Escort Amsterdam Centrum: the old core, after hours

The centre of the centre is Dam Square, with the Royal Palace and the Nieuwe Kerk facing the National Monument. North of it, Damrak runs straight to Centraal Station and the IJ waterfront. East lies Nieuwmarkt and the medieval lanes of the Wallen, busy until late. The shopping streets, Kalverstraat and Nieuwendijk, go quiet after dark while Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein do the opposite.

Wrapped around all of it is the canal ring. Herengracht, Keizersgracht, Prinsengracht, on the UNESCO World Heritage list and lit up gold at night. Cross the Magere Brug over the Amstel after eleven and you will understand why people never want to leave.

Centrum is packed with hotels, and they cluster in predictable places. The grand addresses sit along the Amstel and around Dam Square. Business hotels line Damrak and Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, close to the station. Boutique canal houses fill the ring itself, often with steep stairs and lifts built for two. Short-stay apartments are everywhere in between.

Staying near Centraal has a bonus. The station is the fastest link to the airport and to the other cities, handy when the night starts here and the flight leaves early.

Send the street or the nearest bridge. That is all she needs to find you.

Inside the centre, an hour is a realistic notice at almost any time of day or night. Girls based in Centrum often travel less than that, but the hour gives her room to get ready properly and arrive composed, not rushed.

Two things slow it down. Friday and Saturday nights around Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein, when taxis crawl. And the big nights, King's Day, major concerts, football, when half the city is out in the street. Message a little earlier on those dates and you will not feel the difference.

Around Nieuwmarkt and the Wallen, weekend foot traffic can block cars completely. If the taxi cannot get through, she walks the last few minutes. Nobody notices one more well-dressed woman on the canal.

Trams and the metro wind down around half past twelve. After that the centre runs on night buses, taxis and feet. The night buses leave from the back of Centraal and from Leidseplein, roughly every half hour, and they are fine for getting home. For getting somewhere on time, they are not the tool.

That is why the desk thinks in taxis once the clock passes midnight. From the canal belt to Dam Square is a five minute ride on a quiet night. From Rembrandtplein to the Nieuwmarkt, about the same. Cross the whole centre east to west and you are still looking at ten to fifteen minutes, unless a bridge is up or a street is sealed off for a delivery truck.

Coming in from the airport? The train drops you at Centraal in about fifteen minutes. By cab, count on half an hour, give or take, set by the ring road traffic and how far into the canal maze your door sits.

Cars are unwelcome in large parts of the old town. Some canal streets are one way, some are closed to traffic at night, and on the Wallen side cars simply give up after dark. Pick a pickup point a taxi can reach: a bridge, a corner, a hotel entrance on the main road.

Noise is policed too. Canal houses are thin, neighbours complain, and hotels in old buildings take that seriously. None of that changes the booking. It just means a quiet arrival works better than a loud one, and she knows how to do quiet.

One more. Photos on the Wallen are not welcome, and the rule is enforced by the people who work there. Keep the phone in your pocket on those streets.

Most bookings here start late. Dinner is done. The meeting ran long. The bar was fine but the company was not. A message goes out around eleven, and the rest of the night finally gets interesting.

Some clients want to go out first: a cocktail at a canal-side bar, a walk past the lit bridges, a nightcap somewhere quiet near the Amstel. Others skip all of it and stay in. Both are normal. Say which when you book.

Where to start. Samanta knows the design hotel scene and wears sleek noir style like a uniform. Jasmin is bubbly, curious and dangerous with a cocktail menu. Angelika is the pick if your night involves a jazz bar. The full Centrum list is below, and the girls page has everyone else.

Staying just west, off the canals? See Jordaan. South of Leidseplein, try Oud-Zuid or De Pijp. Rates start from €180 per hour.