Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

This was the most expensive trip I ever took. The places visited and events chosen were amazing. Alberto was very helpful and picked fantastic hotels and perfect locations in each city. Our guides and drivers were excellent. I especially was thrilled with our stay in Ortigia, the hotel and its picturesque seaside view was ideal. I would have given the trip 5 stars but there were two glitches that affected the trip. One was that a wine tasting was scheduled on a day that the vineyard was closed. On our way to Etna, our driver tried to communicate that the vineyard was not open on Sundays. So we changed directions and headed to Catania. This caused us to lose value time for seeing and doing things in Sicily. On our last morning, we were expecting a 5 A.M. pickup to take us to the Catania airport for a 8:20 A.M. flight. Our driver was late so we called his number and determined we needed to ask the hotel concierge to call a taxi for us. A taxi came and got us to the airport in plenty of time. I had to pay the driver but was reimbursed by Kimkim.

Activity Reviews

Fiat 500 Tour

Italy

The guide was extremely pleasant and knew how to make his clients feel important. The car was adorable and the drive was thrilling.

Guided Walking Tour of Rome

Rome

We thoroughly enjoyed our walking tour of Rome with Tommaso. He was an excellent guide and very knowledgeable. He had a delightful personality. We were shown many fascinating sites including a lot of churches as we requested. Tommaso supplied us with information as we walked and answered questions we had for him. We even went to a popular Roman Caffe shop and enjoyed a delicious espresso with him. We give Tommaso an A+.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Walking Tour of Napoli

Naples

I didn't see our walking and guided tour of Pompeii listed in this section regarding tours but I am commenting on it. Seeing Pompeii was fascinating. Our guide Paola, was extremely knowledgeable and gave us valuable information concerning Pompeii. She was very personable and well informed. It was a pleasure having her guide us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We planned a trip to Italy with KimKim and it was absolutely amazing. Everything was planned well and our agent was alert and responsive to every request we put in. I will definitely use Kimkim in our next adventure. You will not go wrong with Moreno from Kimkim he is amazing to deal with.

Never having used the services of KimKim/Storywalking, I must say I had a little skepticism since all was developed through emails and no real “fave to face” conversation. Well, I’m here to say that this was perhaps one of the BEST planned trips I have ever taken! Everything went like clockwork. From the planning of Chiara, who listened to what I wanted in a trip, to Jessica and Barbara assisting us during the journey…they were all superb! Easily accessible for questions and able to adjust and assist exactly as requested. We certainly were able to experience a true taste of NW Italy and Chianti. All the excursions, drivers, train tickets, car rental all were perfect! We could not have asked for better execution during a trip. I think our favorite spots were the Royal Victorian Hotel in Varenna and the Hotel Belvedere in Chianti. Not to say the Buranco
BnB in Monterosso was not great, just a different experience. We really enjoyed visiting with Mary, one of the winery/BnB owners and the food and wine were fantastic.
I would definitely use KimKim/Storywalking again!! Many thanks to all of you who assisted in planning this trip, especially Chiara, with a perfect 10 for this trip!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!

Hotel Reviews

Agriturismo Buranco

Monterosso al Mare

Sort of hard to get to but worth the effort! Outstanding views and location!!

Authenticity & Character

We stayed in Casa Blanca one of only 4apartments in this winery/BnB.

Location

Easy walk into Monterosso and train station and ferries, shops and restaurants.

Staff

Outstanding care!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Could use a little updating in the apartment with regards to AC/ceiling fans.. but… overall was great.

Lancaster Hotel

Milan

Great location if you want to spend the day visiting the Cathedral.

Authenticity & Character

Very Milanese!!

Location

Other than proximity to Cathedral, might be a little too distant for other sights.

Staff

Attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

No complaints!!

Hotel Royal Victoria

Beautiful hotel and location in Varenna, Lake Como!!

Authenticity & Character

Really felt special at this hotel.

Location

Accessibility to village and ferries.

Staff

Very attentive !!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nothing was missed or left to chance.

Hotel Nazionale

Desenzano del Garda

Good location for visiting the main areas of Desanzano. Close to restaurants and ferries which were both within a 8 minute walk from hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Very stale hotel. Felt like the hotel was more for your groups than individuals.

Location

A little off the beaten path but close enough to what we needed.

Staff

Not very friendly towards Americans.

Cleanliness & Comfort

All was good, except for the view overlooking the Audi dealership.

Belvedere di San Leonino

Castellina in Chianti

Love, love, love this hotel!! The views were spectacular!! Very authentic country farm/winery hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Felt like we were part of the area. Very authentic!!

Location

Easy to get anywhere you wanted to go in Tuscany.

Staff

Very attentive!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean!!

Activity Reviews

In the footsteps of Leonardo Da Vinci - Last Supper- Skip the Line Guided Tour

Milan

So glad we had a tour! Amazing guide and tour.

Quality of Experience

Our guide was great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Attentiveness!!

Transport

On time!!

Varenna and Bellagio Tour

Italy

So beautiful! Our guide was very knowledgeable and attentive to our questions.

Quality of Experience

Enjoyed learning more about the history of the Melzi family.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All great!

Transport

Took the ferry and enjoyed all.

Sirmione Walking and Boat Tour & Scaliger Castle

Italy

Wow!! Great tour!! Beautiful surroundings and so interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Truffle Hunting with Lunch

Italy

Very interesting! Great winery!

Quality of Experience

So much good food and wine!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marengo, our truffle guide was great along with his truffle hunting dogs. Great learning experience.

Transport

We drive our rental car. Very easy.

Cinque Terre Trekking & Train Card

Italy

So easy to view all 5 villages!!

Wine Experience in Cinque Terre

Italy

Unfortunately we did not participate in the event as we were exhausted. Sorry to miss this,

Extremely satisfied with KimKim Travel for our trip to Italy. Maria Grazia was fantastic throughout the entire booking process. Before departing for our trip Maria had us download an app to keep all of our trip details, train tickets and tour vouchers readily accessible on our phones. The app also allowed us to message each other and our local travel representative, Jessica. Jessica always replied promptly to our questions and requests.

The hotels in Rome and Florence were well located and although our Sorrento hotel was not walkable to the city center they did provide a shuttle. Our tours of the Vatican and the Colosseum in Rome were fabulous as was our Pompeii tour and e-bike trip through Tuscany.

We did experience a couple of rainy days in Sorrento which resulted in our boat excursion being cancelled. Our credit card was refunded for the cancelled tour within 48 hours.

I highly encourage you to use KimKim Travel for your next worry free vacation!

This was our first trip to Europe and we sought out a travel organizer to help us stay organized and lean on a local expert for recommendations on what to see and do. This was an excellent service experience which we would definitely do again and recommend to friends!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Villa di Sorrento

Sorrento

This hotel was so iconic Italy. Impeccably clean, service was absolutely perfect and the location is optimal to enjoy the sights of Sorrento. Delicious breakfast and coffee as well. Nikola at The front desk was super helpful when we had questions about restaurants, directions, and whatever we needed for the room.

Authenticity & Character

Iconic Italy. Architecture, decor, charming

Location

Central, convenient, beautiful view from our balcony

Staff

Nikola!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were small which we now know is typical in Europe. That didn’t matter to us because we were not there most of the time. The rooms were super clean and although the king bed was actually two twin beds pushed together it didn’t really bother us… maybe because we were so tired from travel adventures!

Acropolis Hill Hotel

Athens

Very clean, good location, amazing view of the Parthenon, awesome rooftop patio.

Authenticity & Character

It was a business vibe as opposed to authentic Greek which was fine for our one night stay

Location

Convenient if you want to visit the Parthenon.

Staff

Very attentive and eager to please guests. “Anthony” at the front desk went so far as to order our take away dinner because we didn’t have the app we needed. That kind of service is hard to find in the states!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything well tended to.

Kasimatis by La Perla

Santorini

I can’t say enough about the amazing experience at this hotel. Everything from the view to the staff, the food, the Jacuzzi, the location, sunsets and all of the wonderful memories - everything was absolutely unforgettable.

Authenticity & Character

So very Santorini- on the caldera- it felt slightly like the cave style but also modern, clean and uniquely special

Location

This is the optimal location for visiting in the month of May to see a perfect sunset. Even in other months of the season I’m sure it is absolutely spectacular. It’s very convenient to walk and find restaurants and the bus station and shops in Imerovigoli.

Staff

All of the staff at this hotel were so eager to make our experience perfect. They are very proud of what they do on the island of Santorini and we were grateful to experience that. When we checked in and out, there was staff readily available to carry our luggage up the 125 steps to and from the street!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The staff is so attentive to cleanliness. Someone came around every morning to check the Jacuzzi to make sure it was clean and we had everything we needed.

Activity Reviews

Capri Island & Grottos Boat Tour from Sorrento

Sorrento

We had a pretty rainy day for this tour, but our host on the boat made the experience absolutely amazing regardless of the weather. He was very talented, negotiating the waves while bringing us into all of the most amazing grottoes around the island of Capri

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amalfi Coast Boat Tour From Sorrento

Sorrento

This experience was canceled for us due to poor weather

Morning Catamaran Caldera Cruise

Santorini

What a cool experience, this was!

Quality of Experience

We had perfect weather. The crew was impeccable, and very good hosts. The music was great, and all of the stops we made were perfectly timed and educational.

Food

The mail on this boat was actually one of the best meals we had on our entire vacation. It is so impressive what they can do on a catamaran!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everything that we did in Santorini reminded us that tourism is a very important industry that helps this island Thrive. They go out of their way to make sure that your personal experience is absolutely perfect.

Transport

Santorini Highlights with Wine

Greece

This is a must do in my opinion for anyone going to visit Santorini. It really does cover the whole entire island on a high level and then travelers can decide where they’d like to spend additional time. Our guide was absolutely amazing. He knew this island extremely well, and was able to give us lots of awesome information about the history, the highlights the best places to see the sunset, and even brought us to a secret place that the travelers and most tourist didn’t know about. It was a really great experience for us.

Quality of Experience

Amazing overall quality of experience. If there was anything at all that we would change, we found ourselves definitely anxious to wrap up the day after 5 1/2 hours. If the company had offered a bottle of wine to watch the sunset with that would have enhanced the experience but all we had was a bottle of water, and we started feeling very hungry and ready to get back.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent driver and tour guide for this experience!

Transport

Very safe and efficient driver in a very comfortable van

We had the dreamiest trip planned for us across Italy. Everything exceeded out exceptions! Every tour and activity planned out was done with amazing companies and family owned operations. I could’ve never booked the same trip on my own. One of the days we messed up by thinking our tour for the colosseum started at a later time. Because of this we were fifteen mins later and the colosseum has a hard start time. We thought we missed it and there were no more tickets for the colosseum available for purchase but Jessica, Barbara, and Maria were able to still get us in with our tour we just joined a little late. We were over the moon and so grateful! I have never used a travel agent to help plan a trip but after this trip I’ll never do another trip without the help of KimKim.

Fabio was fantastic at helping us plan and execute a first-time, 5-day trip through Italy. He listened to our wants and needs, he paid attention to details, and was terrific about follow-up and answering questions from beginning to end. The selection of sites, hotels and guides were great, he was very attentive and available, and it was easy to communicate with him in English by email, text, and phone. Finally, he handled a worrying parent skillfully and professionally. We will call on Fabio again next year!

The Boutique Hotel Galatea was fantastic! Everyone greeted us warmly and the accommodations were comfortable. Our waiter at the complimentary breakfast was most helpful with providing restaurant recommendations for the Florence segment of our trip. Veronik with the Vatican tour and Martina from the Travestere Food Tour were excellent guides and Michela from Michela Home Restaurant gave us the most memorable experience.
The highlight of Florence was most definitely the Tuscany Vespa Tour and the wine/olive oil tasting at Castello di Poppiano! Ben and Alessandro were wonderful guides and made the experience even more special.
Our private transfer driver from Salerno to Sorrento, Massimo, was so very generous and helpful. We made a special request to make a quick visit to the small town of Colliano before being taken to Sorrento. Massimo went above and beyond our expectations for that side jaunt.
Sorrento was breathtakingly beautiful! Unfortunately, bad weather prevented us from enjoying some of our activities. The full day driving along the Amafli coast was absolutely gorgeous, though not an experience I would recommend, due to the extreme traffic and lack of time that we were able to spend exploring each of the towns. However, our driver Angelo was wonderful and made the 9 hours more pleasant with his positive attitude and serenades.

Hotel Reviews

Dedo Boutique Hotel

Florence

Compared to our experience in Rome, the staff was not as friendly. We did have a couple of maintenance issues, which were resolved to our satisfaction. There was a lot of variety for breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very near the Arno River and quite walkable.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boutique Hotel Galatea

Rome

The staff was soooo welcoming, friendly. and helpful. The breakfast was good and the personalized service was outstanding. The gentleman waiter from the morning breakfast service personally wrote down restaurant recommendations for us for the next city on our trip. The room was small but clean and comfortable. We would definitely stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walkable

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aquae Romanae Bed and Breakfast Sorrento

Sorrento

Although this was the largest of the rooms and the proprietor was extremely friendly and helpful, this was our least favorite accommodation. The facility is listed as a Bed and Breakfast, but they no longer provide breakfast since COVID. The bathroom was only separated from the bedroom by a floor to ceiling glass partition. A portion of the glass was frosted to provide some privacy, however, it was still rather uncomfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very helpful. Gave restaurant suggestions. Immediately came when we had a slight issue with the key at the gate.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The shower area was not as clean as other accommodations and the lack of private bathroom was noticeable.

Activity Reviews

Highlights of the Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour

Rome

Veronika was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour with Roman Forum

Rome

We don't recall our guide's name, but she was great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rome Food Tour

Rome

We had the guide all to ourselves!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Market Tour & Cooking lesson

Rome

Best day ever!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Michela was so wonderful! She made us feel like life-long friends.

Transport

Tuscany Vespa Tours

Florence

Best day in Florence!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ben and Alessandro were fantastic!

Transport

Uffizi and Accademia - Skip the line tickets

Florence

The Birth of Venus and David truly were magnificent! The skip the line tickets are essential.

Quality of Experience

Secrets Walks of Sorrento: Street food by Locals

Italy

Our guide, Hugo, was fantastic and very knowledgeable. We would have preferred that more of the street food we sampled was savory, and not all sweet.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Tour: Positano, Amalfi & Ravello

Italy

This was our least favorite activity. The extreme traffic and lack of time we were able to spend exploring the towns of Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello detracted from the overall experience. Our driver, Angelo, made the experience much more pleasant.

Quality of Experience

Due to the traffic, one day just wasn't enough time to fully explore what each town had to offer. More than half of the day was spent in the car.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Angelo was so genuinely nice and joyful. He made the ride through chaotic traffic as enjoyable as possible.

Transport

The car was clean and comfortable. Angelo takes pride in his work and it shows!

Our trip to Italy was booked on Kimkim through Ina, who ensured that my requests were taken care of as they arised during the planning process. For the actual trip, everything was seamless - the drivers, tours, and hotel accommodations. I especially recommend checking out the Amalfi coast and Pompeii! You won’t regret the nurturing assistance of Kimkim’s booking agents.

Hotel Review

Arcadia Hotel Venice

Venice

A charming hotel in Venuce with ultra-polite staff and the most amazing breakfast served in an elegant room!

Authenticity & Character

The dining room is superb!

Location

Easy walking distance to restaurants

Staff

Very courteous staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything you want in a hotel room in historic Venice!

Activity Review

Amalfi Coast Driving & Ferry Boat Tour From Sorrento

Sorrento

Very knowledgeable driver to usher us to our ferry to see the breathtaking Amalfi coast.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rome: 1. Our private walking tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, attentive and very flexible to our wishes. She spent extra time with us and guided us back to our hotel so we wouldn't get lost. 2. Our Colosseum and Forum Liv Tours guide was also knowledgeable, attentive and funny! The most memorable point of interest was St. Peter's Basilica. The Navona Colors hotel has a great location, wonderful staff and well appointed rooms.

Bologna: Our food tour guide was sweet and, as a native, was very knowledgeable about all things Bologna. She provided us with local specialties in a uniquely local setting. She also guided us back to our hotel. Our local travel specialist, Andrea, went out of his way to procure a last minute dinner reservation on a busy Sunday night at a local's restaurant which proved to be delicious! Our hotel, The Hotel Touring, has a great location, wonderful staff, nice bar and spacious rooms.

Venice: 1. Our hidden Venice walking tour and cicchetti experience was disappointing. The guide seemed rushed and distracted and our food was unappetizing and not very special. Also, she left us quite a ways away from our hotel with vague directions on how to find our way back. 2. Our Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica tour guide was very enjoyable and knowledgeable, although we would have preferred a smaller group or private tour. The Hotel Flora was quaint and offers a beautiful courtyard and dining room. All staff was friendly, helpful and very attentive. Andrea again was immediately available to reschedule our airport transportation when our flight time was changed. Walking around the more quiet areas, getting ourselves lost and found again, marveling at the architecture and enjoying the local wines was our favorite thing to do in Venice.

Everybody involved in this trip were excellent.

The KimKim Team was great to work with in planning our Athens/Rome/Florence vacation - our family of 4 was me and my husband and our 20 and 23 year old children. They booked some wonderful tours with experienced guides and all the hotels were centrally located so we walked to almost everything. It gave us great comfort knowing we could reach out to the KimKim team during our visit but everything went so smoothly we had no issues. We highly recommend this company for planning trips. Thank you!

We had a great experience working with Maria. Our trip was amazing!! This was our first time overseas and Maria and her team made the trip easy and seamless. They scheduled all our private transfers, train tickets, hotels and tours. We added some additional private transfers while in Italy and had no problem getting in touch with their local contact. I'd highly recommend Maria and will use KimKim again for any other trips we take.

Hotel Reviews

Kraft Hotel Florence

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Aminta

Sorrento

Great hotel with friendly and helpful staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Independent Hotel

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

The Top Tuscan E-Bike Tour

Italy

This was the favorite part of our trip. Our guide was very knowledgeable of the local area. He answered all our questions about the region and made the trip fun. HIGHLY recommend this tour.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Early Morning Vatican Tour

Rome

Amazing tour! Our guide was very informative on all areas of the Vatican. Can't imagine visiting the Vatican on our own. We would have missed so much of the history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our experience with Maria and her team was great! It was our first trip to Europe and not sure what to expect. Maria took care of every detail of our trip so that we could relax and explore Italy.
We were able to ask questions at any time while we on our trip & the response time was quick from Maria and Jessica.
We would highly recommend using Maria to help plan your trip to Italy!

Activity Reviews

The Top Tuscan E-Bike Tour

Italy

Loved this private tour of the country side and winery!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Steph was our guide and she was amazing!

Transport

Colosseum Tour with Underground, Arena & Gladiator Gate with Roman Forum

Rome

Our guide, Julia, was amazing! So friendly and knowledgeable. Very impressive and highly recommend her!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This Italy trip was fantastic. We travel and speak directly with Valentina, Jessica, and Barbara as Italy experts to make this trip go smoothly and exciting. Our private's guides, Manuela in Florence, Sara in Venice, and Selenia in Rome, were outstanding. They are competitive and knowledgeable.

Siena was a surprise because we didn't know that we would like it so much. In "la Bellissima Florencia," we have a great time taking Tuscan cooking classes with our chef Tomasso and his incredible team of chefs. Venice- St. Marks Basilica was astounding. Venice's food is excellent. I eat at Agli Alboretti Hotel, and the chef is excellent. Gondola thru canals and the vias were terrific, wonderful time for shopping.

We love it, and our next personal trip will be retaken with KimKim. Thank you, guys, for this beautiful travel time.

Hotel Reviews

Il Battistero Siena

Siena

Cozy, personal, private, quiet, great view, excellent host. Perfect!!

Authenticity & Character

This hotel has an old aqueduct and storage for wine downstairs which have a fantastic story about its construction. Go to check.

Location

Walking distance to everything and, at the same time quiet neighborhood.

Staff

Attentive, responsive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

It's a medieval building with suppressive accommodation. It was fantastic.

B&B Hotel Firenze City Center

Florence

Good, but they allocated us to a handicapped room with water excess outside the shower door thru the floor.

Authenticity & Character

Bathroom

Location

Accessible to so many places within walking distance.

Staff

Attentive but not responsive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Water excess outside the shower door thru the floor.

Hotel agli Alboretti

Venice

Old building with authentic decoration of Venice Bay. Cozy, charming, and excellent restaurant. The restaurant annex to the hotel is terrific. One of the best food I ever taste. The fish soup is terrific. Really delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Charming, authentic old Venice building.

Location

Quiet location. Near everything at the same time.

Staff

The staff was great. Attentive, responsive. The restaurant staff was excellent.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean.

Boutique Hotel Galatea

Rome

It is like a secret place deep inside Rome. Walking distance to everything. Cozy, charming, clean, and accessible.

Authenticity & Character

Cozy and charming. It is like we live in a Rome neighborhood.

Location

Walking distance to everything

Staff

Knowledgeable. Take care of everything. We like the service a lot.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Activity Reviews

Best of Florence Walking Tour with David & the Duomo

Florence

Great visit with amazing detailed information from our guide Manuela, and even the occasional joke. Perfect also because you get to skip the long lines.

Quality of Experience

The academy surprises me. I never tough the David sculpture is so awesome.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of them were very respectful and attentive. Very professional and knowledgeable.

Transport

High-quality transportation.

Guided Tour of Florence Duomo with access to the Dome

Florence

Special place. Botticelli's work is outstanding

Quality of Experience

Amazing place. Impressive work of art.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of them are great. Respectful and knowledgeable.

Transport

High-quality transportation

Central Food Market & Tuscan Cooking Class

Florence

It was perfect. I love to cook, and this experience was fantastic—easy techniques to perform some Tuscan recipes.

Quality of Experience

Beginning with the market to pick the ingredients was terrific. The whole class was straightforward to follow. The interactions with the chefs were excellent.

Food

Terrific. The best Ragu sauce I ever taste.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of them are great. Respectful and knowledgeable.

Transport

High-quality transportation

Giotto Bell Tower Tickets

Florence

Good trip. Excellent views of the city.

Quality of Experience

Good trip. Excellent views of the city.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very respectful and attentive.

Transport

High-quality transportation.

Venice Walking Tour with St. Marks Basilica and Gondola Ride

Italy

This is a pretty good trip. Venice was outstanding. Our guide (Sara) was excellent. A combination of knowledgeable, personable, and humorous at the same time. It was well worth seeing the Square and the Basilica. I learned a lot and was on a private tour avoiding lines on a crowded day. So, it was perfect.

Quality of Experience

This is a pretty good trip. It was well worth seeing the St. Marks Basilica. OMG, what a place. I learned a lot and was on a private tour, avoiding lines on a crowded day. So, it was perfect.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide (Sara) was excellent—a combination of knowledgeable, personable, and humorous at the same time.

Transport

High-quality transportation.

Dine. Taste. Learn

Rome

Great Time. Excellent food. We love the wines.

Quality of Experience

Very good food and the quality of the "tapas", fantastic.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The host was terrific. Very knowledgeable and charming.

Transport

High-quality transportation

Colosseum Tour with Underground, Arena & Gladiator Gate with Roman Forum

Rome

Fantastic tour with guide Selenia providing detailed explanations and descriptions of sites; perfectly knowledgeable, energetic, and well-expressed guide, willing to answer all questions, big and small.

Quality of Experience

Selenia has a deep knowledge of history and she brings it to life. We got so much more than we would have if we had simply walked through as tourists. She answered questions and added interesting historical facts. She made our trip perfect.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fantastic tour with guide Selenia providing detailed explanations and descriptions of sites; perfectly knowledgeable, energetic, and well-expressed guide, willing to answer all questions, big and small.

Transport

high-quality transportation

Fabio was an excellent guide both during the planning process and while we were on our trip.
Our group of four wanted to visit Florence and the Amalfi Coast and Fabio did a great job reserving our hotels, arranging transportation and securing tickets for tours in Rome and in Florence.

Our hotels in Rome, Sorrento and Florence were first-rate! The locations were perfect, the rooms were excellent and the perks (complimentary breakfast and evening wine/snacks) were unbelievable!

Our drivers and guides were also outstanding. Our most memorable experience had to be our private tour of the Uffizi Gallery and the Academia in Florence. Our guide, Brenda, was amazing. She was passionate about the art and her insights made the tour really special.

The only difficulties we faced in our trip were due to our flight cancellation to Italy at the beginning of our trip. Fabio was right there to change our tour reservations and our hotel reservations. (He must be awake 24/7 monitoring messages!)

We would recommend kimkim highly, especially if you get a chance to work with Fabio!

The trip was wonderful. Rome was crowded and crazy, I’d been there before, but a magnificent city with unmatched history and energy. The colosseum tour with Marta was excellent, with a chance to see the underground that wasn’t available last time I was there. The architecture and engineering that took place 2000 years ago is mind boggling. The hotel was good, full of travelers. Transportation to and from the airport was perfect, both drivers arriving early.
The driver, Fabio, who took us from Rome to Sorrento was wonderful. Very friendly, knowledgeable, speaking excellent English, he was a tour guide as well as a driver. The stop at Pompei was amazing. The tour guide Yulia was excellent, so intelligent and articulate. The hotel in Sorrento was beautiful, on a cliff overlooking the sea. The room was spacious and pleasant, although a bit cave-like with no outside light. One of the desk clerks was very helpful in setting up my Google Maps app. Our Amalfi coast driver, Angelo, was friendly and entertaining, and a veteran at the challenging coastal drive. The day was beautiful despite rain and fog.
A good driver (name unremembered) got us to the Naples airport for the car rental. The car rental was perhaps the most difficult and stressful part of the trip. Very busy and rushed. I upgraded because that was the only option to get navigation, and a very helpful lot attendant got the car computer to work in English. The car was new and beautiful, a Lynk and Co. model, but the electronics were overwhelming and the scant manual was in Italian. We were able to utilize the navigation but couldn’t figure out most other functions. Nonetheless it was a beautiful car and the actual driving was fine. Returning the car at the Termini train station in Rome was very stressful. The station is a frantic and extremely busy place, and there are no signs directing you to the car rental return. A helpful maintenance worker told us how to get to the return lot, or we may still be there driving around. The check out man spoke very little English, and I signed a lot of papers with no idea what I was signing. I received an invoice several days later and I have no idea how much was prepaid or how much I actually am paying for the rental, including a damage surcharge for unknown reasons. I’ve rented cars many times, and its a stressful process, even in your native language, and the rental car industry is well known for mysterious charges. I’m not asking for anything to be done, but just letting you know that the whole process was stressful.
Matera was a surprise and an amazing place. Alina was a wonderful guide, the city was breathtaking, and the experience there was definitely a highlight of the trip. The hotel was very nice and the proprietors were friendly and helpful.
Bari went well. Our guide Giorgio was fantastic, and gave us a very personal and enjoyable tour of the old town. The hotel was central and worked out fine.
Lecce was enjoyable. We had a lot of trouble parking and finding our B&B in the very confusing maze of streets in the old town. There was no one there to greet us when we finally found the place, but was able to call and talk with someone who informed us about parking and actually getting into the room. The door code didn’t work but someone eventually came to let us in. The accomodation was very nice, but we missed the availability of a proprietor who could provide advice and direction. We did a walking tour through the tourist office with a very good guide, and took the narrated tram ride that was informative. The orecchiette class was wonderful, entertaining, interesting, and fun. The owner of Strada del Vino was very supportive and friendly.
The trip was a resounding success, and KimKim’s services were absolutely what we needed. Setting up accommodations and guided events, prepaying, and developing an excellent itinerary made it easy for us to relax and enjoy beautiful Italy.
The app made it easy to know what we were doing and going, and we consulted it dozens of times through the trip. Having you and Jessica available and checking in with us was helpful and reassuring.
A couple of suggestions (not complaints): It would be helpful if parking information was included in the hotel descriptions in the app. Not knowing about parking when coming into busy cities, sometimes
with narrow, winding streets is stressful.
In terms of itinerary, going first to Lecce and ending in Bari would reduce the long drive back to Rome by nearly 2 hours.

Thank you again for your hard work and genuine concern. I won’t hesitate to recommend your services to others.

Grazie Mille

Arrivederci,

Ken and Diane

Fantastic experience from start to finish. The experiences chosen were a good variety and things I may have not discovered on my own. Our entire group loved the trip. Eleni was great to work with, very knowledgeable and responsive. It was also nice having a contact while we were away to answer our questions. I'll never travel without kimkim again!

Hotel Reviews

GCF Luxury Suites

Roma

Amazing hotel in the heart of the city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Badia Sorrento

Sorrento

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rome Food Tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Pompeii

Quality of Experience

I'm

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Giuseppe was very knowledgeable and patient.

Transport

Private Amalfi Coast Driving Tour

Italy

Our guide Guieseppe was very knowledgeable and patient.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sorrento Sea Kayak Tour

Italy

Fun unique experience and great guides

Quality of Experience

I'm

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Capri Island & Grottos Boat Tour from Sorrento

Sorrento

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Every detail was thought through. Our guides, driver, tours, and hotels were exactly what we hoped for. Every tour guide had a Ph.D. level understanding level of the art, history, and the people that made it. Our whole experience was astonishing and far beyond our expectations.
Valeria organized and knew exactly what we wanted and every aspect of our trip was seamless. This left us able to enjoy every minute of the beauty, food, and people of Italy. This was the family vacation I hoped to achieve. My husband and adult children had unforgettable times together and time to explore on our own. Every hotel exceeded the next and the history and beauty of Rome, Perugia, Assisi, Spello, Florence, Lake Como, and Milan gave us memories to last a lifetime.
I interviewed several tour planners in the US, Valeria, from Kim Kim, who resides in Rome delivered with "local" knowledge and expertise I could not get in the U.S. Don't hesitate in hiring the Kim Kim experts. I am so grateful that I did.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Della Conciliazione

Rome

The rooms are fine, but there was an unfortunate smell that the hotel tried to cover with air fresherners.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The

Hotel Sina Brufani

Perugia

A really great breakfast and an excellent location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

You could walk to anywhere from here.

Staff

so helpful and kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Cavour

Florence

Great location.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Albergo Terminus

Como

Great location!

Authenticity & Character

Cannot image staying anywhere else. Their terraced par/restaurant was an excellent to wind down with friends and family

Location

Your could walk to anywhere from here. The rooms were great!

Staff

Answered every request.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super clean. The staff answered every request.

Star Hotel Rosa Grand

Milan

What a hotel! You will love the location. The best.

Authenticity & Character

Corporate hotel but in an excellent location.

Location

So close to the Doumo, castle and the best shopping.

Staff

Every request was met with a no problem.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The turn down service was really great.

Activity Reviews

Private Colosseum, Forum Tour & Palatine hill

Rome

Julia was amazing. We learned so much. Her pace was perfect and she arranged for me to take the elevator in the Colosseum, that was a game changer for me because I have a damaged right knee. The weather was perfect! Julia was able to answer our endless questions without taking a beat.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The driving in Rome is CRAZY our drivers were able to navigate it all. I can tell you this is quite feat.

Private golf cart tour

Rome

Dario was unbelievable. We had a blast on our golf tour. These golf tours are a great way to see Rome!

Quality of Experience

The park that provide a spectacular view of the city

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dario was great. I would recommend his services for this tour to anyone

Transport

Rome drivers are crazy, but the golf cart is a great way to go. You need to be an expert driver, that is for sure.

Small group tour of Vatican City , Sistine Chapel & saint Peter's Basilica

Rome

Wow, learned so much. It was a great family experience. Ev/Ava was wonderful. We learned so much from her and she was warm and knowledgeable. She clearly loved her work and made us feel so welcome

Quality of Experience

learned so much.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They were so good. Could expect more.

Transport

Private Pizza-making class

Rome

Tony was unbelievable! We love the experience. Tony was so generous and knowledgeable. All five of us loved it. We were fed so well and by the fruits of our labor with Tony. We ate a lot of pizza during our trip. I can honestly say we ate our best pizza here, in this class.

Quality of Experience

We were to walk through the oldest open-air market in Rome. It was outstanding.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was on time time and even though we ran over for our next tour, he was ready to take us to our next destination.

Transport

Who cannot love a Mercedes?

Full day Private tour of Assisi and Spello with car and guide at disposal

Italy

We had an unexpectedly great tour here. We didn't know what to expect but Isabella made the entire time spectacular! She knew where to go and HOW to go. Avoiding crowds and difficult climbs. The views were wonderful and the blooming flowers were smelling wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The warmth and generous treatment of us through sun and rain. You can't go wrong with the wonderful services of this group.

Transport

We always had late-model Mercedes that sat us comfortably

Private guided tour of the Uffizi and Accademia Galleries (4 hours)

Florence

The crowds were crazy but Simona guided us through the crowds and the museum staff. We saw so many beautiful things and she was able to answer all our questions. I was particularly slow and stopping often to look at things that only interested me. My family despaired of my frequent stops but Simona was patient and able to answer all my questions.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Small group Tour of Tuscany Oil & Wine Tasting with a personal sommelier

Florence

We had been traveling and touring in our small family group, this was our only group tour, a small group tour. Probably the only misstep we took. I thought we would all love wine tasting. We did not. The views were wonderful, but the wine, not so much.

Quality of Experience

Food

Everyone loved the food and the pairing with the wine.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Boat Tour of Lake Como - Explore Bellagio

Italy

We started out the morning, it was cloudy and cold, but without rain. Our guide Laura helped us get comfortable on our boat and off we went. We saw George Clooney's house and every beautiful palace/home on the lake. We laughed and laughed and had a great time.

Quality of Experience

Food

There was no food included.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bernina Express and St Moritz full day tour from Milan

Italy

It was raining and expected to be in the 30's F. so we canceled the trip

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fabio was an excellent resource throughout the entire trip and planning process. We told him some highlights and he helped us achieve the experience we wanted for our family. He took everyone in our 5 person party into account and made sure there were activities for kids (ages 14 and 11) and my mother. From the planning process throughout the entire vacation not only was he available and responsive all hours of the day and night, he would proactively remind us about important tour times during the actual trip, any updates to the itinerary and then would touch base with us on Whats App to make sure we had connected which each of our private tour guides. For example, we got lost and were 10 mins late to our tour in Napoli and he connected with the tour guide to let him know we were on the way and helped us get to the correct spot so we did not get left behind. He checked in with us every evening of our 9 day trip (3 different cities) to make sure we were happy with how the day went and to see if any adjustments needed to be made to the next day. He also helped us find excellent places to eat and had back up ideas in case we ran late or had weather that caused a change of plans.