To not want to go to the red light district

Don't be silly OP, it is not sleazy at all. It's part of The Netherlands shopping experience. A man can go in and buy a woman like he buys his shoes or a new tie.

He can browse the different types on offer in the windows. Take the piss with his mates over ones he considers too ugly, muse over those he fancies and then opt for the one he decides to buy. You will be fine to walk down these streets with the male shoppers. They are only treating themselves while on their hols.

It is avoidable. A couple of the best things to see: The Hidden Church in the Attic and The Oude Kerk are completely in the middle of it though.

Having said that DH managed to wander along not noticing and I had practically avoided it until I saw a street stall I needed eye bleach for.

It's not the red light district that is the problem TBH - in the Oude Kerk they are very clear both the district and the church have been there since the founding of the city, it's all the sex shops aimed at stag dos.

@minnieot See I can’t imagine feeling jealous if a prostitute approached my husband like that. I’d actually just be really sad and worried for her that she didn’t have any better options in life than that (or worse- that she wasn’t really doing it by choice).

YANBU. I was put right off myself when my eyelash lady went with her boyfriend and a prostitute went up to him being all over him and telling him she was better than his girlfriend (who was stood right there) and could provide him with a good time

Nope, I wouldn’t go look either, no different from wanting to go look at a factory using child labour on your holiday in my opinion.

You can absolutely avoid it . I've been to Amsterdam many times and done all the touristy things and only been to the LRD twice . So there is no need to experience it if not needed .

If you decide to go then beware of pickpockets etc. It can become very busy at night which makes it an ideal place for thieves and others to operate. This is no reflection on Amsterdam at all ! It's just typical for any city and especially those popular with tourists.

You're also not allowed to stop and stare at the windows or photograph/ video anything . You will be abruptly moved on .

Been to Amsterdam a few times, if you want to go to the Van Gogh museum or Anne Frank’s house best off looking for tickets well in advance as when we recently went we looked the day before and everything was fully booked.

I’d recommend the Dignita cafes - https://eatwelldogood.nl/en/

They’re part of a social enterprise that provides training to people who have been trafficked to support them into new lives. The food is lovely too. There are a couple of locations across the city including some near to the main tourist sites.

Its just a street. Don't walk that way if you dont want to easily avoidable

They do the central station down the Dam, round the museum quarter etc. Combine it with a canal boat tour and you get a really good idea of where things are.

The problem with the bus tours in Amsterdam is that they can’t go into much of the canal ring. I’d agree otherwise, we’ve done them elsewhere and they’ve been great for getting our bearings.

I've been to Amsterdam recently to see an exhibition and you can avoid them if you want to. They are mostly in one area. I have seen them. They are all confident looking attractive women but the men outside were behaving like pigs and that's an insult to pigs. It was full of guys on stag do's mostly braying like donkeys.

I think that the bus tours are always a good option when visiting a city for just a short break.

I agree - gives you a good idea of the layout and where the main sites are.

I spent a week in Amsterdam a couple of summers ago, and never went there.

The Resistance museum is good, too. And I enjoyed the Tropenmuseum just because most of my knowledge of colonial history is focussed on the British Empire rather than other countries' empires, and the VOC was huge.

@Filletsteak

You could jump on a hop on hop off bus and enjoy a tour while the others are going down the streets you're not keen to see. There are boats as well.

I think that the bus tours are always a good option when visiting a city for just a short break.

https://www.citysightseeingamsterdam.nl/

A canal trip is lush and so are the museums (would recommend the Rijks) and botanical gardens! Anne Frank's house is also a must see (although obviously very sad). If you're there on the weekend go the market (I've forgotten it's name but easily googlable I'm sure).

If you want a good pub go to Hill Street Blues, my old favourite haunt.

Yeah...It's very much not like a row of pubs, it's women semi naked in full windows gyrating with a red light 😬. Grim IMO.

Yeah I love the botanic gardens there

I missed it & was very disappointed, there’s blue lights too.

Will you eat cake?

Yes, I agree what an odd comment. I have never been anywhere on holiday where whether prostitution was legal or not was a consideration and I would naturally avoid any seedy districts.

I used to hate having to walk past Spearmint Rhinos and the like on my way to work, that was bad enough, the sort of men that were hanging around them.

Prostituted and likely trafficked women are not tourist attractions to be gawped at FFS.

The red lights district is not Sex Disneyland. It's dehumanising and exploitative and shouldn't be legal IMO.

I went to Amsterdam with my husband and grown up children. We went to the museums, had a canal trip, went to the zoo and botanic gardens.
If we went through the red light district I didn't notice.
The botanic gardens was the highlight for my family.

I wouldn't go.
The majority of those women will be trafficked, they aren't bloody zoo animals.