Tour de BonTon
64 Stadhouderskade, Amsterdam, Netherlands
While many Amsterdam visitors will stroll through the Red Light District, the Tour de BonTon offers a more real look at the city’s sex industry for those who are curious. Here, you explore the city’s more lascivious side by heading behind the scenes of a high-end gentlemen’s club with tour guides who are typically former sex workers. Ask your questions, see what it’s like, and experience a tour truly unlike any other.
The basics
Though Amsterdam’s sex industry goes back to the 1300s, the Tour de BonTon focuses on the 1970s to now as visitors stroll through the club. All guides are females who have had experience in the industry, although you can also explore independently to see the venue’s dressing rooms, bathrooms, and beyond. Self-guided tours are 30 minutes, while guided tours last an hour, plus any extra time for visitor questions. The goal of the tour is to humanize Amsterdam’s sex scene and the people who work in it, leading to a deeper understanding of what’s driven the Red Light District for centuries.
Things to know before you go
You are expected to keep an open-minded, positive, judgment-free attitude throughout the tour.
While photography within the venue is allowed, photos of the guides are not.
The tour is not accessible for people with walking difficulties, as it spans five floors and there’s no elevator.
The tour is open to anyone over the age of 18.
How to get there
There are a bunch of ways to reach BonTon, which is located near the Heineken Experience and is easily identifiable along the canal. Take trams 1, 7, or 19 to the Leidseplein stop and walk a few minutes along Stadhouderskade. By metro, ride line 52 to Vijzelgracht station and walk about 10 minutes from there. If starting at Central station, you can walk there in around 30 minutes or cycle for 15 minutes. If driving, park at the Apcoa Parking Heinekenplein, about 1,000 feet (300 meters) away.
When to get there
BonTon is open from Wednesday to Sunday, with the first tours from early afternoon and the last in the early evening. It is closed every Monday and Tuesday. Arrive about 15 minutes before your tour is due to begin. The club is located on the first floor up the stairs, and there’s no elevator access from the street or throughout the five-floor building.
BonTon and beyond
If BonTon fascinates you, there’s plenty here to explore when it comes to Amsterdam’s Red Light side: Check out the Museum of Prostitution, take a guided tour of the Red Light District, visit the Sex Museum, and more. The more you know, the more you’ll understand how this industry works—and how it affects its workers.
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