Dear Grant,
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! I'm so glad you decided to explore the Red Light District with us and that you found the tour both educational and eye-opening. It's always great to hear when guests discover a whole new side of Amsterdam.
Thank you for your recommendation, and we hope to welcome you back someday!
Warm regards,
Team Guidance Travel
Manouk was an excellent guide. Very knowledgeable and kept the tour informative, engaging and fun. Highly recommended!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Dear Brenda,
Thank you so much for your kind review! I'm really happy to hear you enjoyed the tour and found it both informative and fun. It was a pleasure showing you around, and I truly appreciate your recommendation.
I hope you had a fantastic time in Amsterdam! :-)
Warm regards,
Manouk
We had a great evening touring Amsterdam's Red Light District with David. He shared insights into the area's history and architecture, and kept the tour at a perfect pace. He gave us a truly unique perspective on the city. Highly recommend booking a tour with him!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Dear Angela,
Thank you so much for your lovely review! I'm so happy to hear you had such a great evening with David and enjoyed learning more about the history and unique character of the Red Light District. I'll be sure to pass your kind words on to him, they'll mean a lot. :-)
We hope to welcome you back to Amsterdam again someday!
Warm regards,
Team Guidance Travel
We loved this tour! I only knew that the area "existed" before this trip but that was about all. I have enlightened many family members and friends with my current knowledge about the red light district (lol) and found it all absolutley fascinating. Carlos was the best tour guide - he was funny, informative and open to ANY questions people had (said he had heard them all - lol)! There were only 6 of us on this particular tour (we lucked out) so we could hear everything (which is sometimes frustrating in larger tours). If you are going to Amsterdam, this tour shouldn't be missed. You can choose to go down the alleys where the "windows" are after the tour, if you want - like people have mentioned, the tour stays on the outskirts (by law).
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Dear Karen,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such an amazing review! It’s wonderful to hear how much you enjoyed the tour, and I love that you've been sharing your new knowledge about the Red Light District with your family and friends—it sounds like the tour made quite an impression! :-) I'll be sure to pass your kind words on to Carlos; he'll be so happy to hear them. We hope to welcome you back to Amsterdam someday!
Warm regards,
Team Guidance Travel
This is a very informative walking tour about history and of the activity of the red light district. We thought the guide kept us interested and had a sense of humor we enjoyed. This is a tour worth booking
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Dear Joan,
Thank you for your kind words! I'm so glad you enjoyed both the stories and the laughs along the way. The Red Light District has a fascinating history, and it's always rewarding to hear when guests leave with a deeper understanding of the area. Thanks for the recommendation!
Warm regards,
Manouk
Getting all this information about the red light district was great! And being shown everywhere that we would not have found on our own
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Dear Hannah,
Thank you! That's exactly what we hope to offer, not just information, but also those hidden corners and stories that are easy to miss when exploring on your own. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Warm regards,
Manouk
Manouk is absolutely awesome and such a fantastic guide. She is super knowledgeable and an open book. She said we could ask her anything on the tour and we did! It was such a pleasure learning about Amsterdam's unique history in the Red Light District and I have a new found respect for all the workers and the culture around it. If you are curious at all- you need to do this tour with Manouk!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Dear Savannah,
Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm very happy to hear you enjoyed the tour so much, it was a pleasure guiding you around. :-)
Would love to see you back some day in one of the other tours, take care!
Warm regards,
Manouk
Very informative!! Things most of us never think of. But enjoyed the tour and the guide was awesome!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Dear Elise,
Thank you for your lovely review! So nice to hear you discovered new things and really enjoyed the tour. I had a great time guiding you as well 😊. Thanks for joining and hope to see you again!
Warm regards,
Manouk
Our guide was excellent. She was knowledgeable and easy to understand. Her insights were truly fascinating
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Dear Deborah,
Thank you for taking the time to write this review! I'm happy you enjoyed the tour and learned a lot. :-)
Hope you had an amazing stay in Amsterdam!
Warm regards,
Manouk
Gave great insight to the area and getting it from a local was even better. She was very knowledgeable
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Dear Stacie,
Thank you for the great review! Happy to hear you enjoyed the tour and the local perspective on the district. :-)
Warm regards,
Team Guidance Travel
Historical tour about the red light district. Knowledgable tour guide. ……………………………….. ………………………………….
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for the kind review! Happy to hear you enjoyed the guides knowledge, we hope you learned a lot. :-)
Warm regards,
Team Guidance Travel
This was overpriced. The young man who conducted the tour was nice enough.But he talked way too fast, with a heavy spanish accent and was difficult to understand. I could have gotten as much by reading a tour guide than I got on the tour itself. I don't recommend it
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Dear Susan,
Thank you for your feedback! We’re very sorry to hear that you couldn’t properly understand the guide and therefore weren’t able to fully follow the tour. We take this feedback seriously and have discussed it with the guide to help prevent this in the future. We regret that this was your experience, but we do appreciate you sharing it with us so we can continue improving our tours.
Hopefully you still had a great time in Amsterdam!
Warm regards,
Team Guidance Travel
The guide Carlos was very informative. The tour is short, a brief overview of the history of the area. Tour groups cannot enter the district, so you tour the outskirts and stop to review relevant information at different points. I appreciated that this tour was honest about not being able to enter the district, as other tours we loved at presented their tours in a dishonest way. We had already done a few tours in the city and many included info about the red light district, so most of the information wasn’t new to us, but would be new if you hadn’t done any tours yet. Carlos was comfortable presenting the information with humor in a tasteful way. He would field any questions people had as needed.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Dear Elizabeth,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! We really appreciate you highlighting how Carlos presents the tour and the way he uses humor in such a respectful way.
We find it very important to be transparent about the experience beforehand, so it means a lot that you valued that. It’s also great to hear your perspective after having done other tours already. I’m glad the experience still felt worthwhile, even if some of the info was familiar.
Hope you had an amazing stay in Amsterdam!
Warm regards,
Team Guidance Travel
Great tour guide, very knowledgeable. Interesting tour and a must do in Amsterdam. You are given lots of information on history of prostitution and how it started in Amsterdam and tour the red light district after.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Dear Sermin,
Thank you for your lovely review! So nice to hear you enjoyed the tour with Pilar and found it interesting. Hope you had a wonderful time in Amsterdam and maybe see you again! 😊
Warm regards,
Team Guidance Travel
Very informative and felt safe!!bubbly down to earth person.. would recommend Carlos .. We had a really good laugh all of us and he was honest and so knowledgeable and explained everything so well….
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you so much for your lovely words! I’m really happy to hear you felt comfortable and had such a fun time during the tour. It sounds like there were some great moments together 😊 I’ll be sure to pass your kind words on to Carlos. Hope to see you again sometime!
Warm regards,
Team Guidance Travel
It was very engaging and a well planned out tour. The guide was knowledgeable and answered many questions.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Dear Carrie,
Thank you for your lovely review! It means a lot to hear you had such a great experience. I’m really happy the tour made a good impression on you. Hope to welcome you again in the future!
Warm regards,
Manouk
Excellent guide perfect I would recommend this and very interesting and knowledgeable. The guide was very helpful
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Dear Charlie,
Thank you for your kind words, it was a pleasure to guide you around! Hope you had a great time in Amsterdam, always welcome back. :-)
Warm regards,
Manouk
We really enjoyed this tour. Our guide used a manageable walking pace and was careful with snow on the ground. The information provided was very helpful in terms of the history of the red light district and how that has changed today. We were also given recommendations for which locations would be best to visit if that’s what we wanted, and what to expect. Our guide was very open to questions as well. Amsterdam is largely flat so it’s an easy walk.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Dear Isabella,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! I’m really glad to hear you enjoyed the tour and felt comfortable along the way, especially with the snowy conditions. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share this.
Hope you had a wonderful stay and we would love to welcome you back!
Warm regards,
Team Guidance Travel
This was such an amazing tour!! Carlos was extremely knowledgeable and funny. I will definitely do it again when I come back.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Dear Kaya,
Thank you so much for this lovely review! I’m so happy to hear you had such an amazing time and that Carlos made it both informative and fun. That’s exactly the experience we hope for. We’d love to see you again next time you’re back!
Warm regards,
Team Guidance Travel
A fun but informative evening walking around the red light area. Our guide was very friendly and enthusiastic about her tour
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Dear Rose,
So lovely to hear you had such a fun and informative evening and enjoyed your guide’s enthusiasm. Thanks a lot for your kind words!
Hope you had a great stay, we would love to welcome you back one day!
Warm regards,
Team Guidance Travel
Member Pricing
From
$28.66
per personWas $30.17(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Red Light District tour in Amsterdam
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