Everyone who has traveled even the least amount of trips in Europe has probably heard of Amsterdam’s infamous red light district. A central and easily accessible neighborhood full of brothels, strip clubs and sex shops, many tourists include it in their itinerary, even if they don’t plan to participate, it is one of those things that you just have to see .
However, the Dutch capital is not the only popular European city with a red light district. In fact, most of the top destinations are also home to at least one neighborhood with a higher amount of prostitution and other sex-related businesses. However, one of the most unique is located more than a thousand miles south of Amsterdam, in the passionate and colorful capital of Spain, Madrid.
Although it is a long way from Amsterdam’s red-light public district, Madrid’s sex district is so central and interwoven with normal Madrid that it’s nice that the city’s sex district is relatively safe. If not, many of the most important and well-known streets of Madrid would be forbidden!
However, Madrid’s unofficial red light district is not just limited to the city center. In fact, there is a second area of the city, Casa de Campo park, just west of the city, where prostitutes tend to congregate. While the huge park offers plenty of family activities and is generally safe, there are still areas where larger groups of sex workers are out and about. The environment in these areas of the park is more unpleasant and is best avoided if possible.
Madrid’s Red Light District
At first, Madrid’s sex district may not seem like much. In fact, it is little more than a large number of sex shops, invariably with “huts” for viewing pornography and some with shows. Some also offer contact with “models.”
The largest sex shops are located on Calle Atocha, the street that connects Atocha’s main train station with the city center. One of them also has a museum of erotic art.
The other main areas where you will find such shops are on Calle Montera (which connects the tourist spots of Puerta del Sol and Gran Vía), as well as on the streets immediately north of Gran Vía. Not long ago, there was even a sex shop on Gran Vía itself.
However, in recent years, the entire area has started to undergo something of a makeover, leaving its sex-centric reputation in the dust. Calle Montera is now a pedestrian thoroughfare that even has a casino at the top of the street.
In general, with the exception of minor crimes such as theft, the center of Madrid is quite safe. The only area we would recommend keeping away (at night, at least) is Calle Luna, a large plaza and street north of Gran Vía. The streets around here have several sex shops and attract a lot of prostitutes at night. . However, during the day, there are many people who frequent the nearby bars and restaurants, making it a safe place to be.
Prostitutes congregate around this area north of Gran Vía, but you will also find them on the aforementioned Calle Montera. Here, they are known to be more aggressive in their seduction techniques, making different noises and sometimes even taking over men. Due to the unpleasant atmosphere and the high number of prostitutes, it is probably best to avoid Montera Street at night.
However, apart from the somewhat aggressive techniques that sex workers employ, as well as the fact that the street is aesthetically unpleasant, problems rarely occur. Women in particular, as long as they keep walking, should have nothing to fear. Usually it is quite obvious which girls are prostitutes, so neither sex workers nor their clients can pay attention to them.
Men, on the other hand, should be more cautious, as the loving attention that girls lavish is often accompanied by misplaced hands that can find their way into your wallet. It’s always good to exercise caution and keep an eye on your belongings while walking through the heart of any major city, but in Madrid’s red light district, you can never be too careful.
