Kimkim Trip Reviews for Norway

The trip to Norway is wonderful and unforgettable. We are four to go on 23 October 2024. We enjoy Bergen but I think too long to stay there. Bergen is a lovely city. We also love Flam , Bodo but Bodo stay 1 night is not enough. Most of all we love more Lofoten. The view there is beautiful. All the trip and activity were all managed well. Your local specialist Krista and Fenne and the 24 customer care is very helpfull. The respond is quick when we need help. Hotel all good and very near to ferry, train station, Unluckily our Aurora hunting was cancelled twice due to bad weather in Lofoten.
But luckily the last day in Bodo we got a very good local guide Mr. Ivar. He is very good, patient, very experience, high responsibility. Actually we already hopeless because the weather is very bad in Bodo. Is raining and snowing. But Mr. Ivar
convince us that we can still see the Northern Lights if we are willing to drive about 6 hours in return to the east. Then we told him we willing. He is very experience tour guide and also driver. AS he said finally we can see the very beautiful Northern Lights. He also help us to take many nice photos. Thanks very much to Kimkim and Mr.Ivar. The car also very nice car include drink and snack. Will introduce Kimkim to my friends

Activity Review

Northern Lights Safari from Bodø, Northern Norway

Bodø

Excellent. Your tour guide Is very good and experience. Without him we were impossible to se the Northern Lights. We thanks Mr. Ivar

Quality of Experience

private transfer, hotel, activity,

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Family trip to Norway!

I reached out to kimkim to get an idea on how to plan our trip. I was put in contact with Eliise, one of kimkim’s local specialists. She was always quick to respond and came up with several options on excursions for my group. It took us several months to finalize our trip and Eliise was there to guide us from beginning to end. She was open to our suggestions for hotels too.

Fenne was great to work with as well. Always quick to follow up and respond. Rufo the local emergency contact was amazing. He was extremely patient and quickly to follow up with questions and suggestions.

Thank you all. We definitely could not have planned this trip without your assistance and guidance.

Our trip started with a few hiccups all related to KLM which had nothing to do with kimkim. We arrived into Oslo spent a night there and started our train ride to Bergen early the next way. Best idea. Although the trip started early in the dark we enjoyed a lovely local breakfast on the train. The attendant in the cafe was friendly and helpful. As the sun rose and the beautiful scenery came to view we were all left speechless. The colors, the clear water had us escaping from Houston. We changed trains in Flam and enjoyed more scenic rides all the way to Voss. Unbelievable is all we can say.

We finally made it Bergen. Checked into Scandic Byparken. Hotel was ok. Apparently they have an old section and a new section. Some of my group ended in the new section which were bigger and better rooms. I would definitely pick another option for the hotel. Breakfast was good though. We took the Fjord cruise. Spectacular doesn’t even describe our experience. The stories of the trolls 😀 and the views were unbelievable. We returned and enjoyed an amazing meal at the wharf near Bergen Brygge. The freshest seafood I have had in a long time. Even tried the local fish soup. Very tasty.

We took the tram to the Seven Mountains. It was quite windy up there but again spectacular views if the city. Completely surreal.

Next day we took a flight to Tromso. The Paris of Norway. Radisson Blu was a great hotel.

First stop was Magic Ice. It was a cool experience, but you could tell it was a common tourist attraction. Nothing very impressive. There were some pretty nice sculptures.

At the recommendation of staff at Magic Ice we went to dinner at La Famiglia. Do not go there. The food was extremely salty and very basic flavors. The best item was their reindeer burger. Everything else was subpar. Not worth the money we spent.

We were scheduled for the Winter Fjord Cruise on a yacht but had yo cancel. Half our group got sick due to food poisoning. It sounded like a great trip.

Our next excursion was the Aurora Dinner Cruise. Going into the cruise we were informed that there is a low chance we would see the Northern Lights since it’s been a cloudy day so our hopes were not too high. Meal was good and the tour guide was really entertaining. The cruise staff took good care of us. About an hour into our trip the captain spotted the special clouds. We all went upper deck and to our surprise got the opportunity for some light Northern Lights. After a few minutes they were amazing. We were so happy to have experienced the Northern Lights. We returned back after completing our meal.

Next morning was our trip to feed the reindeer and get to know more about the Sami culture. Tried the reindeer soup. Different. Needed some flavor very bland. Our local tour was great. Loved the stories he shared.

We came back to the hotel and rested to prepare for our Northern Lights chase. We drove for about 2 hours out of Tromso and made our first stop. Again concerns with the weather preventing us from finding the Northern Lights. Our first stop we waited around and saw some lights, beautiful but not spectacular. The crew was waiting to hear from other team members if they were finding anything. Unfortunately they hadn’t had any luck. After enjoying a local warm drink of Ribena and cookies our tour guides decided to head towards Finland. We were about 1 1/2 hours away from Finland. We got there and watched the sky. After about 20 minutes what we saw left us speechless. The dancing of the lights across the clear skies and it was beyond imaginable. We were able to check off an item off our bucket list. I can still feel what I was experiencing when I saw the lights. No words can describe that feeling. You just have to experience it. And it was time to head back after enjoying the lights dance around us after a couple of hours.

We started our morning leisurely the next day. Took the taxi and rode the cable car up the mountains. It was cold!!! We enjoyed a light snack in the cafe and headed out to look at the amazing views. Tromso did not fail either. We came back down and visited the local cathedral. It’s a beautiful church. That evening we had scheduled a trip to the sauna and did the arctic plunge. What an exhilarating feeling and experience. You should do it once.

We found a restaurant close by and enjoyed some tasty tapas.

Unfortunately our last day in Tromso we had scheduled the whale safari. The trip was cancelled due to weather. Thankfully kimkim issued a full refund on the excursion. We ended up having a free day and spent our time shopping and exploring the city. We went to the oldest pub in Tromso and enjoyed some good ale and tried Aquavit.

We had dinner at Mathallen. Amazing experience. Food was fresh and flavorful. Make reservations early. Seating is limited.

It was time to return back to Oslo and head back to Houston.

Overall it was a great experience. Thank you kimkim for the memorable experience. Will definitely work with you for our future adventures.

Next time we plan a trip we will be more mindful of the early activities. It was a vacation for us so doing things a bit more leisurely would have been nice. We felt we were on a tight schedule.

Hotel Reviews

Scandic Byparken

Bergen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotell Bondeheimen

Oslo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Norway in a Nutshell Tour

Norway

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mostraumen Fjord Cruise

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fløibanen Funicular Experience (Tickets Included)

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ice Gallery Experience

Tromsø

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Winter Fjord Cruise in Tromso

Tromsø

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Dinner Cruise

Tromsø

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Key goal - see the Northern Lights, unfortunately we didn't see them as we had hoped with swirling shapes of color and only saw a weak light through our camera lens on 21 Oct 2024. Seems that we missed a great light show on the day we arrived in Tromso, 19 Oct but we didn't have anything scheduled that night. The rest of the trip had cloudy nights with poor sightings. Even though our goal had been the Northern Lights, Norway and it's people definitely made up for it with the country's beauty and the people's hospitality

The following are snapshot reviews by category to help future travelers, especially seniors like us

City Tours -
Private tours are very helpful to adjust endurance as needed. Our guide Lena in Oslo did that because the weather wasn't good for walking and we bought tram tickets to a location where she was able to show us non-touristy areas which is what we requested. There was some confusion with our guide in Bergen, itinerary listed Synnove and when I texted her to confirm, she said she wasn't scheduled but she did get back with us and told us Thomas would be our guide. He met us at our apt but was puzzled as to why we would start our 2 hr walking tour in the outskirts of town when he usually started them in city center. We ended up having to buy tram tickets to get to the city center where Thomas started the tour which of course was less than the two hours but Thomas was very good and actually stayed a little longer. If outskirt accommodations are scheduled, notify travelers and guide to have a plan for transportation and sights prior to starting the tour. Private city tour in Tromso was ample time

Scheduled Tours -
Nutshell Tour - our favorite. Due to the length of time to do it in one day, staying overnight in Flam was a great idea and we think you should recommend it to all travelers. As for the luggage transfer to the hotel in Bergen, the luggage transfer did work but the problem was it not being delivered on time at the Bergen Apt due to logistics issues.

Fjordsafari - 2 hr 15 min was too long for us, very cold and windy, would have preferred a one hour tour
Aegir Viking dinner - too bad we didn't catch it in time but neither of us drink beer, so the 5-course beer tasting with the sampler dinner could have been switched to just a traditional dinner but the atmoshpere made up for it

We had requested a longer stay at Voss but once we arrived we were too tired and found out that an earlier train could be taken by requesting it to the conductor on the earlier train. This would be a good note to advise travelers, that based on availability, they could move up their scheduled time

Hardangerford Express in Bergen - enjoyable relaxing cruise, limited eating and shopping locations during off season
Coastal Scenery Safari in Tromso - conflicting notes on where to meet, Radisson or "from Oct @ Bus Terminal Prostneset but this was resolved by checking with KimKim
Northern Lights Expedition in Tromso - 21 Oct, due to rain sat in mini van for over an hour before getting out to go to down to the fire and wait for the lights that didn't happen. The walk down the wet, slippery embankment was a challenge for these seniors but thanks to two wonderful helpful passengers, we were able to go down and back up to the mini van.

Aurora Husky Visit - still no Northern Lights, excellent staff and our favorite meal on the trip. Tour was listed as "Small Group" but it was actually a full bus with about 40 passengers

Private Transfers - all excellent and very helpful to these seniors

Hotels -
Oslo - Hotel Bondeheimen, good location for walking to key sites and public transportation
Flam - Flamsbrygga Hotel - good location
Bergen - Bjorvika Apartments - good accommodations but logistics to receive keys and not in city center was an issue
Tromso - Specialty Stay-Standard Apts - comfortable accommodations but hike up the hill from the reception area was another challenge to these seniors but we made it. Very friendly staff that helped us at check in with out luggage and offered great waffles between 5-7 pm
Alta - Glod Aurora Domes - interesting change to a typical hotel but not in city center and had to order dinner to be delivered from a restaurant because we arrived too late for their dinner. Our disappointment again was no Northern Lights but we felt this area had too many lights from the office area, to the adjoining buildings making it not very dark
to see the lights even without lights in our dome. We found out later that they offered off site Northern Light Expeditions, so maybe notify passengers of this option

Our disappointment of no Northern Lights continued after we left Norway and stopped off in Iceland for 7 days.....hard to believe, but again no Aurora Borealis..... maybe next time. Thanks to all the staff at KimKim for making this a wonderful trip and we'll certainly contact KimKim again once we decide where we want to go on our next adventure

Alicia & Gloria

Mar and Fenne did a superb job on planning our Norway trip and included an itinerary that was perfect for a shorter getaway! They worked with us closely on multiple trip versions due to a last minute switch by us having to move our trip from summer time to the fall, and we were very pleased we went in the season we did. Aside from a couple of weather glitches and the time change affecting some of our planned activities, it was an overall great trip! Thanks Mar and Fenne! We really appreciate your planning efforts and allowing us to have an unforgettable experience in Norway!

Activity Reviews

Waterfall Walk & Stegastein Experience (Spring/Fall)

Flåm

Ervin (aka Wreckless haha) was honestly one of the best tour guides I've ever had, and I do a lot of traveling. He was very down to earth, very in tune with what we wanted to do and talk about, and we both felt very confidant in his abilities and comfortable around him. Me and my friend Christy had an awesome day seeing some amazing views, hiking with him and eating some local treats ("Don't call it a KitKat") lol. Would highly recommend this local tour company, and obviously if they give you Ervin to lead you, definitely a bonus.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Hunt by Minibus

Tromsø

They took us all the way to Finland to see the lights because the weather was bad, and in my opinion that was above and beyond what I was expecting!

Quality of Experience

Me and my friend both lost our dad's a few years ago so we asked my dad to come through as a red color and her dad to come through as yellow based on some of their favorite things before they passed. It was kinda a joke at dinner time before we left to see the lights, and we didn't really think they would come through as those colors...but they did, and I'm still shocked about it because apparently seeing what we did was pretty rare especially with how awful the weather had been all night.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Again, they took us all the way to Finland! Haha I visited two countries for the price of one!

The person in charge of us is Katie. From the veru beginning till the end of the trip, she has been more than kindly, helpful, and personable. She provided detailed information regarding transportation, accommodation and activities. Hence, we did not get confused and lost at all.

The guide/driver for our van trip truly was such a professional, who knew what she was doing. The night was cloudy and rainy, but she somehow led us to the places where the Northern Lights suddenly appeared. She also was extremely kindly to all of us, taking great pictures of us. And she was a very smooth driver.

Hotel Reviews

Amerikalinjen

Oslo

Very well located, nice and clean

Authenticity & Character

Staff was very kindly and helpful.

Location

Next to the train station and center city

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bergen Børs Hotel

Bergen

Very well located. Nice and clean. They pillow was too soft for us though.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Ishavshotel

Tromsø

Good location, convenient. Too crowded.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Aurora Dinner Cruise

Tromsø

Nice and clean. Food was good even if the fish was a bit too cold in some parts.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Adventure in Tromsø

Tromsø

The guide was excellent, she knows how to find Northern Lights. Her driving skill was also great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

One of the most incredible trips we’ve ever had the privilege of taking. Every day and place was just stunning, from Preikestolen and Lysefjord to Lofoten (our favorite, but doesn’t diminish the beauty of the rest of the country) followed by the Lyngenfjord Alps, whale/orca safari and the northern lights. One of the most beautiful countries with wonderful people. We will definitely return. Thank you for all the help you gave in making it such a memorable and beautiful experience 🙏

Hotel Reviews

The Bolder

Forsand

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

HATTVIKA LODGE

Ballstad

An incredible place with great staff and access to outdoor activities from heaven! Additionally, the restaurant there, Fangst, is seriously good! The owner Kristian and his team there do an incredible job (while living somewhere pretty close to heaven at least for me :)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Everything. Lofoten is amazing!

Staff

Kristian, Maria, Tim and Jennie

Cleanliness & Comfort

Glass Igloo Lyngen North

Lyngen

Staying at the Glass Igloo Lyngen North was an indredible experience. Lying in a glass hut, watching the Northern Lights was just outrageous. It’s hard to put the experience into words, but everything about our stay here was perfect. I couldn’t imagine a more unique way to experience Norway.

Scandic Ishavshotel

Tromsø

The Scandic Ishavshotel was just a large chain hotel without much character. We stayed only about eight hours, so it was fine for a brief rest, but certainly didn’t stand out like other unique accommodations on our trip.

Activity Reviews

Kayak Tour on the Reinefjord

Norway

Quality of Experience

LLP

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kristian was a great guide

Transport

Northern Lights Sailing Cruise

Tromsø

The Northern Lights Sailing Cruise was a wonderful experience despite the rain. Sitting in a hot tub on the Norwegian Sea was crazy, though we didn’t see the Northern Lights. The crew was fantastic, and we still had a great time.

Our trip to Norway was organized with care and quality. We had to make a number of changes and KImKim was always incredibly helpful, efficient and understood exactly what we were looking for. thank you to KimKim for an unforgettable experience!

Activity Reviews

Private Floating Sauna Experience

Norway

Quality of Experience

Boat Trip and Dinner at Cornelius Seafood Restaurant

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

At the Cornelius the staff was fabulous

Transport

Mar designed our itinerary perfectly! The hotels were great and in best locations. She promptly responded to my questions and concerns.

The emergency contacts thru whatsapp were also available for my questions during the trip.

A very memorable trip!

First, while Christina is credited with organizing our trip, she did indeed take the first significant stab -- hotels, guides, schedule, etc. -- much of the details were handled by Katie, who was helpful, patient and accommodating. She advised us on practical issues -- the cost of taxis, how best to get to various places, how to orient our guides -- and was gracious throughout. Our guides were good, knowledgeable, willing to focus on our interests. The fjord trips were, of course, a highlight; so much beautiful scenery! Bergen was a lovely city, and we had 2 1/2 days to visit Bryggen, other old sections of the city, the Kode Museum and the Bryggen Museum. The Stegastein Viewpoint also was a highlight.The threatened rain fell only a couple of days.

Hotel Review

Kviknes Hotel

Balestrand

Truly a gem. Large, inviting, full of history. Our room was in the old section and overlooked the fjord. Just magnificent. Breakfast was great; lots of choices, and the staff was very friendly and helpful

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was right on the fjord and near the historical walk and the pier

Staff

The maitre d'

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Fjordcruise on UNESCO Nærøyfjord

Norway

Breathtaking. A magnificent tour of a Unesco World Heritage Site. So compelling to see the mountains dive directly into the fjords.

Scenic Boat Trip to Fjærland

Norway

Good thing our guide provided warm weather gear! It was cold but beautiful. Although our itinerary called for a three-hour tour, our guide insisted we were owed two hours. Just as well as it was getting pretty cold by the time we got back. No complaints though. The scenery was breathtaking.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bergen Walking Tour With a Local Guide

Bergen

John was knowledgeable and showed us the highlights of downtown Bergen. He also advised us on how to spend the rest of our time in Bergen, taking the funicular to the mountaintop, visiting the Bryggen Museum and seeing other parts of the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kimkim planned the perfect trip for us based on our interests. All of the excursions and guides were excellent and informative. Accommodations were close to everywhere we needed to be. We would definitely recommend using this company

Everything was so perfect. The details were all taken care of from transfers to dinners. Our hotels were exactly to the level we wanted- nice but not over the top. Our local contact was easy to communicate with. Our tours were awesome and just like we wanted. It was nice to have a travel agent they actually listened to what we wanted! Thank you!

We really appreciated how Anna and Tom were quick to respond to all our inquiries.
Having all the accommodation and travel requirements in place on the App made registration at hotels really easy. Where showing tickets for journeys was required the ease of their retrieval through the App made that simple.
Anna and Tom were super responsive to all our queries and requested adjustments, so a big thank you to them.
Accommodation was varied in style which we loved. Just bear in mind that some accommodation may not suit oldies like the four of us. Any issues were quickly resolved.
Norway is a treasure and magnificent in its awe inspiring land and seascape.
It is a place that lived up to all my expectations and more. The suggestions on things to do and places to go were brilliantly thought out by Anna. Her suggestions made our self guided tour as good as we could hope for. We saw almost every aspect of Norway’s wonderful people and landscape over 18 days.
Thank you Tom and Anna.
Anna, we hope motherhood is treating you well.
With thanks,
Mike, Elizabeth, Carol, and Tom

Hotel Review

Valldal Fjordhotell

Valldal

The stay in Valldal Fjordhotell was not as comfortable as we had hoped. All four of us were booked into one cabin, which posed a significant problem as two of us would have needed to sleep upstairs where there was limited headroom and a steep ladder to climb. This setup was not practical given our needs.

Activity Reviews

Dog Sledding with Carts

Tromsø

Dog sledding with carts was a very fun experience! The dogs were eager and happy, constantly ready to go. Despite being hard work, it was a lot of fun and memorable.

Round Trip on the Flåm Railway: Flåm - Myrdal

Norway

Our trip on the Flåm Railway was somewhat enjoyable but felt a bit too commercialized for our liking. While the ride itself is lovely, Flåm as a location seems overly focused on tourism.

Cruise the fjords and arrive Tromsø

Norway

The cruise along the fjords up to Tromsø was lovely, even though much of it occurred at night. The Hurtigruten cruise provides a pleasant and leisurely experience, primarily catering to moving tourists along Norway's captivating coastline.

After some hiccups my program for Norway and Sweden was set. Silvia helped me set up my bookings for various places in Norway – Oslo, Flam, Bergen and Trondheim, and Stockholm in Sweden. My challenging trip involved booking hotels, trains and a short cruise and she met them all. I had an idea of what I wanted to do and she enhanced the trip by making some suggestions, which I took and enjoyed! All in all, my trip was successful and it was great to have all the tickets and bookings done before I went to the countries. The walking maps, places to see and where to eat Silvia provided helped me to see the city. In three key places my room had excellent views. I don’t think I would have been able to do that myself. I took the day tours she recommended, and they were all great. I look forward to working with Silvia again sometime (if she will work with me – LOL) to see Iceland and Denmark.

Hotel Reviews

Comfort Hotel Karl Johan

Oslo

The location is the best part of this hotel. It is near the Central Station and it was super easy to go everywhere from there. Rooms were comfortable and staff was ready to help with anything. The only thing I missed having was a hot water kettle to have tea in my room. Breakfast was a bit boring. Same thing everyday (I stayed 5 nights).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room and bathroom were all clean and in good condition.

Fretheim Hotel

Flåm

I think this hotel is a bit overrated. It was just like any other 3 star hotel. The room was okay, my view was in the front so yes, it was great. Flam is really small and this hotel was just a 1 min walk to the station. The bathroom was clean, bed was comfortable. Wifi was fine. The breakfast was boring and not much choice for vegetarians despite the huge spread. Even the hash browns were dry and hard.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Torget

Bergen

The hotel was about a 12-15 min walk from the station but the location was excellent. It was right in the historic district of Bergen. I was lucky to have a room on the 6th floor with a great view. The location was superb. I could walk to all the buses, tourist places, grocery store and visitor center. I completely enjoyed that. The hot water kettle really helped as I am tea drinker. Room and bathroom were both great. Breakfast was okay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

MS Vesterålen

Tromsø

This was the short 2 night, 1 day cruise from Bergen to Trondheim. The room, wifi, bathroom - all were good, although I was almost in the bowels of the ship. I did have a peephole to look out. This was quite expensive cruise. It was kind of cheap of them to not provide meals for everyone who stays the night. They did not even provide breakfast. There were plenty of places to sit and view the scenery. And there were some eating places to buy food. They could have had more evening programs to engage passengers.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thon hotel Nidaros

Trondheim

The room that was booked for me was the single room. It was good size. All was good - the room, the bathroom, the hot water kettle, the wifi. The best part was the food - breakfast and the "light" dinner was great. The light dinner was not so light. For me it was a full meal. The breakfast was also great. The only thing was that they did not have the dinner on the weekends...why? The location was fantastic.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Queen's Hotel

Stockholm

The location was a little far from the central station, but otherwise it was okay. I had to walk a bit to get to the buses and trains. But the walking was okay - it was all through the shopping area, so fun to look around. I did not like that they did not have an elevator for the first floor. Carrying luggage up and down is never fun. Room was comfortable. Breakfast was quite boring...same old bread and eggs.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Stockholm Archipelago Tour with lunch

Stockholm

It was a good tour. Got to see Stockholm and surrounding area. It was wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Food

Everything. I have no idea what I was eating. And I had to pay extra for tea.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Oslofjord Sightseeing Cruise

Oslo

It was a good tour if one was visiting only Oslo. But since I was going on to see more of the fjords, this trip was not worth it for me. I could have done something else.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip to Denmark and Norway was incredible. The Kim Kim team did a great job organizing the hotels, tours and transfers. They were very responsive to any issues that came up. Tour guides Stig and John in Oslo and Bergen were wonderful.

Overall the planning process was very easy with the team I worked with. Very communicative along with the help line when I was on the trip was very easy to access.

As for the trip itself - I felt like there were things planned & told to us that were more kid friendly then they actually were. We were traveling with our 1.5 year old and we had multiple 6+ hour train rides which not only would have took most of the travel day but was really inconvenient for our family.
A few things we changed:
We ended up changing the trip ourselves and skipping one of the 6 hour train rides back to the main city and getting a flight from a different city that allowed us to only have 2 hours of travel instead of 7. And we got to see another city for a day/night.
We were booked on a hop on & off bus tour and it was us and a ton of older adults who were not happy to have a child along. We ended up getting off the bus half way through and doing our own thing.

I recommend if you have a young child you really ask the questions and do your research about travel times because they weren’t very accommodating.

Hotel Review

Scandic Byporten

Oslo

Staff and breakfast were great. Room was just verryyyyy small.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right next to train station

Staff

Very nice easy check in!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Panoramic Bus Trip

Oslo

The guide was okay - a bit stern. Was able to see some of the city

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A little hard to find start point

Fjord Safari by RIB (Summer/Fall)

Flåm

My favorite thing we did on this trip! They were kid friendly and the tour guide was amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide (Anton) made the experience really great! He did an amazing job

Transport

Easy to find

Positives
Krista was very responsive.
Patrick, our guide for “Forest to Fjord” was very good. Please note, however, that our itinerary indicated this would be a two hour experience and it actually was about five hours (10 to 3). Also, we were not informed that we should pack a lunch for this day but managed to purchase food at a mountain cafe.
Particularly good: in Oslo on the island — outdoor Norway folklife, Kon Tiki and the Fram museums.

Negatives:
The Oslo Evening on the fjord dinner trip was too long and had no interpretation. Though a beautiful cruise you might inform clients it’s really a “party” and drinking scene.
The cancellation of our excursion trip to Fjareland was very disappointing—we still await a refund from you. This also led to a lot of spare time with nothing to do in Balestrand, as the weather turned cold.
The payment mix up at Sogndal Quality Hotel was irritating but did get worked out.
It would be helpful to alert future travelers to leaner offerings and closures when traveling so late in September to Norway.

Overall, the service provided by kimkim was very professional & very complete. Krista was very responsive to our inquiries & comments. When we needed assistance, Krista, Fenne, or a member of her team were right there for us.

The route that kimkim suggested for us was very nice and we enjoyed the variety of small towns & larger cities. We were able to follow the route with little or no problems. Our group had rented a van separately from kimkim, and drove ourselves around mostly Norway, although we started & ended in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The hotels kimkim arranged for us were for the most part very satisfactory. They were clean, comfortable and provided a nice breakfast. The Scandic byparken in Bergen didn't quite measure up & I have communicated directly about that with kimkim.

Next, I'll address the RIB tours. The first one we did at Geiranger with Fjord Guiding, which is a fairly large, smooth operation & the boat ride & tour were fantastic. Our guide & driver, Mario was, informative, clever and quite enjoyable. I couldn't have wanted anything more than what Mario provided.
The 2nd RIB tour was with Balestrand Adventure in Balestrand. While this Company is much smaller, they did an adequate job & provided a nice experience. Ole, our guide was informative, and provided a nice history of the area while showing us the beauty of the fjord.
The 3rd RIB tour was in Flom, with FjordSafari, also a fairly large operation. Our guide and driver Lucas was very easy to listen to, and he delivered his story with humor as he easily shared his knowledge of the region. This one was my personal favorite of the RIB tours, and included a stop at a village known for goat cheese.

We took two Gondola rides, and while the views at Andalsnes were obscured by fog at the top half of the mountain, the views at Loen were great. In general the gondola rides were a great experience.

We also took a ride on a Funicular in Bergen, which was a very nice experience. The views of Bergen, a large city, from the top of the mountain was beautiful.

While at Bergen, we took a partial-day trip on a ferry to Rosendal, just under a 2 hour ride each way. While the area near the dock at Rosendal is a nice area, I do think it would be more enjoyable during the summer, in that many shops and restaurants were closed for the season when we were there SEP 14. Apparently there is a larger business area a bit of a hike from the dock which we did not visit. The boat/ferry is very comfortable, but the whole experience does not warrant most of a day, at least not in the off-season.

We also participated in a sauna which was situated on a boat tied up to the dock in Flom. While the activity was fun & certainly different, the experience was somewhat marred by the attitude & actions of the person serving as an attendant. We received little instruction or cautions and he seemed more interested in seeing that we were done by a certain time so he could clean. Not a very welcoming attitude.

In summary, it was a great trip & I would use kimkim again if we were to travel in an area they serve.

Hotel Reviews

Oset Fjellhotell

Gol

This is a very nice family-run hotel in the mountains above Gol. Great experience, although its a long way from anything else. That's ok, they have everything you need.

Authenticity & Character

family run, you deal with the family.

Location

middle of nowhere.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fretheim Hotel

Flåm

The stay at Fretheim Hotel in Flåm was a wonderful experience. The beauty of the territory surrounding the hotel was stunning, and having a balcony added to the overall charm. The dining options both within the hotel and in the surrounding area were very pleasing.

Activity Reviews

Private Floating Sauna Experience

Norway

The RIB Fjord Safari in Flåm was particularly enjoyable, especially the guide, who was very easy to listen to and made the experience enriching. The stunning scenery and the overall excitement of the RIB ride made it a highlight of the trip.

Explore Rosendal

Rosendal

Exploring Rosendal during the off-season was a bit underwhelming. The journey took about two hours each way, and the views, though fjord-like, didn't have the same impact as other locations. Many shops and restaurants were closed, affecting our overall experience.

Kadri was an absolute pleasure to collaborate with on my Norway itinerary. My experience was seamless and memorable in a way that would not have been possible without her assistance. There were many highlights of the trip, not least of which was catching the northern lights in Tromsø on the Aurora dinner cruise. No doubt I will utilize Kimkim again in the future!!

We planned a 9 day trip to Norway and Copenhagen and worked with Kadri. It was such a pleasure working with Kadri, she had great ideas, worked to keep the trip within our budget and was always quick to reply. The interface on the KimKim app is one of the best we have worked with.
All of the arrangements made worked out well and our travel went smoothly. We enjoyed all of the experiences and excursions. The walking tour in Bergen was terrific, and Serena was one of the best guides we have met. The food tour in Oslo let us experience local foods we might not have otherwise tried. The trip from Oslo to Flam provided incredible scenery and the Flam railway was highlight. We enjoyed the sauna experience- being able to jump into the fjord and then back into the sauna was a truly memorable experience. Kayaking in the fjord, even in some rain, was one of the best parts of our trip. In Bergen, we were able to find a window of sunny weather which was the best time to ride the funicular. Our hygge tour in Copenhagen was relaxing and informative- Jackie did a good job and we enjoyed getting to know the other folks on our tour.
The transfers were mostly easy, but in copenhagen we decided to take a taxi to the airport because if we used public transport there would have been a lot of walking and transfers while carrying our luggage. The luggage transport service from Oslo to Bergen made that part of the trip much easier.
The hotel in Oslo was OK, but the hotel messed up our reservation for a double room. We appreciated that KimKim tried to help. The location of the hotel in Bergen was perfect- and it was a nice, but small room. The hotel in Copenhagen was our favorite for the trip. It is a bit outside the main attractions but easy to reach with public transit.

We had an amazing 12 day trip in southern Norway, planned by Linda. She arranged all hotels, walking tours, a kayak outing, and transfers and excursions on trains and boats. Accommodations were clean and comfortable. Tour guides in Oslo and Bergen were excellent. Highlights were the Flåm rail ride and fjord cruises, although we enjoyed much of the rest of the countryside too.
Also, museum visits in Oslo and Alesund were informative and enjoyable as well.
Linda was very helpful and available as was her colleague, Tom. We had a couple of hiccups which were quickly remedied. All in all, a great experience that we highly recommend.