Kimkim Trip Reviews for France

We truly enjoyed our trip to Geneva, Switzerland and Chamonix, Annecy, and Lyon, France. Mathilde, our local specialist did a fine job planning just the right mix of activities with down time to relax. The hotels she chose for us were conveniently located to the attractions we wanted to visit, and all featured comfortable rooms, and wonderful breakfasts. The Edelweiss Hotel in Geneva was filled with local color, including rustic Swiss mountain lodge decor and a musician in its restaurant who sang, yodeled, played the accordion and the long mountain horn of the region. What fun! A friendly driver picked us up at the hotel and drove us to our next destination, Chamonix.
We loved Chamonix! It's a very picturesque town, where we were guided by the excellent Aude, who helped us to understand the rich heritage of the town. We were in awe of the jaw-dropping vistas seen from l'Aiguille du Midi. Guide Armony accompanied us up the mountain on the cable car, and showed us the various levels and viewing points along the way. Without her guidance, we wouldn't have experienced half of the sights from the mountain. She was wonderful! In Chamonix, a driver picked us up and took us to Annecy, about an hour away. Going by car was super convenient.
In Annecy, we were reunited with Aude, who had shown us around Chamonix. Again, she was friendly and informative. It was Sunday, a beautiful day, and the streets of the town were packed! Aude knew how to negotiate the narrow streets and get us samples of local foods so that we could experience the tastes as well as the ambiance of this very charming town. In our free time, we took boat tours of both Lake Geneva and Lake Annecy, both incredibly picturesque. We were blessed the whole time with sunny skies and mild temperatures.
We left Annecy and took the train to Lyon. From the station, we took a taxi to the meeting point where we joined a group to take the Beaujolais Golden Stones tour. There were 2 vans, each with 8 tourists and a guide. We rode for about 40 minutes through beautiful hills and picturesque towns, then stopped at a lovely overlook where our guides Clémence and Agathe told the story of the area's heritage in wine production, and poured samples of white, rosé and red wines of the region. The served delicious croissants and pastries to accompany the wine. We then proceeded to a gorgeous village called Oingt that dated from the Middle Ages, and on to Domaine de fond-Vieille, vineyards and winery. The proprietor, Dominique showed us his vines and explained how the wine is produced. We then sampled his wines, white, rosé and red along with delicious cheeses and charcuterie of the region. We had plenty of time in the vans to chat with our fellow tourists, and enjoyed getting to know people from the Netherlands, Japan, New Zealand, the UK, and Canada.
The next day we wandered Lyon, taking the funicular up to the high town, visiting the Basilica at the top, and the Roman ruins of Lugundum. A delicious déjeuner at the Rooftop restaurant of Christian Tetedoie overlooking Lyon way was the perfect way to end our visit.
Thank you to Mathilde for all your hard work, and to Amandine for helping when Mathilde was on vacation. The next time we travel to Europe, we will definitely use Kimkim to help plan our adventure!

Audrey is an excellent collaborator, planner and overseer throughout the process. She is always available for the glitches that happened during our tour.

I am not as pleased with the accommodations chosen. Particularly the one in Marseille. Because of the unreliability of the flat owner, we had to be moved to another flat that was far, inconvenient in location, and sub-par amenities like no wi-fi and cable TV. We came out spending more in transportation because of its location that was far from the central location of the city.

The food tour by Oriane of Oai not Marseille is a must! So is the one by Laure of Paris A Dream where we discovered the Saint Germain des Pres area.

The cooking experience by Gilles while in Aix de Provence is a highlight of the trip.

Our honeymoon trip experience was unforgettable from beginning to end thanks to the planning efforts of our specialist Lucie. Having been our first time using a professional itinerary company, we were unsure what to expect. Lucie was great at customizing our itinerary based on our wants and budget during the planning stage, and used very good local tour companies and reliable drivers to take us around. It was such a relief not having to worry about every minor detail as she had done the major planning already, and gave lots of good recommendations for things to do with our free time.

Hotel Reviews

Mercure Nice Promenade des Anglais

Nice

Perfectly located hotel right off the Promenade de Anglais. Nice large king bed and room with spacious bathroom and Nespresso machine in room. Lovely waterfront view from 2nd floor.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le 9Hotel Opera

Paris

Good overall 3-star hotel in the 9th arr. the major con is the small size, which is probably the norm in Paris at this price point. Anyone over 6 feet height will need to bend to get under the room and bathroom doorway entrance, and cannot stand upright in the shower.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Central Hotel

Avignon

Charming hotel on the Main Street in Avignon, our privilege room was on the top floor (elevator access), spacious, and adjacent to a rooftop terrace. Very large bathroom and comfortable amenities.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Gourmet food tour in Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Paris

This excursion was surprisingly one of our favorites. Floriane our tour guide with Paris A Dream food your company was so knowledgeable and you could see her enthusiasm for food, wine, and French history. She took us to hidden gems to taste different regional foods we would never have noticed on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amazing trip to France! Very pleased with Amandine in helping us plan our excursions etc. The itinerary was great. We did have one hiccup (completely our fault) and we ended up missing a train bringing us back to Paris from Bayeux. Within 5-10 mins we had new train tickets in our email and an updated itinerary once getting back into Paris. The communication from KimKim was outstanding during this stressful time of our trip. Cannot say enough how wonderful it was to have everything taken care of due to our error. Hotels were fabulous, tours were nice and small which we like. We didn't have anymore than 6 people on any given tour with most less than that. We will continue to use KimKim for our yearly International trip! Thanks so much.

Activity Reviews

Wine and Cheese Tasting

Paris

Visit the Loire Valley!

Paris

Skip the line Eiffel Tower Summit Tickets

Paris

Hop On Hop Off tickets

Paris

Paris Dinner Cruise

Paris

Palace of Versailles Half-Day Trip including transportation from Paris, Skip-the-Line Access and Audio-Guide

Paris

Mont Saint Michel Shared Full Day Trip

Bayeux

Tour : U.S beaches

Bayeux

Louvre Museum in Paris: entrance tickets & audioguides

Paris

Justine was great to work with. After several changes during the initial planning it was finally time for the trip. There were a few minor hiccups that occurred during the trip however we rolled with it and KimKim did not hesitate in reimbursing us for the inconveniences. Even if slightly disappointed during those speed bumps, the trip will truly be unforgettable. Justine and her team were available immediately and even made some final additions to assure our trip was an amazingly memorable experience. I am not a paid sponsor and so the 5 stars I gave are legitimate to my personal experience. I would highly recommend Justine and KimKim. They can cater a memorable experience to whatever your budget may be. T.

We were very happy overall with trip and all the help Sarah gave us with our planning. She took the information we had given her on things we'd like to see and do and she outlined for us a perfect trip! We picked up a rental car just outside of Paris and with navigation on our phone, had very little trouble driving all through France. We really liked the flexibility driving gave us as we made several side trips to cities and things we wanted to see along the way and we could stay as long as we like, or as little, when we were at our destinations. We were in the regions of Normandy, the Lore Valley and the Dordonge region around Sarlat. All the tickets we needed for various sites were included with good information to go with them. Sarah had also included restaurant suggestions and other various helpful hints to make it easy for us to travel on our own in a foreign country. We did have a tour mishap in Bordeaux , but when we called the emergency number for KimKim, they immediately answered our call and took care of the issue. That was very reassuring! It was great to already have valet service set up to and from the airport and train station to our hotels.

Hotel Reviews

Dormy House

Etretat

We especially liked this hotel! It was a bit hard to figure out how to get up to it, but was so worth it once you are up there overlooking the city. The accommodations were large and it had a nice restaurant, bar and outside sitting area. Very nice!

Authenticity & Character

It wasn't an old city hotel, but it was a very nice hotel in a beach city.

Location

It overlooks the city and beach.

Staff

They were all very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

A large, comfortable room! Very well maintained.

Hôtel Joe M

Paris

The hotel was located in a good part of town and it was easy walking to sites. The bathrooms were very small, but the room was fine.

Authenticity & Character

it was more of a boutique hotel. Very small elevator, hallways, and bathroom.

Location

Staff

very, very helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chateau de Bellefontaine 4*

Bayeux

The hotel had lovely grounds, but was so far outside of town, that you had to drive to get to town, which wasn't so convenient. The rooms were nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Les Ambassadeurs

Saint-Malo

The rooms were very tiny, but clean and cute. It was right on the beach and an easy walk to a fun shopping and eating area.

Authenticity & Character

vey cute with leopard print carpeting.

Location

Staff

Very nice and helpful with all questions.

Cleanliness & Comfort

small, but nice

Hotel Pavillon de Lys

Amboise

Our room was very nice, but we had an upgrade room, our friends had another room that wasn't as nice- no real shower, and smaller.

Authenticity & Character

Location

very near the city center so easy walking to shopping and dining.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Villa des Consuls

Sarlat-la-Canéda

We had an apartment here. It was in a great location in the city center. It was very nice, but even our 1st floor room was up many winding stairs.

Authenticity & Character

It fit in with the medieval city. We had a nice, bit room.

Location

Right on one of the main streets of Sarlat.

Staff

Very nice! They were very accommodating and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Maison Bord'eaux

Bordeaux

A bit hard to find as the signage isn't really easy to locate. It was in a good part of town and it was easy walking to get to the sites of the city.

Authenticity & Character

More of a boutique hotel. Very nice, large rooms.

Location

Staff

Very helpful and accomodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel OFF Paris Seine 4*

Paris

This was a fun way to end our trip! We were right on the river and we watched the boat travel the river as we ate dinner. It was a different experience. There was a lot of graffiti and homeless in the area so it didn't make you want to get out and walk around at night.

Authenticity & Character

very unique.

Location

It was fun to be on the river.

Staff

very nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were like on a cruise ship, a bit small in the bathroom area, but the beds were comfortable and nice.

Activity Reviews

Giverny - House of Monet (Timed tickets provided)

France

WE all enjoyed seeing this. Self guided so you could spend as much time as you liked looking around.

Welcome to Bayeux

Bayeux

We enjoyed the Normandy region and the WWII sites. Our guide was very informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon with Da Vinci

Amboise

It was interesting and the grounds with his inventions/bridges was fun to walk trough.

Quality of Experience

Discover the châteaux de Chambord and Chenonceau on your own with tickets provided

France

We really enjoyed touring these 2 chateaus. They were different from each other, but both amazing and the grounds were lovely.

Quality of Experience

Tickets to Prehistory Museum, Lascaux IV and Parc du Thot

Sarlat

This was very interesting to see and different that the other trip/tours we did. We all enjoyed seeing it and hearing about how it came to be discovered.

Quality of Experience

Bordeaux Best Food Tour

Bordeaux

There was a mishap with this tour, so we didn't go on it. As it turned out, it's a good thing we didn't as I don't think we would have made our train if we had.

Private transfer in Paris

Paris

This is the best part of using a tour company to set things up for you. it was so nice to have transportation to and from the airport and train to our hotel. It is a nightmare driving in Paris and it was wonderful not having to worry about that!

Quality of Experience

The company always sent a text the day before to tell us who our diver would be and they were easy to locate in each destinations. It was a godsend to have this service set up for us!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Every driver was very courteous, and professional.

Transport

The Mercedes vans were perfect for the 4 of us and luggage.

We had a wonderful trip. Vaseem was very responsive to our questions during the planning and throughout the entire ten days. The pastry tour, cooking class, Champagne tour and D Day beaches were the highlights of the trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel Place du Louvre - Esprit de France

Paris

This was our favorite hotel! The staff and breakfast were amazing! The rooms were smallish yet very clean and comfortable. Can’t say enough about the staff. They were more than willing to help us with our many questions about getting from one point to another.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Central location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

HOTEL CAMPANILE REIMS CENTRE - Cathédrale

Reims

This was a lovely hotel. The staff were very accommodating and the breakfast was adequate. Really great coffee station. Rooms were clean but a little warm.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Spa Pasino

Le Havre

We stayed here just one night but the staff could not have been more accommodating. The breakfast was delicious as was the complementary drink and dinner that evening we arrived. We also enjoyed the pool and hot tub.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chateau de Bellefontaine 4*

Bayeux

This was a very charming chateau. They let us order room service the night we arrived as we were quite late. The breakfast was delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Edgar & Achille

Paris

The hotel was very lovely and decor was ultra modern. Bathrooms are very small. The breakfast was across the street at the restaurant and was really an amazing breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Did not love the location. Very far off the beaten path.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Audio-guide visit of the Eiffel Tower with access to the summit

Paris

I loved the visit to the Eiffel Tower at night. It was just magical.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discovery tour of Paris by vintage car

Paris

We loved this tour! Our driver was awesome and answered our many question along the way.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were very happy with our decision to use Kimkim and would do you again. Valentine understood what we had in mind and came up with a program that was perfect for us. She told us we would need a rental car, which we hadn't realized but was really essential, and she organized a perfect small car for us, an automatic, a hybrid, very easy to drive. She suggested excursions we could do, all of which were great, as was the guide (Anne) with that company. And she, Valentine, was very responsive to all queries. There was one small glitch when we checked into the hotel, but she quickly sorted that out. All in all, a great experience and we would recommend Kimkim to others.

Hotel Review

La Maison des Peyrat

Sarlat La Canéda

This is a lovely hotel, 14th century building with lots of charm, as well as (in our case at least) a 21st century bathroom! The owners are delightful and very helpful. My only hesitation is the location. One needs to know that the hotel is up a very steep hill and there's no food available at the hotel in the evening, so one either has a steep climb up after dinner or the problem of finding parking every evening. Apart from that, we loved the hotel and would recommend it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Villages of Dordogne Valley Half-Day Trip From Sarlat

France

The Dordogne Valley Half-Day Trip from Sarlat was a delight. We enjoyed touring the villages and the experience of being in a small group was ideal. We were guided by an excellent guide named Ann for the majority of the time. She was knowledgeable and engaging, and I would absolutely recommend her to future travelers.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sarlat Market Visit & Dordogne Gourmet Culinary tour (small group/2 hours)

France

The market visit and culinary tour in Sarlat was a fun experience. We enjoyed the mix of being on our own and also having guided tours. The small group setting was appreciated and made the experience more intimate. Our tour guide was fantastic and made the experience enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Paleolithic Art of the Dordogne Shared Full Day Trip From Sarlat

France

The Paleolithic Art full day trip was another enjoyable experience. Being in a small group allowed us to ask more questions and get more out of the trip. Our guide, Ann, was exceptional and greatly enhanced our experience. I would highly recommend her and this tour to future travelers.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rocamadour Half-Day Trip From Sarlat

France

The Rocamadour half-day trip was a wonderful experience. We had a different tour guide for this trip, and while he was good, he didn't quite compare to Ann. Nonetheless, the trip was enjoyable and the views were stunning. I would recommend this tour to future travelers.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amandine was amazing! Working with her was so easy and she was very receptive to my requests. She ended up putting together a fabulous trip for us. We were especially impressed by her quick response when our train was delayed causing us to run late to a dinner cruise. The tours and classes she found and booked for us were definitely the highlights of our time in France. Our whole trip was stress free because of her hard work. Would definitely recommend!

Everything went so smoothly! There were a few bumps in the road ( it comes with travel), but Fanny quickly got things right. KimKim’s choice of a biking company was spot-on. We highly recommend KimKim & Fanny.

Our specialist, Amandine was tremendous in helping us put together this fabulous trip. Hotels were great and transportation transfers were comfortable and always on time. Our tour guides: Carol - Latin Quarter Gourmet Food tour, Oliver - Versailles, Igor - D Day beaches and Julie - Saint Michel were all very knowledgeable, passionate and a lot of fun.

Fantastic trip in Southern France. Amandine did an amazing job planning trip within 24 hours. Thank you

We had the best time in France. We worked with Vaseem. He was so helpful planning our trip. He had everything planned from picking us up at the airport, taking us to our hotel, to lining up cooking classes and booking our train tickets to wine country. We will definitely use KimKim again for future travels.

Lucie put together a terrific trip for us. Adil picked us up at the airport and was an excellent guide for our 6 day adventure. He shared his knowledge of the area and we learned a lot about Normandy and Brittany. His van was very comfortable for the four of us and he had water available if we needed it. We've been recommending kimkim whenever friends ask about our trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel le Dauphin Les Loges

Honfleur

Quaint hotel, narrow stairs. No air conditioning but a fan was provided; still hot. Very nice breakfast and staff.

Authenticity & Character

Great staff!

Location

Easy walking

Staff

Kind, patient and attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stairs can be challenging.

Le Bayeux 3*

Bayeux

Reception didn’t have a reservation in my name. Thankfully we had asked our guide to wait until we were checked in before leaving. He knew our agents name and that is how the made the booking (the hotel, not the agent). The room was very worn; mold in the shower, extremely soft bed and pillows, thin towels. Air conditioner made a regular banging noise; we asked that it be fixed but we don’t think it was. Breakfast was okay, but a line for the coffee machine and the staff person only came out to ask for room numbers.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Beaufort

Saint-Malo

Lovely room, ambience and location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the boardwalk with a wonderful view of the sea.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit of Giverny and Monet’s Garden

France

Just a beautiful way to start our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Adil was always prompt, had great information and kept us informed.

Transport

Very comfortable van.

Visit to a cider mill

France

Charming and interesting but the visit was too long.

Full-day visit of D-day beaches - U.S. sector (small group tour)

Bayeux

We covered a lot in one day. The guide was friendly and informative. She also gave us free time roy explore.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Celine was genuinely interested in the history of the area.

Transport

Comfortable van.

Sarah didn’t disappoint with her travel suggestions and itinerary! The tours were fun and exactly what we were looking for in our first trip in Europe. We met wonderful people on our journey from Paris to Nice! Our hotels and tour guides were amazing. We can’t wait for our next big adventure!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Rosalie

Paris

Fantastic people and very clean. We especially loved our breakfasts!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to access to the metro.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Philippe Le Bon

Dijon

Amazing staff and quiet location with easy access to the city center.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Phénix Hôtel

Lyon

We had a wonderful view overlooking the river!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel de l’Horloge

Avignon

Very very cute hotel. The staff were very helpful getting us settled into our room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Eiffel Tower Tickets

Paris

Definitely worth seeing if you visit Paris!

Quality of Experience

Transport

Metro is easy to use to get there.

Montmartre Local Gastronomy Tour

Paris

Wonderful guide and fun people!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Moulin Rouge - Big Night Out - Tickets only

Paris

Quality of Experience

La Cave du Palais Burgundy Wine Tasting Experience

Dijon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The best of Bourgogne

France

Alex was a great guide! Very knowledgeable. Loved our lunch as well!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lyon Old Town Food tour

Lyon

Private discovery the Beaujolais & the Medieval Town of Perouges

France

Julie is the person to see for an incredible experience through wine country!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Chateauneuf du Pape & the Luberon

Avignon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer in town

France

Private driver transfer

Paris

Our trip to France was wonderful. Our kimkim specialist Nathalie spent the time to understand our interests provided a great itinerary that met or exceeded our travel wishes. The only problem we encountered was with our first hotel. The room was dirty and had a smell. We requested another room which was slightly better, but still not adequate. We contacted Nathalie and she found us another, much better, hotel that we took the following night. The other hotels throughout the trip were very nice. The car transfers throughout the trip were punctual and comfortable. The tours and tour guides were especially good. We even emailed each of the tour companies in Bayeux, Saint Málo and Paris with positive feedback about the knowledge and passion of their tour guides.

The hotel problem at the beginning had the potential of spoiling the rest of the trip. But Nathalie’s quick response to find another hotel and her willingness to work to get a refund eased our minds and allowed us to enjoy our time in France.

Hotel Reviews

Le Bayeux 3*

Bayeux

The first room we got was dirty, there was mold in the bathroom and had a smell. They gave us a new room, which had teh same issues as the first room. We moved to a new hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to all that is in Bayeux.

Staff

Very accomodating, friendly and understood our concerns about the rooms.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel needs to be updated.

La Maison des Armateurs 4*

Saint Malo

Hotel is located within the walled city. It is very close to attractions, restaurants and shops. Our room was clean and comfortable. Our room overlooked the street. We kept the windows open so it was noisy at night. However, with the windows shut and AC on, noise is not a problem. Breakfast is good, plenty of choices. Staff was friendly.

Hôtel A la Villa des Artistes

Paris

A quiet, comfortable room with a friendly staff in the heart of Paris. Room was a little small, but not a problem for us. We would recommend it.

Activity Reviews

Eiffel Tower skip the line summit tour (small group/2h)

Paris

Skipped it. Too many people.

Paris to Bayeux - Discover Giverny along the way

France

Beautiful stop on our way from Paris to Normandy. Two hours was enough for us to experience the beautiful gardens and home of Claude Monet.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Christophe was punctual, helpful and a good driver.

Transport

Having a driver made the trip more relaxing.

Mont-Saint-Michel day Tour

France

We are glad we had a tour guide for this experience as opposed to just going there on our own. Our guide was very knowledgeable about all aspects of the Abbey (including when the best time to eat was in order to avoid crowds).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Manon was fabulous!!

Transport

Clean, comfortable van.

Half-day private tour Dinan and St-Suliac

France

This was one of the favorite tours of our visit to France. Once again, Marc knows the area very well and did an excellent job of explaining the history of the area as well as explaining about French culture today.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Saint Germain des Prés Food Tour

Paris

This would be a must-do tour in Paris. We had a great time with Matthias touring the neighborhood of Saint Germain and sampling the charcuterie, baguettes, cheeses and especially the chocolates, wine, choux a la creme and the patisserie! A very memorable tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Tour of Omaha and Utah Beaches & Normandy Landings Sites

Bayeux

Having a tour guide to see the landing sights should really be considered required. We learned so much and saw many sights that I am sure we would have missed had we done the tour on our own. Our tour guide, Victor, was friendly and knowledgeable. The travel was comfortable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Victor was knowledgeable about the history of DDay.

Transport

Comfortable van. Victor was a good driver.

Two walking tours on the Emerault Coast: Saint Malo and Cancale (total 3.5-hours)

France

Marc the tour guide was wonderful. Since he is from Brittany he knows the area well. The Emerault Coast is spectacular! Cancale is a beautiful city and a must see if you are in to oysters. Had a wonderful time!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marc knew a lot about the area. It was fascinating to hear the history of the region.

Transport

Clean, comfortable transport.

Justine and the KimKim Team did a fabulous job with our two week France trip! The hotels, the restaurant recommendations, the tours, it was exactly what we were looking for. It was my husband's first trip to France, and my first in 30 years so we wanted to hit all the typical tourist spots. The guided tour of Medieval France (Saint Chapelle, Ile de Cite, Notre Dame) was really amazing and fun with tour guide Athina!

All the hotels Justine picked were in great locations, small boutique hotels that were exactly what we were looking for! I highly recommend Hotel Mansart in Paris, Maison No in Lyon, Splendid Hotel in Annecy, and definitely Hotel West End in Nice where we were overlooking the Mediterranean. So lovely!

Our stop in Chamonix/Mt. Blanc was a highlight - it was great to get out of the cities and breath the fresh mountain air!

We truly loved it all and can't wait to go back! We'll definitely use KimKim again for our travels!

Hotel Reviews

Novotel Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport

Tremblay-en-France

hotel is right outside the airport so it's a great location if you have any early morning flight!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Mansart

Paris

Very sweet boutique hotel. Wonderful customer service, friendly staff, delicious breakfasts and great location. Close to the Opera and Place de Vendome and shopping around Rue Rivoli.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

super friendly staff!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Maison Nô

Lyon

Very nice hotel in a great part of town near restaurants and nightlife and walking distance to all the sights. Great breakfasts on the rooftop of the building!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Splendid Hotel Lac d'Annecy - Handwritten Collection

Annecy

Nice hotel with pleasantly furnished rooms. Staff were very helpful. Great breakfasts! Location was fantastic, about half a block from the lake and centrally located near lots of restaurants and nightlife!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel West End

Nice

Fabulous hotel situated right across the street from the Mediterranean Sea. Location can't be beat! Sweet outdoor restaurant with delicious breakfasts.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Nighttime Seine River Cruise with Dining Experience

Paris

Very nice dinner and beautiful nighttime tour of Paris!

Quality of Experience

Food

Back to Medieval Paris with Notre Dame, St Chapelle & Conciergerie

Paris

Our tour guide Athina was amazing! We learned so much and has so much fun touring Medieval Paris with her. It was a great walking tour and wonderful way to start our time in Paris!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Athina was so knowledgeable and a lot of fun!

Murders and Mysteries of the Louvre

Paris

This private tour of the Louvre was a great way to see and learn about some of the amazing in the museum. It was so helpful to have a guide rather than wandering aimlessly through the crowds!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was good but sometimes hard to understand and the crowds made it hard to hear!

Lyon Old Town Food Tour

Lyon

A great way to taste some of the great food in Lyon. We visited a shop with amazing cured meats, a cheese shop, a dessert shop, and then gelato! Fun to walk through the older neighborhoods of Lyon and learn about the town's history!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Aiguille du Midi, balcony hiking and Mer de Glace

France

We weren't feeling well so didn't go all the way to the top but had a fabulous visit to the midway point, a wonderful picnic and great guide who shared so much information. A wonderful day in the mountains!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Jeremy, was fantastic!

Cannes, Antibes and St Paul de Vence Small Group Tour (Full day)

France

This was a wonderful day and we loved exploring these three towns on the Riviera!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monaco, Eze and La Turbie Tour small group tour

France

Nice tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We enjoyed our TMB trip, even though for reasons outside our control, it didn't go accoding to plan. Our flight from Heathrow was delalyed two hours, but the Mountain Dropoffs driver met us at the Geneva airport and gave us a shuttle ride to Chamonix as planned. That evening we had a terrific Franch meal, looking up at the dying light over Mont Blanc. I really enjoyed Chamonix, a place where one sees as many people running as walking, and where the sky is dotted with hang gliders. The highlight of our "open" day on Tuesday, Sept. 5 before the trek was taking the tram up to l'Aguille du Midi. My wife Kathy had been concerned about the altitude, but in fact she tolerated it fine, and we were rewarded with unforgettable views of the Swiss Alps from out vantage point at 3850 m. The weather throughout was sunny and very warm for the time of year; the ride up to l'Aguille du Midi was the only time on the whole trip when I had to break out my cold-weather gear.

There were two problems at the start of the trip. First, our Chamonix hotel room at Plan B (can't recall the room noumber) turned out to be infested with bedbugs! This has happened to us before when traveling. I don't seem to be sensitive to them, but my wife is very sensitive and was bitten dozens of times (we actually spotted one of the bugs the next day). Second, there was a mixup with the luggage. We had arranged with Mt. Blanc Taxi for a luggage transfer to our hotel in Les Contamines and also to transport Kathy. There was some mixup, and while the driver took Kathy and my bags, her bag was left behind in Chamonix. It finally showed up at the hotel, but not until late afternoon. Partly this was my fault, since I hadn't informed kimkim that when I packed for the trip, I was unable to fit all the food I thought I needed for the trip (breakfast food and lunches for four days), as well as my clothes for a planned week of travel after the trip, into a single duffel bag. I improved by taking a second, medium-sized backpack (a Kelty Redwing 44). Apparently this was a big problem for the taxi service. We had discussed that there were arrangements for luggage transfer, but not exactly how many bags or how large. On top of that, my own duffel bag showed up damaged (the zipper of the main compartment was broken), when it was fine at the time I packed it. I had to scramble to hike into town and buy a replacement duffel bag right away.

On the trek itself, I was very pleased with the "MonRoadbook" app. Whenever I was uncertain about navigation, I would zoom in on my location and quickly determined whether I was on the intended route or not. The combination of the app and generally good signage meant that navigation was less of a problem on this tour than I expected. I had tried to study the route, but it's just not possible to memorize every major turn in advance.

I enjoyed the hiking most on Day 1, which was only about half the distance of the next two days. When I got to Les Contamines, there seemed to be something in the air there that was irritating me, as I noticed that my nose was running and I had a little heaviness in my chest. I thought I might be coming down with a cold, but the symptoms could also be related to the strenuous hike I had just completed. The second day, to Courmayeur, was long and exhausting. The third day, to Champex-Lac, was the longest of the trip (31.5 miles), but the terrain was a lot easier, especially on the second half. But I started Day 3 already in an exhausted and dehydrated state. My energy level was much lower than usual, and I had to go slower than usual and take frequent rest stops before making it over the Grand Col de Ferret and into Switzerland at about 2:40 pm. I had to do the final leg of the hike into Champex-Lac with a headlamp, and didn't arrive at the Relais d'Arpette until around 9:30 pm, after nearly 14 hours of hiking. The owners were very nice and saved some hot food for me even though their kitchen was officially closed.

I had already decided that I wasn't up to hiking the fourth day, even though it would be easier than days 2 and 3. My cold, or whatever it was, had gotten worse, and I had developed a sore throat. My energy level had crashed. So I arranged for a taxi ride back to Chamonix. When I got to the hotel there, I tested positive for COVID. So that is why I was so weak the third day. I had correctly assessed my fitness as good enough to do the 4-day tour, but something like COVID can mess anything up. At least I got three good days of hiking in.

I found kimkim to be professional and helpful throughout. The arrangements we had made all held up. I would not hesitate to book with kimkim again.

Amandine put together a trip of a life time for my wife, son, daughter in law and myself. Our favorite places were Aix En Provence, Grotto of Mary Magdalene, Albi and Toulouse. These experiences were made even more memorable by our guides Olivia and Marine. Finally, Amandine really pulled us out of a jam when we forgot our passports in a hotel safe in Toulouse and got them to us in Barcelona before flight was scheduled to leave — 24 hours! Truly amazing client service.

Our guides for each of the planned events we fantastic, knowledgeable and very personable. We saw some amazing sites in France. My wife's favourite was Chateau Chambord and mine was the food tour we did in Paris.

The arrangement of transfers to and from hotels, railway stations and airports made the entire logistical experience fantastic. We were fortunate enough to have the same driver multiple times in Paris and he went above and beyond to help me when I left my mobile phone in his car on departure day.

Justine did an amazing job of planning and advising and was responsive and helpful throughout the journey with the few hiccups we had

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Le Clos d'Amboise

Amboise

Hôtel du Rond-point des Champs-Élysées - Esprit de France

Paris

Hôtel de l’Horloge

Avignon

Le Marquis by Inwood Hotels

Paris

Activity Reviews

Villandry, Azay-Le-Rideau & Vouvray wine tour - Full Day

France

Chambord, Chenonceau & Lunch at the Château - Full Day

France

Eiffel Tower Summit Ticket

Paris

Seine Cruise with Commentary

Paris

Back to Medieval Paris with Notre Dame, St Chapelle & Conciergerie

Paris

unfortunately we missed this activity as my wife was unwell. We were not able to reschedule it

Saint Germain des Prés Food Tour

Paris

Louvre Museum Private Tour

Paris

Saint Remy, les Baux de Provence, Pont du Gard

France

Highlights of Provence : Chateauneuf du Pape and Luberon

France