Amsterdam has many narrow streets and passages, but the narrowest street with an official name is Trompettersteeg, located in the Red Light District (De Wallen neighbourhood). At around 90 centimetre wide, you could stretch out your arms and touch both walls without much effort. You might walk right past it if you didn’t know it was there – unless you are like me, always hunting for hidden corners. Although, given its location and narrowness, the street looks quite dark and uninviting, especially for a woman walking alone. One of the coolest memories tied to this street is the Straat Vol Kunst (“A street full of art”) event, organised in 2025 by Red Light Arts & Culture (RLAC). I was there as a photographer and one of the performances of this event was a dance parade through De Wallen, with Trompettersteeg on the route as well.
The name of this street loosely translates to “Trumpeter’s Alley,” and no one really knows its exact origin. One theory connects it to a trumpeter linked to the nearby Oude Kerk, while another claims a former resident of the alley had that name. This alley has appeared on Amsterdam’s maps for centuries, first noted by Jacob van Deventer in 1560, created for Philip II of Spain, which I always find fascinating.
For much of its recent history, Trompettersteeg was known for something other than its width. The alley was lined with the iconic window cabins where sex workers offered their services. The extreme narrowness made it a unique bottleneck. Visitors sometimes found themselves literally jammed between the walls on busy evenings, shuffling sideways past each other in one of the city’s more cramped experiences (definitely not the most pleasant of experiences!). As part of Amsterdam’s controversial plan to reform De Wallen, which has included closing windows, buying out property owners, and promoting new types of businesses, the windows along Trompettersteeg have been shut. The alley is quieter now, and the visitors who do stop by usually look for the street itself rather than the attractions in the Red Light District.
⭐️ Want to learn more about the Red Light District Amsterdam? → Red Light District Tour in DE/EN/IT/ES/FR
The street has become an ever-changing canvas, especially at its narrowest point near the canal, with various street art appearing from time to time. In 2016, a piece titled “No Fucking Photo’s” was installed at the request of local business owners, reminding tourists not to photograph the sex workers. That piece was painted over repeatedly in the following years. In 2021, graffiti artist Dopie (Tom Linnebank), along with Beazarility and Ultimo.11, created an anamorphic mural of Amsterdam’s coat of arms inside the passage under the guidance of Amsterdam Street Art. If you stand in the right spot on the sidewalk, the three-dimensional illusion comes into view: three St. Andrew’s crosses floating in ornate pink framing, a nod to the neighborhood’s red-light heritage. If you move to either side, the image dissolves into abstraction against the walls. The project received support from the municipality and the local business association, and Dopie faced challenges with bad weather, freezing temperatures that stopped the paint from drying, and a passage so narrow he could barely move.
During the Covid-19 lockdowns, when the usual influx of tourists disappeared from De Wallen, photographer Eva Roefs, who lives in the neighbourhood, set up a portrait studio in the alley. Over six months, she photographed 70 people connected to the neighbourhood: residents, sex workers, business owners, tour guides, and local characters. The resulting book, Studio Trompettersteeg, offers a glimpse of the community living in this area of the city.
Today, Trompettersteeg is no longer the curiosity it once was, but it still retains its character, with ever-changing graffiti, a few small businesses taking root, and the alley remaining just as narrow as it has been for centuries, barely wide enough for two people to pass. If you go there to have a look for yourself, watch your step! Unfortunately, because of the street being used only as a corridor to pass by between streets now, some visitors use it as a public toilet. It’s a pity, but it’s the sad reality of an empty street in the middle of the city centre.
Have you visited? What did you think of this alley?
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