A Late First Arrival and the Night Trains Into Town

Plenty of first visits begin late. A delayed departure, a cheap evening flight, a long-haul arrival that crosses several time zones, and the aircraft door opens at half past eleven with the city already winding down. The airport at that hour is a different place from the busy hall of the afternoon: fewer people, shuttered shops, and a quieter station beneath. It is perfectly possible to reach a hotel in the centre and to arrange a session there. It just helps to know how the night works.

Trains after midnight

Trains between the airport and the city run through the night, but after midnight they are much less frequent than during the day, roughly once an hour in the small hours. Check the departure board as soon as you reach the station beneath the arrivals hall, and if the next train is forty minutes away, consider a taxi instead. The official rank outside the arrivals hall is staffed through the night, and at that hour the roads into town are empty.

The city at night

Central Amsterdam is still awake at midnight, especially around Leidseplein, Rembrandtplein and the Red Light District, where the bars stay open late. Trams run until around half past midnight, and after that night buses take over. For a visitor with a suitcase, a taxi from Centraal to the hotel is usually simpler.

A session after a late landing

A room in central Amsterdam is reached within forty to sixty minutes of a confirmed booking at any hour, including the middle of the night. So if you land at half past eleven, are in a taxi by a quarter past twelve and at the hotel by a quarter to one, a session at half past one is entirely realistic. Write once you are in the taxi or on the train, with the hotel's name and the hour you would like.

On a first booking, half the fee is paid ahead once the hour is agreed. Since the session is the same day, you will also be asked to confirm in the thread that you want it performed straight away. The other half is settled on arrival.

Or stay near the airport

A late landing is also the classic case for spending the first night in the airport hotel cluster and moving into the city the next morning. You avoid the late train, you are in a room within minutes of collecting your bag, and the city can wait until it is light. A session at an airport hotel is arranged with the journey time agreed first and always carries a deposit; write from the baggage belt or as soon as you know which hotel you are in.

What length suits the small hours

After a long day of travel, ninety minutes or two hours of a slow format tends to suit better than a single hour. It allows time to unwind rather than rushing, and many visitors find they sleep well afterwards. For those who want the whole night, an overnight of eight hours can start at any hour, and it too carries a deposit.

Before she arrives

The same things apply at one in the morning as at seven in the evening. Shower. Warm the room. Switch on a lamp. Put the balance and a photo document within reach. Many small hotels in the centre have no night reception and lock the street door after a certain hour; if yours does, say so in the thread and plan to come down when she writes that she is outside.

If the flight is later still

If you have already confirmed and the flight slips further, write in the thread as soon as you can. A late flight is not force majeure, but before she has set out the hour can usually be moved. If it becomes clear that the night is lost, cancelling more than twenty-four hours before the booked time returns the whole deposit, and moving the date once to a day within fourteen days is free.

The morning after

Visitors who land late and book a session often say the next morning felt like the real start of the trip. The travel was over the night before, the body had its chance to settle, and the city was waiting in daylight.