By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Whether they're spoken about openly, or talked about in hushed tones, there are corners of almost every major city where the sex trade is thriving. From Nevada to Amsterdam , Paris , and Bangkok , red light districts have occupied a place in the minds of artists, writers, self-professed bohemians, moralists, ethicists, and travelers for centuries. Of course, a tangle of thorny dilemmas need to be untied before you consider adding the world's most notorious red light districts to your itinerary.
First and foremost, you'll want to consider what it means to partake in a spectacle that quite often exploits already marginalized communities of women, LGBTQ people, the economically disadvantaged, and persons of color. There's also the question of legality: While cities like Amsterdam have notoriously liberal laws that, ostensibly, make entering the sex trade a choice that's regulated and therefore de-stigmatized , in other parts of the world, it's an outright crime.
This is to say nothing of the involvement of sex work in exacerbating already existing cycles of poverty and violence in regions where tourism has already contributed to single-sector economies. The issue is made more complicated as sex work, like all aspects of life, moves online. In fact, the scene in many of the neighborhoods listed below is nowhere near as intense as it once was Geylang, in Singapore, is a case in point.
Now, with all that in mind, here are a few of the world's most infamous red light districts, ranging from outright sexual free-for-alls to sanitized tolerance zones and violent neighborhoods where tourists should never be seen. Consider yourself warned! With its sky-high temperatures and fast pace of life, Bangkok is essentially primed for all things steamy and sordid.
So it's not surprising that the city's notoriously laid-back attitudes toward sex work -- it's not exactly legal, but not illegal either -- have made Bangkok a hub for the trade in Southeast Asia. And while those facts certainly means that you're in for an experience walking the streets around Patpong Market, Soi Nana, and Soi Cowboy, it can feel more than a little sleazy, and concerns about human trafficking should not be underestimated.
