De Wallen (map) the largest and best known red-light district in Amsterdam. It consists of a network of alleys containing approximately three hundred one-room cabins rented by prostitutes who offer their sexual services from behind a window or glass door, typically illuminated with red lights and blacklight. Window prostitution is the most visible and typical kind of red-light district sex work in Amsterdam.

According to Job Cohen, the former mayor of Amsterdam, “We’ve realized this is no longer about small-scale entrepreneurs, but those big crime organizations are involved here in trafficking women, drugs, killings, and other criminal activities” (*Prostitution in the Netherlands)

The *Binnenstad (map) is the medieval heart of Amsterdam. It is where most foreign visitors arrive and leave, and has a lot of the city’s prime attractions.

De Wallen, together with the prostitution areas Singelgebied and Ruysdaelkade, form the Rosse Buurt (red-light areas) of Amsterdam. Of these De Wallen is the oldest and largest area. It is one of the city’s major tourist attractions and the government of Amsterdam is examining ways to limit tourist numbers.

Prostitution is legal in the Netherlands, with the exception of street prostitution, but work permits are not issued in the form of a green card for prostitution; therefore legally working in the trade is limited mostly to EU citizens or foreign permanent residents. A non-EU citizen can work legally in the Netherlands without a work permit in certain circumstances, for instance, if they are the spouse of a local citizen. From January 2013 the legal working age of a prostitute in the Netherlands was raised from 18 to 21.

In De Wallen cis-gendered women sex workers illuminate their windows with red lights, while transsexual women sex workers use blue lights. This is to help customers differentiate between the two. Bloedstraat, a street in De Wallen, has numerous transsexual women working in it using blue lights.

Cannabis coffeeshops

Cannabis coffeeshops in the RLD and elsewhere in the Netherlands are licensed to sell cannabis and serve soft drinks. Some may serve small packaged food, or even whole meals infused with cannabis. The sale of tobacco on its own is not permitted, but many offer pre-rolled joints filled with a mix of cannabis and tobacco. Alcoholic beverages are generally not permitted inside of coffeeshops.

Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf (GVB)

9292.nl – you can plan all your trips with the train, bus, metro, tram, and ferry. All public transport in the Netherlands (buses, trams, metros and trains) use contactless smart cards called ⇒ OV-chipkaart

⇒ Also сheck оut мore info: Getting around Amsterdam (iamsterdam.com) • Traffic and transport (amsterdam.nl) • Public transport in the Netherlands (holland.com)

BUS: GVB • Connexxion • EBS // Flixbus • Connexxion• Arriva • Qbuzz

TRAIN: Amsterdam Centraal (map). Information about trains can be found at the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS, Dutch Railways) + NS — International App, which includes a trip planner which uses the latest information about train delays and detours.

AIRPORT: Schiphol Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. It is 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Amsterdam. It’s a point of interest in itself, being 4 metres below mean sea level.

FERRY: Map of Amsterdam ferry routes. Waterbus Rotterdam & Dordrecht ⇒ waterbus.nl + AFerry.co.uk.

CYCLING: routiq.com – Route planner. The best online routeplanner for cyclists can be found at a wikiplanner made by volunteers of the Dutch cyclist union “Fietsersbond”.

Amsterdam is re-branding, with plans to move the famous red-light district out-of-town, and crackdown on cannabis cafes. Dateline meets the city’s sex workers who are fighting back.

⇒ video source: SBS Dateline / youtube.com /

If you are coming to the Netherlands you should always check if you need a visa and, if so, what type of visa. Applying for a visa.

A popular journey planner for public transport in the Netherlands. It provides real-time information on train, tram, bus, and metro schedules.

While primarily targeting expats living in the Netherlands, also provides articles and resources about Dutch culture, customs, traditions.