Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

On a previous trip, we had a great experience with kimkim, but our Italy trip was frustrating. Ariana was a high pressure sales person pushing us to book now or nothing will be available. I booked and then realized that we were being grossly overcharged for the trip. I complained and we received a partial refund. Even with the refund, the value of the trip was less than what I would have expected for what we paid.

In the planning process, I inquired about using points to book our hotel rooms and was told this would not be a problem and I booked our Sorrento hotel with points. I later inquired about doing the same for Naples and was told it would not be possible and they usually don’t allow this at all.

Our trip to Pompeii and Vesuvius was originally planned to be a small group boat tour with wine tasting and lunch included. 2-3 weeks after booking the trip, Arianna told us the boat trip was sold out. We were booked on a large tour buss, no lunch, no guide at Vesuvius. I would have never signed up for a large group tour.

While we had transfers booked to/from airport, train, ferry. Our tours did not include pickup/drop off at the hotel. This was a surprise and disappointment.

Hotel Review

Rinuccini Relais Hotel

Naples

When we arrived at the exterior door for this hotel my heart sank. The rusty and graffiti covered entrance to the palazzo is not inviting and looks like the hotel should be a dump. Fortunately the hotel itself is charming, spacious, and clean.

Authenticity & Character

Charming

Location

This was a little far from our tours and the sea.

Staff

Amazing customer service

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Walking Tour of Naples

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgeable guide

Full Day Tour to Pompeii and Vesuvius from Sorrento

Italy

This was a large group tour on a tour bus. Pompeii was nice but no guide to tell anything about Vesuvius.

Quality of Experience

Smaller group, or private guide. No bathrooms available at Vesuvius

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Large tour bus

Amalfi coast boat tour from Sorrento (Amalfi & Positano)

Italy

A must of visiting the area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naples Pizza Tour

Naples

Nice tour but more food than expected!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Having worked with Tasos and his group once before, we were not at all surprised to have had such a memorable and wonderful trip to Italy. Everything was perfection!!The single thing we have to complain about, which was totally out of their control, was the heat! It was 106 in Rome on the day we visited the Colosseum and walked another six or 7 miles around the city! And the rest of the week the temps stayed in the high 90’s but it didn’t stop us. The hotels, both in Rome and Naples, were amazing and so perfectly located. Each restaurant that he recommended was better than the last. Our guides were outstanding, especially Dario, our guide around the Vatican, and Mima who made Pompei come alive. Can’t say enough about how wonderful the total experience was!

Hotel Reviews

Eitch Borromini Palazzo Pamphilj

Rome

Aside from being in the perfect location – right on the Piazza Navona – the hotel was amazing. The rooms were beautiful and big, and very beautifully furnished, and the view from our windows looked right down onto the Piazza and the obelisk and fountains. The staff were very accommodating, the breakfast buffet was delicious and the views from the rooftop bar and restaurant or spectacular. We would recommend this hotel highly.

Authenticity & Character

Original charm and beautifully appointed rooms.

Location

Right on the Piazza Navona

Staff

Very accommodating and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed was especially comfortable

Grand Hotel Santa Lucia Naples

Naples

There was a bit of confusion initially, as we had reserved three identical rooms close to each other. One of the rooms was not the same as the other two, and not as nicely appointed, and they were all on different floors but they all had beautiful sea views, however. And the location was just perfect, right on the Seaport, and close to lots of restaurants and bars.

Authenticity & Character

Location

On the water

Staff

I don’t think they went out of our their way to accommodate us when all of the rooms we had reserved were not available

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Activity Reviews

Private Pompeii Tour with light lunch

Pompeii

The half day trip covered so much territory that we really came away from the experience having learned so much.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Useful Information

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

Our guide was very knowledgeable and very enthusiastic, and she got us around the crowds very easily and quickly and kept us in the shade as much as she could so we wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the 106° temperature

Quality of Experience

Working with tasos

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Prompt and professional, accommodating and friendly, with an excellent facility with English

Transport

Private Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

Our guide, Dario, was so knowledgeable and well spoken and friendly. We all really enjoyed all the information that he shared, and the way he shared it. He had wonderful answers for all our questions. Saint peters is a must see.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

On time and friendly

Local transfer in Rome

Rome

David, our driver, was so friendly and well informed and willing to take us wherever we asked and then, because of the heat, he even suggested that if we wanted to shop, he could take us to a beautiful indoor shopping area that was just beautiful and great to walk around in the air conditioning instead of the heat outside.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had the most remarkable trip to Italy with Kim Kim team Jessica, Arianna and Barbara. Our booking was easy, itinerary was well organized and coordinated perfectly. Transfers were on time and done with a high class vehicles. We always felt safe, well taken care of with a very friendly and knowledgeable team. There was free time for us to see some essential sites independently, and there was guidance on how to use the free time we had. Ladies , you did a fabulous job. We appreciate all of your hard work. We will definitely work together again!

Activity Reviews

Milan Last Supper Tour with City Highlights & Duomo (from outside) | Semi-Private

Milan

Private Transfer from restaurant to your accommodation

Venice

Rialto Market & Cicchetti Private Venice Food Tour

Venice

Private Walking Tour of Florence | City Highlights with David & Duomo

Florence

Transfer from your accommodation to Vatican tour's meeting point

Rome

Vatican, Sistine Chapel & Saint Peter's Basilica

Rome

Our guide Arianna helped us plan a truly memorable trip to the Northwest of Italy. Turin has so much to offer - sights, food, shopping. Our local guide Salvatore helped us make the most of our time at sights like the Egyptian Museum and the Royal Palace. He also went above and beyond with chocolate samples, gelato and a great suggestion for dinner. Cervinia is a stunning place where the Matterhorn is always in sight. Lastly, Monterosso in the Cinque Terre was a stunning place to end our trip. Arianna got our train & trekking passes so seeing the villages was effortless. Jessica and Barbara checked in with us often and secured a last minute booking on a sunset cruise. We were able to sit back and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Our driver throughout the trip was prompt, professional and friendly and our accommodations suited our needs perfectly. Thanks Kimkim for your wonderful plannning and customer service. We look forward to planning another trip with you in the future.

The best things about using Arianna to organise our trip was
1. The location of the accomodation. All accomodation was booked in the best possible location for the area and our planned activities.
2. The ability to select guides for one on one tours. With countless tour guides over our 3 week trip we only experienced one guide that was disappointing over the entire period.
3. All transfers were arranged. They were all in quality comfortable cars and the drivers were professional, courteous and always on time or early. It made moving from location to location far less stressful.

It was an amazing trip ,the guides were very knowledgeable and interesting and we really enjoyed every day of our trip
The hotels were peculiar and gave us an interesting sensation of the city , we like them very much

Our local specialist was very pleasant and extremely helpful as she created our 4 week itinerary to Italy. She listened to all of our preferences and shaped the trip around our requests. I have no idea how much time we saved with her booking all the hotels and many excursions. She also provided a lot of great recommendations for restaurants and activities during our down time. This was my second time using KimKim and I will be using KimKim for my next trip too.

Deborah planned a perfect trip for my sister and I to visit Italy together. We requested a more laid-back itinerary without visits to the usual sights because we had been there previously, and Deborah did an excellent job of planning alternative options like wine tastings, tours by boat, and opportunities to enjoy each place we visited. We visited Lake Como with a private tour of several locations on the lake, as well as Florence where we took a variety of day trips into surrounding Tuscany (including Siena, and San Gimignano, and Cince Terre). We also planned to attend a concert in Milan, and Deborah was able to incorporate our plans into her itinerary as well. Something really helpful was that she established "chaperones" in each city that met us at the airport, train station, or at our hotels to receive us when traveling from another city and help make sure we were settled. Deborah was thoughtful, friendly, and efficient with our trip plan, and even went so far as to book us a new tour when one of ours was canceled at the last minute while we were en route to Italy. We received a message when we arrived at the airport that she had booked us a new tour so that we didn't even have to worry about it which was amazing. We felt she took great care in making sure we were pleased with our trip before, during, and after. Thank you Deborah for a memorable trip!

We had the most beautiful trip to North Italy. Valeria planned the perfect summer vacation for us to Venice, Florence, Cinque Terra, Lake Como and Milan. The hotels were very nice and conveniently located. The guides were knowledgeable in art, architecture, history and culture. Our concierge Alessia ensured we always knew where to be next. We felt like we got a chance to immerse ourselves in Italian culture and see a lot! We enjoyed every minute of the trip.

Activity Review

Wanna be Italiano - Florence cooking class and market tour

Italy

Claudia's tours of Cinque Terre and Portfolio were fantastic; she was knowledgable and flexible with our needs.

Our guide in Venice (Grace) was so good! She did a fabulous job guiding us through the Doge Palace and the Basilica! Very friendly and knowledgeable. Will ing to take time to answer all of our questions.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Lago di Garda

Malcesine

Staff was great and breakfast was wonderful! The location was ideal.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to sights , shops and restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bonvecchiati Palace

Venice

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cellai

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Venice Gondola Ride

Venice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Evening Tour Inside St Mark's & Doge's Palace

Venice

Wonderful experience! Tour guide was great!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Siena, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, Chianti: Fully Escorted Tour with guided Siena visit, Lunch and Wine Tasting

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hand-made Pasta & Typical Dessert Cooking Class

Florence

This was a lot of fun! Learned a lot in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. The Chef was knowledgeable and fun .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The trip turned out almost perfect if not for the heat wave we experienced during our trip. The Traveler Care team was amazing and responded to all my requests while traveling in a very timely manner making additions and modifications to the trip to account for situations like the weather.

This is our second trip planned using KimKim and would definitely consider using them again for another trip. You definitely pay a premium but its nice to have someone plan everything for you when visiting a foreign country for the first time.

Hotel Reviews

Yes Hotel Rome

Rome

Cute little boutique hotel situated super close to the train station and some amazing restaurants. Nice breakfast in the morning with clean and comfortable rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

2 minute walk to the train station

Staff

Great restaurant recommendations.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean rooms and comfy beds.

Palazzo Alabardieri Hotel Napoli

Naples

Love love loved this hotel. The charm of it was one of our favorite places we stayed during our trip. Great breakfast. Rooms were super comfy and spacious.

Authenticity & Character

beautiful architecture and Italy charm

Location

great distance to all kinds of shopping and restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were spacious. Breakfast area was very nice.

Hotel Villa di Sorrento

Sorrento

The location of this hotel was perfect . It was within a 2 minute walking distance to the central area where all the taxis converge, and restaurants and shopping within a few minutes walking distance.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was a little run down. They could use a little sprucing up but then again I think it was a 3 star hotel so maybe it was on par for the price.

Activity Reviews

Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

Our guide was very knowledgeable. It was a great tour however if I were to do it all over again I would try to find a shorter tour. 3 hours in the Vatican area is a lot. The amount of people being hoarded through is crazy. After a few hours its just a lot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Comfy, on time

Local transfer in Rome

Rome

iCareLimo services were amazing. We used them almost daily throughout our trip. They were always on time, communicated with me timely and at my disposal. The car was always nice and cool which was appreciated during the heat wave. Sometimes cold water was provided. I would say that should be a must for every time we used the service just as a suggestion.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

Great tour, great stories but it was just hot hot hot!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

tour guide knew his stuff and made it very interesting.

Transport

Pizza Cooking Class in Napoli

Naples

Fun class and great tasting pizza but the restaurant didn't have AC and it was around lunchtime. Having to stand and cook near a hot pizza oven in a restaurant with no AC was brutal.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Pompeii Tour & Mount Vesuvius visit with lunch and wine tasting

Pompeii

This was one of our favorite tours however we did have to scrap the Mt Vesuvius hike as the temperatures were in the triple digits. I would say just do a longer Private Pompeii tour and skip the Mt Vesuvius hike or the lunch/wine tasting.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved her stories and the things she showed us in Pompeii

Transport

Pasta & Tiramisu Making Class

Rome

Loved this class! The food was amazing. The instructors were terrific. I loved the experience of it all. The restaurant was very nice and cool (which was important with the heat wave we were experiencing). It was a bit far from our hotel but once we got there we loved the experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amalfi Coast Boat Tour From Sorrento

Sorrento

It was a great experience. Long day on a boat so definitely take your Bonine if you tend to get boat sick. The seas get pretty rough with all the boats in the area. I loved that our stops were short (1.5 hours in Amalfi and 1.5 hours in Positano) and then we had 2 swimming stops. We really got a great tour of the entire Amalfi coast. I do wish the boat was a little more comfortable. For 12 people I felt like a few of us didn't have seats for the entire trip covered as most of us didn't want to be in the full sun for 8 hours.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naples Street Food Tour

Naples

This was the one tour we could have done without. While the Naples food scene is interesting and different from other parts of Rome we felt like we walked for miles with no real destination in mind. 3 hours is WAY too long. And after the first few tastings you're so full you can't really eat anything more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fabio helped us plan a 10 day trip to Italy in the middle of July for my family of 5. Kids ages 20, 18 & 14.
Every flight pick up, train transportation, driver to/from worked out. No one cancelled or late in arriving and all super friendly and helpful. We stayed in four different hotels along our trip and all hotels had exceptional service and per our kids, the best breakfast options. 😊
We jammed in so many nice excursions from the walking tour in Venice with our guide, Roberta, who showed us local piazzas, streets that were empty of tourists, inside the Basilica of San Marco and where to get the best gelato! She was great.
We had exceptional drivers, Stefano and Marcelo, and very happy we chose not to drive ourselves. We were able to sit back and really enjoy the scenery during our drive to/from Tuscany for some wine tasting and visiting Sienna and San Gimignano.
The other long drive to Amalfi Coast had crazy curvy streets with narrow, two way traffic and driving that ourselves would have been horrible!! I highly recommend no one tackle that drive. Our driver, Marcelo, handled it with a breeze and we relaxed during that drive (we all took dramamine to be safe!) The views are truly spectacular and have great pictures from it.
Despite the crazy heat, we tried to make the best of it and the only excursion I could have done without was visiting the Sistine Chapel. It was super super crowded and hot inside which makes for a bad combo. Our entrance time was at 4p mid-week and it was crazy. We thought we could easily go under the ropes to work our way out but security didn’t like that and it almost caused us a fine. We explained how my daughter & I felt sick and had to exit and they let us go. Asking security for permission to exit is the better way to handle.
Lastly, our all day boat excursion in Sorrento to see the coast from the water and visit Island of Capri. We had captain David and co-captain Charlotte.
Waves were high and at first not sure we were able to even go boating but captain suggested a slightly larger boat would help ease the feeling (mind you my daughter and I both have weak stomachs 🤢) and it all worked out. At no extra cost to us, we were upgraded to 40’ boat and it was all ours for the day. We packed a lunch and had paninis and swam at our leisure. The stop to Capri was about 3hours and long enough to really explore and visit the Garden of Augusto at the top of the island via a lift. Kids really enjoyed that.
Overall, there are not enough words to explain the exceptional level of service we received from Fabio and KimKim. Sure it comes at a premium but all worth it to have a great planned out vacation that our family will remember for years.
Our hearts are full of wonderful memories of Italy, so thank you!

Andrea and the KIMKIM team was amazing to work with. I came across them while trying to plan my trip to Italy online and I am so glad that I did. They took over the entire process and made things simple. Andrea created the person itinerary to include everything my husband and I were interested in and omit things that that not matter to us. He was prompt to answer all of our questions prior to the trip. Our trip started off in Venice, with car service that brought us to the hotel. We had a tour guide for the evening who did a great job of showing us the off the beaten path look at Venice which we loved. We then traveled to Florence and again met with a knowledgeable tour guide. As the weather was getting hot, Andrea checked in and often changed times of our tours so that we would find it more pleasant. While leaving Florence, there was a train strike. Our trip to Pompeii was canceled. Andrea was super helpful in trying to get us to our next destination. He also refunded us the money as our plans had to be canceled. Every time we could not locate a guide or find a place, Andrea responded to our messages quickly and helped every step of the way. The guides were all knowledgeable and very professional and helpful. The drivers were also great. I will most definitely be using kimkim in the future and recommending them to everyone.

We usually plan our own travels and this is the first time getting help . And using Kimkim was the best decision we ever made. Irene our local specialist was phenomenal! She was really a pleasure to work with. She is patient, very responsive and was honest in her opinion. Together we discussed what I wanted in the trip and she helped us craft a perfect itinerary.
We had both guided and self guided tours. She gave great insights into the places we visited, where to go, what to look out for and even restaurant recomendations.

We packed a lot into our trip. We visited 4 cities and Irene helped plan the visits to each city/area. I can't decide which is the best because they are all different with different things to offer. Irene's plan was well thought out.

Throughout our trip, we felt truly cared for. The Travelcare team which is like a "virtual concierge" is really god-sent. They were available to answer any questions, help you if you have problems or encounter any problems. We truly felt that everyone on the team is there to make sure your trip runs smoothly and that we have the best travel experience.

I posted my travels on social media and had lots of my friends asking who helped me plan this amazing trip. I told them about Kimkim. I will definitely use Kimkim in my future travels!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Modigliani

Roma

Hotel was conveniently located near the Spanish Steps. Don’t let the entrance fool you. The rooms are very clean, updated and we had a really good rest there.

Authenticity & Character

It’s a cute and quaint hotel

Location

5 mins fr Spanish Steps and the shopping area

Staff

Very friendly and efficient

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were comfy and rooms felt updated and clean. AC was cool. Bathroom was a little tight but we didn’t mind

Hotel Antigo Trovatore Venice

Venice

Location was fantastic. Very near the water taxi station and San Marco Basilica. Rooms were clean. Bfast was adequate. Only reason I gave it a 4 star is bcos the air conditioner’s location was not ideal. It had cool air blown on my face the whole night which made it difficult to sleep . Otherwise the hotel is great!

Authenticity & Character

Location

3 mins walk fr San Marco square

Staff

Friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were clean

Hotel L'Orologio

This is a 5 star hotel! It felt very luxurious. From the moment you walk into the lobby till the room. Everything was exquisite! It’s just a 6 min walk from the Santa Maria Novella train station and a 4 min walk to the Duomo. Super convenient!

Authenticity & Character

Very classy hotel

Location

Near Duomo and train station

Staff

Friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Luxurious hotel

Activity Review

Amalfi Coast Boat Tour From Sorrento

Sorrento

This was the most relaxing tour we had for our trip. We were glad we chose the boat tour rather than going buy car/bus as we were able to enjoy the scenic coastline up close!You wouldn’t hv had that experience if we traveled on the road. The captain of the boat was good. He made sure we were safe. The highlight was that we were able to swim in the sea. It was just breathtaking!

Quality of Experience

Very well planned tour. We got to visit Positano and Amalfi town n also get to enjoy the ride on the boat

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Captain of boat made sure safety comes first. He also told us what to look out for, places to see etc

Transport

Enjoy the sea rather than stuck in a car or bus going thru windy roads

Fabio was fantastic to work with from start to finish. Fabio worked with me to create a very memorable trip. I had a few ideas, but he gave great suggestions from excursions, restaurants, and money saving tips. I ended up taking two weeks spread amongst Rome, Florence, Sorrento and Venice with a few day trips to Capri, Cinque Terre, and Pompeii. That's a lot to coordinate by yourself so Fabio took all of the hassle out. All drivers and guides he booked for us were knowledgeable and friendly as well.

During the trip, Fabio was quick to respond to some issues that arose with our trains and Capri ferry, which was a huge help since we don't speak Italian. There was a massive train derailment outside of Florence, which would have made us lose a day of our trip - Fabio found a driver so we could keep moving within 30 minutes.

All in all, when you visit Italy you'll really appreciate Fabio as your agent.

Andreas is awesome. Entire trip was planned flawlessly right from guides to transfer/pickups and selection of activities. He was constantly checking on us and updating.

We’ve used Kim Kim before but this is the best experience we’ve had.

Thank you so much Andreas!

Overall an amazing trip. Well organized and fun for our family of 4 with 2 boys (8 and 15). It hit all the marks, history and architecture, food and fun excursions. Highlights included pasta making in Florence, balsamic vinegar tasting in Modena. You also accommodated special requests including touring the 2 Ferrari museums, and Papal General Audience. Staff in Italy was very responsive via text, making changes on the fly as needed.

Thanos was extremely helpful in sourcing and booking our accommodations and transportation whilst in Italy. The pre trip planning went smoothly and Thanos worked within our budget and desired locations to put together a really exciting itinerary. Despite a few hiccups with local vendors (out of KimKim's control), we thoroughly enjoyed our 10 days in Italy and would recommend using KimKim in the future. One of the BIG highlights of using KimKim was the availability of Thanos to ask last minute questions and and make any necessary changes. Having a 'virtual concierge' while travelling was new for us but enormously helpful. Thanks again.

A superb, 4 city vacation in Italy with a very customized itinerary with every travel detail and ticket clearly laid out with no work on our part. Every taxi/boat driver was available on time in every transfer point (8+) as soon as we got off the train/plane. Unique cooking experiences, private tours of the Vatican, and so much more. In a country where we didn't know the language and there were various unknowns, our travel reps (Jessica and Barbara) were available every step of the way giving us daily reminders. I 100% would use this service again as our experiences were one of a kind!

Activity Reviews

Market Tour & Cooking lesson (morning tour)

Rome

Fantastic!! Michaela took us to get the best, fresh food from the market. Outgoing, fun, and friendly telling us every step and asking every detail of what we like, what to try, etc. This felt like one of the most local experiences we ever had with a lot of fun. We learned to cook pasta with her, my wife and I while enjoying the best appetizers and meal. This was so personal, unique, and local that you can't miss out. Plus prosecco, wine, and a fantastic air conditioned apartment with a rustic feel that you can't replicate!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Evening Gondola Ride Venice & City Stroll

Venice

Our guide was fantastic (Ontavia I believe) who knew so much of the city. Personable, friendly, and knowledgeable. We learned so much about Venice along with the private walk that made it comfortable. Then the gondola ride was one of the best things we ever did while she dropped us off. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport