Kimkim Trip Reviews for Norway

Julia was great in planning our trip. Sonia, as our guide, was also great. Always available to help with questions.

We are back home in Maine with our two cats, the gardens are in late Spring bloom and we have many, many photos to be edited and posted.

We sincerely thank Tom Christer and the KimKim team for their guidance throughout the trip, from framing our itinerary to our final days in Oslo. Tom was not only a guide but a friend in times of uncertainty when we tested positive.

Times and technology have altered the nature of travel on many levels and a new set of challenges often await at every turn, not the least a global pandemic.

Tom and KimKim offered not only a link to some of the best things to do, places to visit stay but also connected us to excellent guides, Stig in Oslo and Fartein in Bergen, who both added so much to our understanding and appreciation of each city.

Our personal tour up the Esefjjorden with Capt. Thor remains a highlight of our trip.

The hotels were exceptional. No one serves a better breakfast buffet that the Hotel Bristol, they set the standard.

On our next trip KimKim will be our first consideration and we will highly recommend KimKim to anyone looking to travel.

We personally and sincerely thank Tom Christer and the KimKim team for a great journey and travel
experience and wish you all continued success.

Kenny and Sally Gilbride

Our trip was indeed AMAZING and we got what we wanted from it. We had a wide experience of the main highlights that Norway has to offer.......including the calm of Oslo, the history of Bergen, and why or what is Trondheim. We had a "great railway trip" from Oslo to the Flam, met up with over peopled Cruise Ships (not for us), cruised the coast and the fjords through rain and sun, fell in awe at Geiranger fjord, and got very wet on the Atlantic Highway.
The wide selection of hotels KimKim booked us into were all fascinating and we enjoyed the quality and of course the breakfasts at each one.
We found our way around quite well and most of the arrangements clicked into place easily.......however there were some inevitable hiccups that always occur on these trips: 1. Anyone going to Bergen via the Flam must be on the 6.25am train (KimKim nearly had us on a later train that wouldn't have worked) (TIP ALWAYS CHECK EVERYTHING THAT KIMKIM ARRANGE) 2. The Hurtigertun boat is not a cruise ship and we found it overcrowded and uncomfortable particularly given KimKim couldnt get us beds/cabins (We feel strongly that KimKim should have shared the email they received from the shipping co on 3rd May: if we had seen it we would probably have changed the itinery (TIP TO KIMKIM IF THERE IS A PROBLEM THEN SHARE IT WITH THE CUSTOMER : THE EARLIER THEY KNOW ABOUT IT THE BETTER).

We had great guides. Stig was incredible in Oslo. Torstein was great in Aurland. John was superb in Bergen and went out of his way to help. Linda was the best - responsive, courteous, helpful - even got us refund from hotel due to difficulty leaving US. Linda was creative in planning the trip and with me all the time, thru kimkim, very fast responses. Our 13 days in Norway was everything we could have imagined. Even the weather cooperated!!

We had an amazing Time in Norway .
We had used Kim Kim previously when planning a trip to Chile , which worked out great .
Since this was a last minute decision on our part , decided to turn to them again .
Christina was very accommodating and knowledgeable in the planning process . She was attentive and provided many suggestions based on our requests , including experiencing Constitutuon Day in Oslo (which was truly an experience to witness and be a part of) . It was a indeed a pleasure working with her .
Norway is a beautiful country , from the breathtaking surroundings , the friendly people we met throughout the journey , the culinary experience , the ease of getting around and so much more …. You truly are forced to “stop and smell the roses . “
Thank you Kim Kim . Thank you Christina . Thank you Norway .

Hotel Reviews

Scandic Bergen city

Bergen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Midtnes Hotel

Balestrand

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Leikanger Fjord Hotel

Leikanger

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bristol

Oslo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thon Hotel Tønsberg Brygge (Tidl. Brygga)

Tonsberg

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bergen Walking Tour With a Local Guide

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

RIB Fjord Sightseeing Tour in Balestrand

Balestrand

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Norwegian Constitution Day

Norway

Quality of Experience

Free day in Leikanger

Leikanger

Quality of Experience

We had an amazing experience planning and coordinating the trip with Linda and the team. Despite Covid19 trying hard to cancel our trip (and after 2 years of postponing it) we managed to take the trip and have an incredible time. The team was super helpful throughout all the different changes, adjustments and was very accommodating and always with a smile. We thank them for that!

Beyond the great selection of hotels and options along the journey the team also picked an incredible guide in Oslo (Stig). We had a great day out with him!

Thank you for all the support and making out trip special.

We were very fortunate to finally go on this trip as our original booking was in June 2020. Julia remained in contact over the past two years answering any questions we had. The rebooking of our original itinerary was without issue.

Our trip to Norway was fantastic. The hotels were great and the transportation was seamless. Although we found the entire country very beautiful our most memorable places were Geiranger for its views and hiking and the Lofoten island chain for its incredible scenic drive.

Linda had to plan our trip not once but three times thanks to COVID. It was well worth the wait! The best part for us was the local touch. While other folks walked around in groups of 20 struggling to hear one guide tell stories, our family had one guide all to ourselves. They provided great insight and a personal touch I don't think we would have had with another company.

Hotel Reviews

Scandic Byparken

Bergen

Perfect location, great breakfast. The rooms were a bit small and could use some updating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Midtnes Hotel

Balestrand

The view from the hotel was fantastic! But the hotel itself is old and lacking any amenities. If you know that going in, you'll be fine. The owner is lovely and attentive.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Byporten

Oslo

Awesome central location and fun decor. But the rooms are very cramped.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Bergen with a Local

Bergen

Vilde was lovely - lots of great history of Bergen as well as tips for just about anything we wanted to do.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Scenic Boat Trip to Fjærland

Norway

Captain Tor was fantastic. He made sure each of us was able to see or do something we wanted or didn't even know we wanted. My son had a special request to fish and he let him cast a little bit even though we weren't on a fishing cruise. He let my daughter drive - something she was nervous about at first but ultimately loved.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Oslo's Hidden Gems with a Local Expert

Oslo

It was amazing how much Stig knew about Oslo's history. He was very thoughtful about including our whole family in the experience and even sent a photo after the tour was over.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I do not even know where to begin! When we first discovered the Lofoten Islands, we knew we had to get there but didn't know the first thing about how. Julia was incredibly helpful with mapping out the best way to get there and what to see. Her suggestion to see more than just the Lofoten Islands was so appreciated as we were able to explore so much more of northern Norway and see places we'd never heard of it nor would we have ever known about if it were not for Julia. We flew into Tromso and drove to Sommaroy for a night's stay at the wonderful Artic Hotel. Then we were off to Senja Island which was AMAZING! We stayed at the Hamn I Senja with the most incredible views. We were a little concerned about taking ferries but they turned out to be no issue--just make sure you get there early to avoid any anxiety. We didn't need tickets ahead of time except for the final ferry to Bodo from Moskenes. Staying in the Lofoten Islands was so wonderful as we go kayaked in Reine and explore the "big" city of Svolvaer. My only compliant is that we had to leave!

Our trip to Norway was spectacular! The country is beautiful and people are really friendly. Julia is super amazing and gave us exactly what we were looking for. We booked and paid in full before the pandemic and had to delay the trip for 2 years. KimKim kept their word and there were no additional fees. Truly amazing and a welcome change!

My husband and I recently returned from a trip which included Bergen, Vaerlandet, Fjaerland and Lofoten . It's hard for me to express with words how wonderful our trip was. The credit for this goes to our wonderful specialist Linda. We started planning this trip about 3 years ago . We had to cancel our plans twice due to covid. This involved a lot of work on Linda's part but she was always gracious and happy to help. In addition to planning our route she also recommended and scheduled activities for us as well as arranging our rental cars. We started our trip in Bergen which is the city where my grandmother was born. It is very special for me to be in Bergen and this was my fourth visit. I did the walk with a local which was excellent! My guide, Brit, was a wealth of information . We walked for 3 hours and saw much of Bergen. My husband and I stayed at the Bergen Bors Hotel which is beautiful and located across the street from the fish market. My husband and I did a rib boat tour out of Bergen which was really fun!. We also did the round trip Fjord cruise from Bergen to Rosendal. I would highly recommend this cruise if you are in Bergen . We then left Bergen and drove and took ferries to Vaerlandet . We really enjoyed staying at the Vaerlandet Havhotell. The woman who checked us in to the hotel as well as chef Michael of the only restaurant on the island took great care of us. Our next stop was Fjaerland which is one of Norway's Book towns. We enjoyed the glacier museum as well as a guided hike to Blabaerstolen. The Fjaerland Fjordstove Hotel and staff were wonderful. Everyone we encountered in this town was extremely friendly . We visited the 2 stave churches on this route which were stunning! We then drove back to Bergen. Linda made all of these drives easy with a ferry outline and schedule. We then flew to Svolvaer . The Nordic Suites hotel was a beautiful place to stay. The silent Trollfjord Cruise is a must if you are in Svolvaer, We saw several white tailed eagles on the cruise. We then drove to Reine and stopped at several beautiful white sand beaches. We took a 4 hour fishing tour while in Reine which was great fun! Everyone on board caught a fish. We also stopped at the Viking Museum which was great very nice. We stayed 1 night in Henningsvaer and then flew back to Bergen . Then home to the US. I could not be more pleased with Linda and the trip that she planned for us. She is amazing!!! Hopefully we can return to Norway soon.

Hotel Reviews

Bergen Børs Hotel

Bergen

A beautiful hotel with a wonderful location across from the fish market .

Authenticity & Character

Location

centrally located to the harbor

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Værlandet Havhotell

Hamna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fjærland Fjordstove Hotel

Fjærland

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nordis Suites

Svolvær

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Reine Rorbuer

Reine

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Henningsvær Bryggehotell

Vagan

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bergen Walking Tour With a Local Guide

Bergen

My guide Brit was wonderful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Round Trip Fjord Cruise Bergen to Rosendal

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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Norway

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guidet Hike to Blåbærstølen

Fjærland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Explore Svolvær

Svolvær

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trollfjord Cruise

Svolvær

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Reine and the Surroundings

Reine

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Drive from Reine to Henningsvær

Norway

Quality of Experience

Thanks to Christina for helping me plan my 3 week, self drive trip in Norway. Stunningly beautiful country and friendly and helpful Norwegians.

Christina was impressively responsive to questions, suggestions, bookings and follow up. Thank you very much for your help!

Hotel Review

Eliassen Rorbuer

Moskenes

Beautiful location, wonderful accommodation.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Free day in Trondheim

Trondheim

One of my favorite cities in Norway...really enjoyed the old town section.

Quality of Experience

Free day in Bø

Bø

Beautiful. Would highly recommend people to visit this beautiful area.

Drive to Aurland

Norway

Loved the fjord and town...charming, beautiful location.

Quality of Experience

Explore Balestrand

Balestrand

Although it was a rainy day, I took the opportunity to drive along the spectacular & beautiful fjords.

Free day in Bodø

Bodø

It was okay....not much to do. I would not recommend a visit unless one had a car to explore out side of the city.

Quality of Experience

We got to see so much ONLY because KimKim set up such an amazing itinerary. The accommodations, food and tours were top notch. Will definitely use again. Thanks, Julia

Kimkim saved us because inly 5-6 days before our sudden departure to Norway they managed to make our 7 days beautiful and not too stressful like we asked. Tom Christer was very kind and helpful. He responded fast on our questions and requests.

A note that our room in Oslo was so small, that we could hardly open our luggages. And we requested a comfort trip.

Other than that the itinerary and accommodation were perfect for us. Thanks so much Tom and Kimkim!!

Hotel Reviews

Thon Hotel Terminus

Oslo

Great Staff, great location, but the room was too small for 2 women with luggages.

Location

Vangsgaarden Gjestgiveri

Aurland

Nice little hotel with nice breakfast and amazing view.

Moxy

Bergen

Cool hotel with modern vibe. Very clean room with amazing view of Bergen.

Activity Review

Fjordsafari

Norway

It was freezing but it was sooo fun!!!!

Tricia was attentive to our requests and needs. We had a lovely trip from
Bergen to Oslo. Particularly liked the uniqueness and locations of the places we stayed in. Tricia was also very responsive to any needs we had during my the trip and provided good suggestions or plans for every day in out tour.

We don’t think Tricia is familiar with the area we traveled. She gave us insufficient, incomplete and some cases wrong information. We were fortunate enough to get help from our Norwegian friend who guided us throughout our tour. Without our friend’s help we would have been in a very difficult situation. The selection of hotels was very good except for Malangen Resort. The room offered a very good view but it was shabby and outdated. The floor was loose and, when you walk on it, it bounced. Contrary to what Tricia stated, there were hardly anything interesting this resort /location could offer. The last night we stayed there, there was a big party at the bar downstairs that lasted until 2:30 AM. We contacted the hotel management 3 times. Their response was that it’s a big holiday and it’s common to party but they would lower the sound and stop people to go out into the deck. That never happened. Let us assure you the sound was so loud that our room was shaken with constant loud drum so that when the security knocked our door (according to what they said), we didn’t hear it! The first call was around 11;30PM. We thought the party would be over by midnight, so when they offered to move us to another room, we declined. They never told us that the bar would be open until 2:30AM. The hotel knew about this event but no information was provided to us. They repeatedly told us that “That the way it is and we can’t do anything “. Unbelievable! This incident took away all the good memories in Norway. Tricia should have known that Tromsø town center would be closed to all auto traffic except for certain people. If we have known that, we would have left Malangen a day earlier to Tromsø. We weren’t able to reach our hotel in Tromsø and were told that the parking would be very difficult. Streets were blocked from 6AM to 6:30PM. We had to park our car at our friend’s place and take a buss to hotel without our luggage. We then had to take a buss to our friend’s place to pickup our car after 6:30PM. This was done in a very windy and cold snowing weather. Then, we found out that the hotel has no parking place and we had to find the place on our own. This was never mentioned to us. About how to pay ferry fee, Tricia said that we pay by credit card at the ferry dock. It’s not so. They scan the license plate and send a bill to the owner of the vehicle or scan a special sticker.

Hotel Review

Tromsø Lodge & Camping

Tromso

Authenticity & Character

Location

Away from noise & crowd

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Arctic Boat Safari in Senja

Senja

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Julia had a prolonged duty with our trip planning due to the Covid shutdown of the travel industry in 2020. She would be in contact with us multiple times in 2020, 2021 and finally ,in 2022 ,Norway was open to us to travel there. Julia, along with Sonia’s assistance, reorganized our travel itinerary and got our needs met. We had one hotel glitch on our trip but Sonia was quick to respond and mediated on our behalf. By days end the problem was resolved.
The hotels Julia selected for us were very good to great and I must say Hotel Bondeheimen in Oslo and Hotel 1904 in Alesund are great boutique hotels. All of the selected hotels included breakfast which really helps manage your food costs and all offered good to very good quality food.
Julia arranged for my desired destinations to include train, automobile and ship travel. We covered a lot of area in southern Norway and feel like we got our money’s worth from the skillful organization of our travel itinerary.
We heartily endorse Julia and Sophia to anyone wanting to plan a trip to Norway.

Norway in a Nutshell was easy to follow and all the connections went very well.
The hotels on the intinerary were excellent. I especially enjoyed all the breakfasts at each place. The Clarion in Bergen was outstanding. And the added bonus was that dinner was included. I stumbled across a troll forest as well as a lovely lake at the top of the funicular in Bergen.

The hotel in Flam oozed with charm. Julia went over and beyond to make sure my experience was great. I bet she even planned all the gorgeous Spring flowers such as tulips, daffodils and hyacinth in Oslo. I saw so many wondrous sights and who knew that Norway had so many waterfalls. It was a wonderful experience and I would definitely use KimKim again to plan another adventure.

It has been an amazing experience. Meree and Sonia were really helpful planning the trip and were quickly answering and solving our doubts and requests.
We had a wonderful trip with no issues and their recommendations about what to see during spring allowed us to enjoy the most beautiful parts of South Norway while enjoying an amazing weather.

Definitely we will come back to organise our next trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Bristol

Oslo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thon Hotel Parken

Kristiansand

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Verkshotellet

Strand

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Ullensvang

Lofthus Hardanger

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Hanseatic Hotel

Bergen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Guided Hike to Trolltunga

Odda

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Unbelievably Amazing Family Trip to Norway

Linda very patiently worked with me to plan what ended up being a twice-postponed (due to the pandemic) family trip to Norway. Family travel can be challenging, especially with teenagers-- but Linda's arrangements were spectacular! She really took into account our interests and helped us plan a trip full of adventure. Our guides-- especially our hiking guide, Heidi and our kayaking guide, Craig-- were amazing! The excursions were well-planned, exciting, and took us to some of the most beautiful places we've seen. Each day planned by Linda had a great balance of activity and time to explore. She helped us with complicated travel arrangements (trains, busses, ferries...), and figuring out how to navigate our visit during the Easter holiday week. We felt as though we got to cover a good amount of ground, and our accommodations in the fjord towns were especially wonderful (an area where we weren't sure what would await us when we arrived, since there aren't options as plentiful as in the cities). I cannot rave enough-- this was our first experience with KimKim, and I'd recommend Linda to anyone! Thanks for all you did to make our trip so spectacular and memorable.

Hotel Reviews

Gudvangen Fjordtell & Apartments

Gudvangen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vangsgaarden Gjestgiveri

Aurland

STAY HERE, in the fisherman's cabin. Very small, but comfortable and (essentially) IN the fjord. We loved this cabin!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Central to town, able to walk everywhere!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Waterfall Hike Overlooking Aurland

Aurland

Our guide, Heidi, was really great. A perfect balance of information and just letting us enjoy the hike. So friendly, chatted with our whole family. When we had extra time, she drove us to another lookout point which was as spectacular as the hike!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See above-- a really exceptional guide!

Transport

Kayaking Adventure in Gudvangen

Gudvangen

Unparalleled experience being IN the fjord. A fun way to see the area, great adventure, learned about the small farms and towns along the way. Even an unexpected meal cooked for us on the shores of the fjord. This adventure was one of the highlights of our trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Truly exceptional guides. Craig was our main guide-- knowledgeable, friendly, fun, and made us feel safe from the first minutes of the trip. Craig was training a new guide (Trechelle), and the two of them led an exception afternoon of paddling and exploring.