'Skek

Medieval Centre & Red Light District


Run by students, this friendly cafe-bar is an excellent place to get fat sandwiches on thick slices of multigrain bread; healthy main dishes include several vegetarian options such as roast aubergine with bulgur, chermoula and coriander. Bands occasionally perform at night. If you're a student yourself, flashing your ID gets you 25% off at lunch.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Medieval Centre & Red Light District attractions

1. Zeedijk

0.02 MILES

This is one of Amsterdam's oldest streets. Initially a shipping district, it was a respectable place to be until the 17th century. Then the rich folk…

2. Brouwerij De Prael

0.06 MILES

Brouwerij De Prael offers engaging behind-the-scenes tours of its brewery. Tours depart on the hour and last 40 minutes, followed by a sample (or four)…

3. Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder

0.08 MILES

Within what looks like an ordinary canal house is an entire Catholic church. Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Dear Lord in the Attic) was built in the mid…

4. Damrak

0.09 MILES

The Damrak is the original mouth of the Amstel river – rak being a reach (straight stretch of water). The river flowed from a lock in the Dam into the IJ…

5. St Nicolaaskerk

0.09 MILES

In plain view from Centraal Station, the magnificent cupola and neo-Renaissance towers belong to the city's main Catholic church, the first to be built …

6. Schreierstoren

0.1 MILES

Built around 1480 as part of the city’s defences, this tower is where Henry Hudson set sail for the New World in 1609; a plaque outside marks the spot. It…

7. Sexmuseum Amsterdam

0.11 MILES

The Sexmuseum is good for a giggle. You’ll find replicas of pornographic Pompeian plates, erotic 14th-century Viennese bronzes, some of the world’s…

8. Prostitution Information Centre

0.13 MILES

Established by a former sex worker, the PIC provides frank information about the industry to those in the trade, their customers and curious tourists. It…