De Wallen is located in the heart of the oldest part of Amsterdam, covering several blocks south of the Oude Kerk en crossed by several canals. Between the Warmoesstraat and the Nieuwmarkt is a network of alleys and canals containing several hundred tiny one-room apartments rented by female prostitutes (and some ladyboys) who offer their services from behind a window.
Amsterdam's red light district has many sex shops, sex theatres, peep shows, a sex museum, a cannabis museum, and a number of coffee shops offering various cannabis products.
There are plenty of live sex shows and the most reputed of these go on at theatre Casa Rosso and Moulin Rouge.
For the merely curious, there are numerous peep shows that may come with video booths.
But of course, for the more adventurous among us, there are more interactive shows, for example at the Bananenbar.
Women tapping on the windows
During the day, the district is less lively and even less attractive as the more sordid aspects reveal themselves in natural daylight.
Although there are women forever tapping on the windows even during the light hours, most of the action takes place around 11pm, when the district is swarming with crowds and the red neon lights illuminate the inky canals.
The atmosphere pretty much thrives until around 2 or 3am when the crowds die down and businesses shut up shop.