Alex Mottler

We fully enjoyed all of the places we stayed. Bjorn our walking tour guide in Oslo was outstanding as was the pilot/guide of our RIB boat safari trip out of Flam. Unfortunately, I don't recall his name, only that he was originally from Poland. Flam Marina was a great location with amazing view of the fjord. We fell in love with Balestrand and the Kviknes Hotel; not a crowded as other places we went with local residents walking along the streets, reminded us of towns on Cape Cod, like Wellfleet. View from top of funicular in Bergen was also outstanding. Bergen Bors Hotel host recommended dinner at Bjerck that had excellent halibut.

Being raised by a Mother whose heritage is all Norwegian my husband kept saying...I want to visit Norway! Wishes do come true! My husband and I experienced an impressive 6 day Norway in a Nutshell adventure planned with ease and guidance by Kim Kim. We were so pleased by all we were able to see and experience. Our trip included 2 days in Oslo, 2 days in Flam and 2 days in Bergen. Highlights included Vigeland Sculpture park and Edvard Munch Museum in Oslo, Kayaking and the RIB safari and cheese tasting in Flam and the Fanicular trip to the top of the mountain in Bergen. Of course there were other things we got to experience and enjoy but these were our highlights! The Sculpture park in Oslo is a must see. The artist spent 40 years of his life creating the most impressive sculptures depicting life moments. Unbelievably impressive. The views from the Flam railroad as we approached Flam were breathtaking. Being in Flam was definately our favorite. We loved kayaking the fjord with our guide and small group of kayakers. So many waterfalls! Our guide taught us about the history of the area and surely impressed us with his story telling and knowledge. Having cousins who were once goat farmers in the area made this part of our trip even that much more interesting. The RIB Safari and Undredal cheese tasting were another favorite. The guide was engaging and the cheese tasting really brought the area to life. I finally know why my mom always insisted on goat's cheese at our Christmas Eve table! Bergen, the city of my Great Grandmother, was bigger than I expected yet still charming . We did most of our shopping here :) . The Fanicular took us to the top of the highest of Bergen's 7 mountains. Amazing views, hiking and goats!! You can spend all day up there but go early or late as the lines to go up the mountain can be long if you go midday.
It was hard to say goodbye to Norway. We are very grateful to Kim Kim for all their support before, during and after our trip. We planned our trip in a very short time and they helped take the stress out of what turned out to be a truly memorable travel experience.

KimKim Feedback
Working with KimKim really helped me with getting ideas and plans for transitioning to one town to the next on our trip to Norway with 7 people. It was extremely helpful to have someone figuring out the tickets, times, locations, etc. for the hotels, drop off and pickups, activities, etc. My only recommendation is to verify the links you include in the itinerary. A few of the links did not work so I'm glad I verified and asked the questions before we left.
Here are a few reviews of the things we did.
Oslo
• We had a pickup scheduled from the airport to our first hotel in Oslo, but the driver cancelled. I contacted KimKim and they quickly arranged a different ride.
• The Grand Hotel Oslo was beautiful! We loved the rooms and the morning breakfast was amazing. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, even stopped by the hotel as we were there. The location was perfect for seeing all the common sights in Oslo.
• The 3 hour Private City Walk was okay. We ended up taking a ferry to the Fram museum. The guide was excellent at providing us with some background and history regarding the Fram. It was very interesting, and the museum was excellent and I highly recommend it. Once we were at the Fram, we wanted to stay there and look around but our time with the guide was up so she left and we stayed at the museum. I’m just not sure if the guide was really that useful, but without her we may not have attended the museum so we are thankful for that. The time may have been better spend walking around Oslo and getting the history and background about the palace, opera house, etc. from the guide and then doing the Fram on our own.
• We took scooters to the Mathallen Food Court which we all really enjoyed. We also shopped around that area which had lots of unique boutiques and secondhand stores. Very fun to see a variety in shopping areas. Downtown Oslo has lots of “chain” stores, but since we are not from Norway, they were all fairly new to us as well. Very fun shopping.

Stavanger
• Took the train to Stavanger. The train was fabulous - quiet and a great way to see the scenery.
• The second hotel, Scandic Stavanger Park, was fine. Not bad, not great – very standard. It was on a very busy street, so it was loud when the windows were open which we did because our room was hot. I personally would not recommend this hotel.
• The kids did the hike to Pulpit Rock which became the highlight of the entire trip.
• I loved looking at Old Stavanger and the buildings, as well as shopping around Ovre Holmegate in all the boutiques. I love to shop and look at goods so this was excellent for me.
• My husband and I went to the Petroleum Museum also – which I highly recommend. It was very well done and informative.
• The art all around the city is very fun. It would be fun to do a “scavenger hunt” for the art.
• Several of the hotels allowed umbrella checkout. We didn’t use it because we had raincoats, but I thought it was a great thing and worth mentioning to people you are planning trips for.
Bergen
• Took a Fjordline “ferry” to Bergen. This was more like a cruise ship. Very comfortable and beautiful. We loved this way of traveling. Highly recommend.
• The hotel, Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, was very nice and in a very central location. The only drawback is that there is a nightclub right by it, so it got loud at night.
• We did the Fjord Cruise & Seafood Dining Experience. I would not recommend this. It was fine, but our service was extremely slow and the food was okay. Not worth the money or time in my opinion.
• The Norway in a Nutshell was a great way to see a lot of things in a short time, but there was very little time to explore the places that we visited. We would barely get off the boat/train/bus and would have to get in line to catch the next boat/train/bus. It would be nice to have 1-2 hours at each stop.
• We did love seeing the fjords and mountains as we traveled. Stunning views!!!
• In hindsight, we should have stayed in Flam or Voss a few nights. My kids love “doing” things like hiking/biking and there were lots of opportunities for this in those smaller villages.
• The Catch and Cook Fishing Excursion was fun. It was rainy, but they had tons of clothes to outfit all of us so we were not miserable. My husband and sons are avid fisherman so to them it was a bit “touristy” and not real fishing, but it was an activity versus more sight-seeing so they liked it because we were doing something. We did catch some fish and enjoyed the cooking of it. Our guide, Iris, was great. I would recommend as an activity to do with the understanding that this is not for the serious fisherman.
• The Fløibanen funicular was good. Excellent views of Bergen, and a fun park. We could not get into the restaurant because we did not have a reservation so I would recommend this as something to consider to your clients when doing this activity.
• One activity we looked up and did on or own was the “Magic Ice” bar. I heard it was a bit gimmicky and expensive – which it was – but fun to experience and see it nonetheless.

All in all – it was an excellent trip. I loved seeing all that we did. Knowing what I know now, I should have done more activities versus sightseeing, but now I know for our next trip.
The kimkim app was very helpful to have all our tickets and information in one spot. I hope you continue to use and improve it.

Thank you!

Hotel Reviews

Grand Hotel Oslo

Oslo

This hotel is beautiful and is in a great location to the central Oslo. The breakfast buffet was amazing and become a food highlight of the trip. I highly recommend this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very central

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson Blu Royal Hotel

Bergen

Nice hotel and excellent location to Bergen,

Authenticity & Character

It's pretty and clean.

Location

Very central location to get around Bergen

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The cleanliness and comfort of the hotel is great. The only issue is that it is close to a night club so it got loud at night.

Scandic Stavanger Park

Stavanger

This hotel is fine, but I would not recommend. It was on a busy street so it was loud in our room. Our room was on the top floor and it got hot. They brought us a fan, which helped, but we could not adjust the temperature. The breakfast was included and was very good.

Authenticity & Character

Not bad, not great. Just not memorable.

Location

We were able to walk to central Stavanger

Staff

Several times staff was not available at the front desk or there was only 1 person so it took time to get help.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel is on a very busy street so it was loud. Our room was hot and we could not adjust the temperature. They gave us a fan, which helped.

Activity Reviews

Self-Guided Pulpit Rock Hike

Stavanger

The kids in our group did this activity and it was their absolute favorite.

Quality of Experience

Private City Walk

Oslo

The 3 hour Private City Walk was okay. We ended up taking a ferry to the Fram museum. The guide was excellent at providing us with some background and history regarding the Fram. It was very interesting, and the museum was excellent and I highly recommend it. Once we were at the Fram, we wanted to stay there and look around but our time with the guide was up so she left and we stayed at the museum. I’m just not sure if the guide was really that useful, but without her we may not have attended the museum so we are thankful for that. The time may have been better spent walking around Oslo and getting the history and background about the palace, opera house, etc. from the guide and then doing the Fram on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mathallen Food Court Visit

Oslo

Fun to see and experience some food.

Alex and Nick planned a great trip. Communication was easy, timely, and useful. Only minor hiccups, but they were handled quickly. The next time I need travel booking help, I will use kimkim.

Hotel Reviews

Scandic Grand Tromsø

Tromsø

Hotel offered exactly what we needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nordis Suites

Svolvær

Beautiful view of the harbor.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Be sure to have the taxi drop you off near the Nordis restaurant. We were dropped off at the wrong location, but it was only a short walk to the correct place. Building is close to everything in town.

Staff

We did not interact with staff except to call and get our apartment code. It would be helpful if they had What'sApp.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson Blu Airport Hotel, Oslo Gardemoen

Gardemoen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Welcome to Tromsø

Tromsø

Tromsø is a wonderful small city. Beautiful views. Very easy to each airport bus to city center.

Quality of Experience

Midnight Sun Cruise

Tromsø

Beautiful views. The guide on the boat was really funny and knowledgeable about the local area. She was great.

Quality of Experience

Locals Guide to Svolvær

Svolvær

Small town, but one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

Quality of Experience

Husky Puppy Training Visit

Tromsø

So much fun. Really nice facility. Beautiful views on hike.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Guided Arctic Cathedral Visit

Tromsø

Such a beautiful church.

Quality of Experience

Explore Tromsø

Norway

Nice, walkable city.

Quality of Experience

Private Lofoten Floating Sauna Experience

Svolvær

Really nice sauna. Try the polar plunge at least once.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We walked and did not use transport. It is a short walk from the main harbor area.

Trollfjord Cruise by Electric Boat

Svolvær

Incredibly beautiful even though it was raining and cold. Guides were very knowledgeable, friendly, and nice.

Quality of Experience

Our trip to Norway was planned out in steps with Alex who asked us questions and planned a trip tailored to our likes.
The trip was stress free! It was all planned with some down time in between the bigger events.
The app was easy to use and we enjoyed our tour of Norway!
I would highly recommend using KimKim!

The trip was amazing! All pick-ups, train tickets, excursions, worked like clockwork. The city tours were awesome. Both guides were very knowledgeable. The only item I would have changed was the seafood dinner in Bergen. The restaurant offered either a 5-course seafood meal or shellfish extravaganza. If given a choice I would have preferred the shellfish.
Thank you KIMKIM and Alex, Nick, and your whole team.

We thouroughly enjoyed our trip to Norway. The itinerary put together by Kimkim allowed us to have both planned excursions to the best sights, but also gave us time to explore on our own. When things unexpected happend, our Kimkim team of Alex and Nick stepped in to help out. We started in Bergen at the Raddison Blu. Rooms were simple but confortable and the breakfast was wonderful. We stopped by Flam on our way to Oslo. In Flam we enjoyed wonderful hking and a cruise thru the fjords with our charming guide Nathan. Alex and Nick made the trip easy to plan and the itinerary had all the details needed to make transfers easily. Thank you Kimkin for a great trip.