Escort Amsterdam Centrum, Where the Lights First Came On

Start on the Dam, with the Royal Palace on one side and the Nieuwe Kerk on the other, then follow Damrak north toward Centraal Station and the open water of the IJ. East of the square the streets tighten into De Wallen: the Oudezijds Voorburgwal and Achterburgwal, the Oude Kerk, which is the oldest building in the city, and the Zeedijk curving toward Nieuwmarkt, where the turreted Waag still commands the square.

The famous windows belong to the district and its own long history; we have never kept one. What the old centre gives us is atmosphere: the hidden courtyard of the Begijnhof, the flower stalls floating on the Singel, the late glow of Rembrandtplein and the Golden Age canals, listed by UNESCO, glittering after dark.

Hotels gather in a few recognisable pockets. Large business addresses line Damrak and the streets around Centraal Station, handy for the train to the airport. Grand historic hotels face the Dam and the Amstel. Along the Herengracht, the Keizersgracht and the Singel, small hotels occupy converted merchants' houses, often with a lift the size of a telephone box, or none at all. Around Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein you find livelier stays above the nightlife, and short stay apartments are tucked into almost every street in between.

With companions living in the neighbourhood, Centrum is usually our quickest area. Most hotels are reached in fifteen to twenty-five minutes after confirmation, sooner still around De Wallen and Nieuwmarkt, and the chat gives you the honest estimate for tonight before you agree.

Two things slow the centre down. Many canal streets are closed to cars or offer nowhere to stop, so she may step out at the nearest bridge and walk the last stretch. And on Friday and Saturday nights, or on King's Day when the whole city takes to the water, taxis around Damrak and Rembrandtplein move at walking pace anyway. Send your street and the closest landmark and the rest takes care of itself.

The classic version opens with a drink in a wood-panelled brown café near Nieuwmarkt, moves on to dinner beside a canal, and ends back at the hotel once the lanes have emptied and the reflections on the water are the only lights still moving.

Company for that kind of night lives close by. Angelika knows the appeal of a good jazz bar. Nora has a weakness for flower markets, fitting for a district where the most famous one floats on the Singel. Michelle brings easy conversation and a real feel for cocktails, and Samanta carries a composed, noir glamour made for a late hotel bar. The full Centrum line-up appears below, and the whole roster is one click away.

Amsterdam Centraal is the front door of the old quarter, and almost everything on this page lies within a twenty minute walk of it. Trains from Schiphol pull in several times an hour and the ride lasts roughly fifteen minutes, so a guest who lands at nine can be crossing the Damrak well before ten. The north-south metro stops at Centraal and at Rokin, a short stroll from the Dam, while the eastern lines call at Nieuwmarkt and Waterlooplein, the two stations closest to the lanes of De Wallen.

Trams fan out from the station square toward the Dam, the Munt and the Leidseplein. Shortly after midnight the metro and trams wind down and night buses take over, one more reason an evening here works best with the company sent to your door.

The medieval centre is small, dense and at its busiest between about ten and one on Fridays and Saturdays. Should your hotel stand on one of the Burgwallen, expect a crowd under your window and a companion who covers the final bridge or two on foot. Hotels facing the Dam or the Rokin are easier to reach by car, and the Nieuwmarkt side quietens well before the Damrak does.

Many buildings here have stood for three or four centuries, which means narrow stairs, heavy doors and entrances that hide in plain sight. Tell us the house number, the colour of the door if it helps, and whether night reception is staffed. A line about the dress code of your dinner, if there is one, lets her match the room before she steps out.

Staying just outside the ring? Jordaan begins across the Prinsengracht, De Pijp is a short ride south over the Singelgracht, and travellers with an early flight can look at Schiphol. The rates page sets out the hourly starting price and the longer formats for a full night in the old town.