Amsterdam Red Light District Treasure: Self-Guided Tour & Quest

If you're taking either the public train or the tram lines throughout this stunning city, chances are pretty good that you'll pass through here. Being located in the heart of town, Amsterdam Centraal Station is a neo-Renaissance rail station that was designed by P.J.H. Cuypers and completed in 1889.
It became the benchmark for clean, state-of-the-art public transport and above that, a beautiful historic building housing more than just an impressive transport hub! Here you will find lots of shops and places to grab a bite, so get energized as you have a long and fun way ahead with Questo! Solve a challenge here based on your immediate surroundings in order to advance to the next location.

You will get to this place by following a clue and solving a puzzle. Once there, you will get indications on how to continue your search for the treasure, while also learning about the place you've discovered.

Welcome to The Schreierstoren or The Weeping Tower! Don’t worry, you have nothing to cry about! Initially built as a defense tower in the 15th century, this place reminiscent of the medieval city of Amsterdam discloses some of the most fascinating stories. Its name comes from the fact that women wept there for their husbands, who would often leave from that port to go to war or to fishing. Either way, they were unsure if they would see their beloved ones again, so this place emotionally remained in history as a “departing spot”.

But on a more optimistic note, the Weeping Tower is also famous for being the location from which Henry Hudson set sail on his journey to Northern America that lead to the discovery of the Manhattan Island. Nowadays, you can enjoy a coffee here in a nautical bookstore while searching for the next clue that Questo has prepared for you. Look around! Who knows, maybe you are sitting next to it.

It’s the year 1517 and Amsterdam is being under siege! Soldiers are coming your way and you need to find shelter as soon as possible so you can save your life. Where should you go? That’s right, the Montelbaanstoren is the place for you: a historic tower on Amsterdam’s Oude Schans canal built as part of the “Walls of Amsterdam” to defend the eastern side of the harbour from potential attacks.
Whether you are cruising down the famous canals of Amsterdam or walking around this place, you will certainly spot this magnificent 48m-high structure. Mysteries and questions surround this place, but you have to answer only one of them to unlock its story and move on the next.

Now, you reached the most iconic place in the world where you can drive or walk on the red light! And I am not referring to the traffic lights, but to the best known red-light district from Amsterdam: De Wallen. Probably, you have heard about this neighbourhood before and to be honest, everything you have heard is mostly true. From brothels to sex shops to museums, the Amsterdam Red Light District has it all.
Amsterdam prides itself, and rightly so, on its wholly liberal and tolerant attitude, embracing the fact that people may be into prostitution, soft drugs and pornography. So instead of criminalizing everything, they enjoy the honesty of it all. However, you don’t have to be a fanatic to go there, you will be surprised to find a very friendly atmosphere and not as dangerous as it used to be. Once here, you can spend as much time as you wish, but don’t forget that Questo has other places in store for you!

Nieuwmarkt is just around the corner! Located right in the center of Amsterdam, this square houses lots of cafes and restaurants, where you can feel like a local, this being a centre for commerce and socialising in Amsterdam since the 17th century. During WW2 the square was used by the Nazis as a collection point for the Jews that were unfortunate enough to be sent to the concentration camps.
The Nieuwmarkt is dominated by the presence of a mysterious building known as De Waag, which was a major entry point to the city before the old city walls were destroyed. Filled with historical significance, here Rembrandt painted The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp. And that’s not all. Want to know more? Search around you for the challenge to unlock the full story.

You are probably thinking right now how come in the middle of the Red-light District you can find a majestic church, namely the Oude Kerk or the Old Church. Whether it is for confessions or not, we can’t ignore its big and monumental architecture. The Oude Kerk is the oldest building from Amsterdam and for centuries was the most important church in the city.
Nowadays, it is not a regular church anymore. Here, the art and music mingle together to create an unique experience. In 2016 the building also became an official museum, inviting contemporary artists to exhibit and interact with the historic space. If you are curious to know more about this peculiar church, then pray to God to reveal the hidden clues to you!

By now, we have learnt that Amsterdam is the city that likes to stand out from the crowd by being surprisingly nonconformist. If you thought you have seen it all, then get ready because the final destination is not one to miss. The Museum Ons'Lieve Heer Op Solder, which translates to “Our Lord in the Attic”, is a 17th-century house with a top floor converted into a Catholic church. This 3-in-1 combination of canal house, church and museum is tucked away in the heart of Amsterdam’s inner city and introduces you to the atmosphere of the unique Dutch Golden Age.
Simbolizing the openmindedness of Amsterdam that stems from the past tolerance to freedom of religion, this boutique museum lures travellers inside for a bit of history. If you find the hidden clue (in the attic or not), then you can call yourself a true Questo explorer!