Amsterdam - Red light district, De Wallen

De Wallen Red Light District:

De Wallen is the largest, and best-known, red-light district in Amsterdam and a major tourist attraction. It is located in the heart of the oldest part of the city (Amsterdam-Centrum), covering several blocks south of the church Oude Kerk and crossed by several canals. De Wallen consists of a network of alleys containing approximately 300 tiny one-room cabins rented by prostitutes who offer their sexual services from behind a window or glass door, typically illuminated with red lights. The area also has a number of sex shops, sex theatres, peep shows, a sex museum, a cannabis museum, and a number of coffee shops that sell marijuana. 26 coffeeshops in the De Wallen area will have to close their doors between 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2015. A Dutch judge ruled tourists can legally be banned from entering cannabis cafes, as part of new restrictions which come into force in 2012. De Wallen, together with the prostitution areas Singelgebied and Ruysdaelkade, form the Rosse Buurt (red light areas) of Amsterdam. Source: Wikipedia.

The hostel I stayed at, Heart of Amsterdam, was located on Oudezijds Achterburgwal, in the middle of the red light area. The reason I stayed there was that it was cheap and centrally located, between the Dam and Nieuwmarkt, and close to the central station. The area is also nice even if you, like me, are not very interested in the sex shops and coffee shops. Some of the nicest canals are here, and so are 2 large churches, Oude Kerk -the oldest building in Amsterdam- and St. Nicolaaskerk. There are also many "normal" restaurants, bars, pubs and other hotels and hostels.

St Nikolaaskerk in the center of De Wallen, the red light district.

Canal houses with doors and windows almost down to the water, at the canal Oudezijds Voorburgwal.

View of the dome of the Church of St. Nicholas, here seen from the Oudezijds Voorburgwal.

Oude Kerk (Old Church) is located on the North part of the red light district. It is Amsterdam's oldest building! The first version was completed in 1306, but 15 generation of Amsterdamers have modified it.

There is a female statue outside, that encourage people to "respect sex workers all over the world" (not visible from this angle). The church was built on 2500 gravestones, including famous Amsterdamers. Sex cabins can be find just beside the church.

St. Nicolaaskerk (Church of St Nicholas) in the northernmost part of De Wallen, next to the canal Oudezijds Voorburgwal. It has one large dome tower and 2 smaller twin towers. It is a Roman Catholic church in Neo-Baroque and Neo-Renaissance style, inaugurated in 1887.