Walk through the narrow streets and see all the sights that the Red Light District has to offer! Learn about the history and the current situation of the Red Light District and explore the streets of Amsterdam with your local guide.
1. The dam, Also known as the City built on trees: Due to the soil in Amsterdam consisting of a thick layer of fen and clay, some buildings in the city are built on wooden poles that are fixed in a sandy layer that is approximately 11 meters deep. Since the old days, the houses in Amsterdam were known to have been built on wooden foundation piles that are driven deep into the clay, peat, and water until they reach the first layer of solid sand.
The area is a part of the Red Light District, tob e specific, part of the Old Town area. So this is the oldest part of the city that is why there is a lot of history as well.
Pub The Ape, also known as Int Aepjen in Dutch. Built around 1540 and one out of two remaining wooden buildings left in Amsterdam. Which is very special as there was a big fire in 1452 and after that point the government decided that buildings should have brick facades.
The Waag used to be one of the city gates of Amsterdam, a part of the defensive wall. It was built around the 1400s and is the second oldest building of Amsterdam. Later on it was used as a guild, craftsman’s organizations, situated themselves within the Waag and around the square.
The smallest house of Amsterdam was built around the 1700s and was first used as storage place for the VOC trading company. Later on people started living in the house for a very long time.
This is the world’s first condom shop special for condoms, in place here since 1987. You can get a size customized condom and all kinds of special condoms.
Aarre was our guide for the Red Light District tour. Super personable, knowledgeable and humorous. It’s a great tour to learn the history of this portion of Amsterdam. It is a long history and so much more than what people think. I highly recommend doing this tour.
You could walk thru the district easily on your own. We weren’t interested in all the “coffee” shop stories or how wonderful it is to smoke weed all day. Tells a story about Amsterdam for sure …,
We loved Ben’s guided tour. He was knowledgeable and didn't mince words, telling us what it is. I learned a lot not only about the district history and system but also pride and sins of Amsterdam. A fascinating and very colorful two hours which we enjoyed thoroughly, highly recommended. .
Lots of people in the narrow streets, making it difficult to keep up with the tour guide. Tour guide was very knowledgible, however she smoked cigarets, which encouraged people on the tour to smoke, too. Tour was marketed as small, less than 8 guided tour. We had 14 members in the tour and due to the smoking we did not enjoy the need to sqeeze in near the Tour Guide to hear her, therefore we walked near the back of the tour group. While walking through the Old Red Lite District the Guide was not allowed to stop and share information, therefore she continued to walk at a steady pace. Bottom Line-- Tour had too many people for the busy streets. Half the tour was spent learing history of the area, which we heard in an earlier tour while on the canels. We have taken numerous Viator Tours, but this is the first one that was very disappointing. Even though this Tour was disappointing, we definitely will continue to use Viator Tours in the future.
Brian was amazing!! He was funny and knowledgeable
Brian did an excellent overview of the history of the red light district. He was a wealth of knowledge and very engaging. We came away with a totally different understanding of Amsterdam’s history.
Loads of information provided in a short space of time. Really enjoyed it and would recommend to others.
Our tour guide Brian was very informative and high energy. He is a fantastic tour guide! Our tour was the right amount of time and was perfect. Highly recommend taking this tour with Brian.
Fun walk past the first Harbour in Amsterdam, through the streets past "Coffee Shops" and sex stores, shows and windows. Informative and fun.
Maybe we are getting a bit “over “ walking tours. The guide turned up at the last minute. There were 17 in the group. She had no flag or umbrella to follow- just a trail of her cigarette smoke. She was difficult to hear at the back of the group. . There were no microphones, headphones etc., Some of the commentary was quite interesting. After an hour, there was a 15 minute break at a coffee shop. We bailed.
Aarre was a fantastic guide! You can tell he really loves what he does. We had a small group which made it really easy to get around. He was so knowledgeable about everything and always able answer any questions. Aarre made the tour really enjoyable! We were able to understand what these women go through and the culture behind the red light district from its beginnings to future plans.
I truly enjoyed this informative tour by Aere. He was adorable and very funny as well as very knowledgable. I enjoyed the walking tour even in the rain. This was a great tour. I would just recommend doing the 8:00 pm because only one girl was in the window for the 6:00 pm tour and when I went back later it was very busy and happening. Again, I highly enjoyed my experience and Aere was awesome!!
We canceled our tour 10 minutes into it because the weather was very windy cold and rainy... It is no reflection on the tour guide.. We are open to reschedule tonight or tomorrow night to resume the tour. Leon Sickles
Great tour! Robin did an amazing job leading our tour of the Red Light District. He was knowledgeable, engaging, and professional, providing fascinating historical and cultural insights while making everyone feel comfortable. The tour was informative, respectful, and thoroughly enjoyable. Highly recommended!
Brian, our guide, was so informative, exuberant and super friendly. He provided tremendous amounts of Amsterdam’s Old Town history from the 15th century to the present, as well as the Red Light district history, before walking thru the district. You should personally ask for the Small Group Guided tour led by Brian!
Robin provided an excellent tour of the Red Light District including the history and current situation. His information was fun, helpful and informative. We would highly recommend this tour, especially with Robin.
Aarre made the tour fun and informative. He even gave us follow up information if we wanted to learn more after the excursion.
Robin was so awesome and knowledgeable. We really enjoyed our tour!! The tour itself was very cool and a good way to see the district itself without feeling like you have no idea what’s going on.
Aare was an excellent guide—thorough knowledge of the history, the characters that gave the district personality, the politics and kept the sleaze factor out. Thank you Aare
Ben was very fun and informative! We liked him and the tour a lot. Got to see all the sights and heard about the history of the red light district.
We had Brian as our guide and he was very knowledgeable and kind! We learned a lot about the history of the red light district.
we really enjoyed this tour. Our guide gave so much information that just walking on our own would not have been near as good.
Good interesting tour with energetic and knowledgeable guide
Great tour! Bryan was awesome. Very informative and we learned a lot about the history of the area . Made the red light district not so sleazy.
Ben was so much fun! The tour was great and probably the best tour I’ve ever been on. He was as much fun as the tour itself. He’s so funny and relatable and made our evening so awesome! 100/10 would go another tour with Ben!
Excellent experience! It was very entertaining. Ben was the perfect person to lead this tour/our group.
Our guide was Ben made it fun and provided lots of interesting information about history of Amsterdam.
What an amazing tour! So much better than just walking through the district alone. Our tour guide Ben was awesome! He gave us a lot of background on the district and Amsterdam.
It’s a great tour and Ben, the host makes it even better! It’s really interesting all the thing you will learn and everything from a different perspective, it’s great to be part of something different.
Some interesting facts, very slow tour, more about stopping for a drink the guide was high as a kite
Informative and fun! Learned a lot about the area, much more than just about the red light district.
This was not what I expected. I don’t know if I missed something in the description, but the Guide showed up late, and was very informative, but kept trying to take us into marijuana and psychedelic mushroom dispensaries. Because he thought that’s what we wanted. I asked other people on the tour if that’s what they had signed up for and they said no. No judgment. If that’s what you’re into, that’s totally cool. But it was not what I signed up for.
You can do the same tour on your own, guide brought little or nothing to the table. If you didn’t want to smoke pot or drink alcohol, you were basically on your own. Maybe another guide who knows how to speak more to the history of the district as opposed to personal political opinions would’ve been better.
It was an interesting tour. I wasn’t that familiar with the workings of the Red Light District so I was intrigued. Our tour guide, Ben, was very knowledgeable. I am glad I took the tour but I don’t think it’s for everyone.
Esther was awesome. She’s a walking encyclopedia of Amsterdam history and notable facts. From the beginning of our tour to the end, she shared so much interesting information, that coupled with all the sights of our tour. She was friendly, extremely knowledgeable and a pleasure to tour with. I’d highly recommend touring with her.
Brian, our guide, is very knowledgeable, friendly and professional. Learned a lot about the history, fun facts. A great tour and highly recommended.
Good Info but we got tired of standing and the guide wasn’t picking on cues of our feet swinging nor our fatigue.
It was a great tour. Particularly enjoyed Ben as our tour guide. He was well informed and answered all our questions. We really did enjoy this tour.
Our tour guide Brian did a wonderful job of explaining the history of the red light district, including the changes it has gone through and plans for the future. We appreciated the safety and photo etiquette tips. It was enlightening two hours.
Had a lot of fun and the guide was very informative. While also keeping things lighted hearted. Would recommend to others
Unique tour of the iconic red light district. Our guide Brian was excellent, weaving in history and stories. Our group enjoyed it all!
Brian was absolutely wonderful. I learned so much about the Red Light District. From the past and what’s going on most recently. He was funny and knowledgeable. I’d definitely do another tour with him.
Although it was rainy and cold the information was great. The background of the district and what the future holds! Thank you for an informative evening!
Excellent tour! You learn a lot of history about the area. Aarre was our guide and he was great. He clearly has a lot of respect for city, the Red Light District and the people working there. Highly recommend!
Great historical tour. Brian is the best! A history of the city people and culture of Amsterdam. Highly recommend.
Ben gave a nice tour, the walk was pleasant and the talk interesting. Saturday in Sep, wasn’t overcrowded hence nice fir a walk. 1.5 hours, would be cooler if a bit longer.
Excellent experience! Our guide, Brian is very knowledgeable and engaging. Highly recommend this walking tour. There is so much history in the red light district.
Brian was great! He spoke perfect English was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. A must see is the Red Light District at night.
Awesome experience! Kevin was a wonderful guide. He was very knowledgeable and so very nice. We learned a lot of history as well as seeing the “sights.”
Robin was a fantastic guide, he was a local who loved his country and loves what he does. Robin was so personable, knowledgeable, and funny during the tour. Would highly recommend. Suggest taking the later time tour, but I’m older and cannot stay up late and still thoroughly enjoyed the earlier tour. Thank you Robin for making the tour so great!
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