Escort Oud-Zuid, the museum quarter

The avenues are broad and traffic generally flows, so arrival within the hour is the rule rather than the exception. Late at night the avenues are almost empty and the journey takes only minutes. Concert nights at the Concertgebouw and large exhibitions on Museumplein bring crowds around the square, and a message sent a little earlier on those evenings is sensible. Hotels here often have attentive front desks; letting reception know you are expecting a guest keeps the moment smooth.

The district lends itself to evenings with a programme. A late opening at one of the museums, a recital at the Concertgebouw, dinner on the Van Baerlestraat, or simply a walk beneath the trees of the Vondelpark before returning to the suite. Danielle, sophisticated and calm, is devoted to museums and classic cinema. Margo has a refined, slightly mysterious presence and a love of contemporary art and the piano. Violetta, elegant and confident, is as comfortable in a bookshop as at a formal dinner. Lea is sweet and spontaneous, happiest discussing theatre and interiors.

Oud-Zuid never raises its voice, and neither do the women who live here.

In Oud-Zuid many guests stay in residences rather than hotels, and the grander buildings often have a concierge, an intercom or a gated entrance. Tell us which, and whether your name appears on the bell. For hotels around Museumplein, name the hotel, since several face the same square from different sides. If you would like your companion to meet you at a concert or a restaurant first, give the venue and the time, and she will be there a few minutes early.

Few districts in Europe hold so much within a short walk. The Rijksmuseum, with the Night Watch in its Gallery of Honour, faces the long lawn of Museumplein; the Van Gogh Museum and, beside it, the Stedelijk with its white bathtub extension line the western side. The Concertgebouw, famous for the warmth of its main hall, closes the square to the south. During the summer months, the open-air stage of the Vondelpark gives free performances beneath the trees, and the Hollandsche Manege, a riding school from the nineteenth century, still welcomes visitors to its café above the arena.

A guest with a free afternoon can combine a single room at the museum with coffee on the Van Baerlestraat and still be back at the hotel with time to change. The house can arrange for a companion to join that afternoon, or to meet you as the concert ends. For a quieter look at the collections, the journal describes a private museum tour.

Trams along the Van Baerlestraat and around Museumplein connect Oud-Zuid to the centre in about ten minutes. Station Amsterdam Zuid, on the district's southern edge, has direct trains to Schiphol in under ten minutes, and a direct bus runs from the airport to Museumplein. By taxi from the airport the journey takes around twenty minutes when traffic is light.

Several companions of the house live in Oud-Zuid, which makes arrival here among the most reliable in the city. A reservation made at dinner time is typically confirmed for the same evening, with an interval shaped only by her preparations.

East of the Boerenwetering, De Pijp offers a livelier mood only minutes away. Station Amsterdam Zuid, on the southern edge of the district, is one of the quickest links to Schiphol. For hourly structure and longer formats, see the rates.