Amsterdam’s Historic Red Light District

Amsterdam’s Red Light District. (Shutterstock)

My wife and I were in Amsterdam earlier this year, not longer after Ontario’s superior court ruled in favour of brothels. One afternoon an excellent city guide, Cecilia Theobaldi, took us through the world’s most noted prostitution area: Amsterdam’s Red Light District, so famous it’s part of tourism itineraries and marked on tourist maps. Skip it and you skip part of local history, prostitution being legal there from the early 1800s.

We walked streets lined by “The Windows” where women, some in their twenties, others middle-aged, were winking and beckoning men to drop in for pleasures usually costing, it’s said, around $60.

Barbara and I, aware of the Ontario court decision, felt a sense of irony. Why? Because an official study by Amsterdam city council, states much of the Red Light District is a problem the city should get rid of: “Behind the anything goes image,” the report states, “lurks a different reality consisting of sex trafficking, forced prostitution, and money laundering …” The city plans to “fight the criminal infrastructure of Amsterdam’s largest red-light district commonly known as The Wallen.” Theobaldi agrees with the council, but stressed the report is aimed only at part of the district, which is run by outsiders. The locally run area is law-abiding.

“The local women like their work,” Theobaldi said, “pay their taxes and are good citizens.”

So it goes. The sex industry seems unable to satisfy the participants and also public welfare, and the debate — here and there — is likely to continue.

Of course Amersterdam is ever beautiful, and here are some highlights of other must-see attractions:

CANALS

In Amsterdam they’re beyond remarkable, numbering more than 160. Ed Muller, our guide on a canal boat tour, said Amsterdam’s canals total about 100 km. The city is best viewed from the canals: Gardens, houses, bridges, houseboats, hundreds of cyclists who drift by above you. They aren’t just calm but “calming,” — conferring peace and tranquility on the city. Many companies offer tours. These range from glass-topped boats (good in case of drizzle) to paddle-driven bikes that skim the surface. The average price for a one-hour tour is about $18.

BICYCLES

Amsterdam is virtually a cyclist’s city. It has about 600,000 of them. In general that’s good. It’s quieter than most cities and closer to being pollution-free. Nonetheless there’s strength in numbers and, in Amsterdam, cyclists have the numbers. Special bicycle parking lots accommodate thousands of bikes. So, people gently reminded us to be cautious since cyclists move briskly. There are bike lanes, but these can be mistaken for pedestrian walkways. So, indeed, caution is wise.

NUMBERS

They tell a lot about Amsterdam: Its population is about 750,000. But it has 51 museums, 141 art galleries, 225,000 trees, 1,281 bridges, 2,500 houseboats, 48,146 hotel beds, 1,150 restaurants, and for those who like to attend a performance or two, there are 40 concerts or theatrical productions daily. And the country’s famed sons are represented: 22 paintings by Rembrandt and, as for Van Gogh — who worried he wasn’t productive enough — there are 206 of his works.

BASICS

For travel information on Amsterdam, visit holland.com. We disembarked in the city from a superb Viking Rhine River cruise. Our hotel, The Toren, combines elegance with modernity. During our five-week European trip, we used a Eurail pass obtained through ACPrail.com, a Montreal company.