Amsterdam, shot by Cedric Puisney; Flickr Creative Commons

Hidden behind (yet often in plain sight of) the historic landmarks, revered museums, and renowned entertainment centers of every tourist destination, there almost always exists a seedy (but sometimes in a good way?) underbelly of a city, tempting visitors to come have a peek. Therisqué lure of these lewd, neon neighborhoods often poses quite a thrill for sometravellers -- and understandably so. Without necessarily indulging in the vice, visitors can find plenty of fun amidst that ruby glow of lights that spells "sex." No matter your freak number, there's no need to feel embarrassed or shy -- everyone visits these neighborhoods for basically the same reason. So without further adieu, here’s where to find Europe’s four most famous Red Light Districts.

Hotels in this story

Price Dates

Rho Hotel

The Madison Hamburg

Villa Royale

Martin's Patershof

1. De Wallen, Amsterdam

Amsterdam has built its reputation as one

of the world’s most notorious party cities in part thanks to its Red Light

District, known as De Wallen. But the thing about Amsterdam is that the city is

changing in a bid to attract tourists looking for a less salacious slice of

fun. And this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The coffee shops and rented sex windows are

still very much part of Amsterdam’s triangular Red Light District, but a slew of

hip bars and businesses are offering the area something new. Forget the boozy,

boorish image of Amsterdam that is all too readily propagated and take in the

hip, up-and-coming businesses found in between smoky hazes and curious walks in

the streets of sex.

Stay at the RHO Hotel, where the understated

and noise-free rooms make it a welcome base to escape the action of De Wallen

just a short walk away.

2. Reeperbahn, Hamburg

Having been, er, “dragged” through both De Wallen and Hamburg’s Reeperbahn, we can attest

that the German city takes the award for sleaziness. From the “No women

allowed” signs on the raucous Herbertstraße to the plentiful strip clubs and sex theatres that fill Europe’s

largest Red Light District, the Reeperbahn has to be seen to be believed. And

it was thanks to all that seeing and not enough buying on its nefarious side

streets that the signs prohibiting women and minors from entering were

initially erected (for want of a better word).

Besides sleaze, Reeperbahn also happens to

be the centre of Hamburg’s nightlife, which makes it some kind of

drunken paradise for many. At the very least, a weekend spent exploring Reeperbahn is certainly an

experience you won’t forget in a hurry.

Hip and upscale, The Madison Hamburg

provides you with a close walk to St. Pauli and Reeperbahn with its great location

near the city’s port promenade.

3. Pigalle, Paris

If you want the romanticized version of the

Red Light District then look no further than Paris’ Pigalle. Immortalized in

song by the likes of Edith Piaf and Yves Montand, and once home to Van Gogh,

Picasso, and Andre Breton, the district has a history as bohemian as it is

bawdy. The present-day Pigalle remains the centre of sex in Paris, but to go

along with the XXX shops, peepshows, and brothels, you’ll find speakeasy bars and

clubs. The neighborhood is located at the foot of Montmartre, and you’ll know you’re in the right place

when you see the windmill of the notorious Moulin Rouge. This isn’t the safest

part of Paris by night so once you’ve walked those seedy streets, head for the

super-hip SoPi — South Pigalle — for drinks and dancing at Le Mansart.

In an area where red velvet curtains are de

rigueur for businesses, Villa Royale is a highly appropriate pick. With plush, grandiose, and ostentatious rooms, it fits in perfectly in Pigalle.

4. Schipperskwartier, Antwerp

Located across a three-block “tolerance

zone,” Antwerp’s red light district actually achieves its famous reputation for

being the antithesis of the seedy, violent neighborhoods usually associated

with this type of nightlife. Legalizing prostitution in the specific area of

the city known as Schipperskwartier meant taking a large chunk of power from

the organised crime gangs who had muscled in on the city’s vice trade. The

three blocks themselves are clean and even relatively peaceful, attracting nowhere

near the levels of stag party debauchery as other European Red Light Districts.

Adopting the Amsterdam model of shopfront windows, the area allows the curious to take late

night neon-lit walks without the fear of trouble and enjoy some excellent nightlife at the same time; Cafe d’Anvers is a favourite bar of ours.

Martin’s Patershof is a historic neo-Gothic church converted into a scenic upper-middle-range hotel with 79 cosy rooms.

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