Kristiina Taukul

Kristiina the Oslo guide was wonderful and very helpful
There a lot more sites to visit in Oslo than Bergen and it would have been nice to have more days there rather
than Bergen but both were very good
Enjoyed the train from Oslo to Bergen--saw scenery at multipel altitudes both below and above tree line
The Fjord cruise in Bergen, Rib boat in Flam, Sea Kayak in Geranger/Glacier tour in Balestrand, and the cable care in Bergen were all wonderful. Hiking in Balestrand was a challenge but the views were great. It is amazing that people could live and farm on the steep cliffs years ago. The Cornelius dinner was amazing. Getting back at 11 pm and having to get up at 3 AM was not great planning but the meal was worth it.
We were very fortunate to have clear weather for the Sea Kayak! The waterfalls after it rained were wonderful
The scenery was fantastic
Car rental and driving was interesting. The Bergen self service rental has no one to talk to. We found another Hertz
location on the road and got an introduction to the car. Our taxi driver from the hotel drove past the location and I
had to tell him where to go! Every time I put gas in the vehicle we were double charged large amounts on my credit card--These are still pending as of today. Driving on the roads was an experience--the tunnels were unbelievable-how in the world did they do them!!! More switchbacks than I have ever seen and done
The airport transfer did not show up for the flight home--we had to take a taxi.. Hoping that can be refunded
All in all a wonderful trip and may well use Kim Kim again

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Bristol

Oslo

wonderful staff delightful hotel with shower and bath and terry cloth robes Breakfast amazing my favorite hotel

Authenticity & Character

see above

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

see above

Hotel Norge by Scandic

Bergen

modern hotel not as much character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Aurlandsfjord

Aurland

great views No elevator and we wer on 4th floor/ a hike

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Utsikten

Geiranger

Great views closing for season the day we left Nice lounge area no elevator/ on 3rd floor very tiny rooms

Authenticity & Character

Location

view

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

very tiny room and bath

Bergen Børs Hotel

Bergen

great bar and dining area Bath had a shower with only curtains--presume for person in wheelchair Large room

Location

near wharf

Staff

front desk helpful when airport ride didn't show up

Cleanliness & Comfort

again the bath

Activity Reviews

Oslo Private Walking Tour

Oslo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

walking in the rain actually fun-- "No bad weather--just bad clothing possible" per our guide

Bergen to Mostraumen Fjord Cruise

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking Tour The Seven Sisters

Geiranger

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

not applicable

Summer and Autumn Fjord Safari on a RIB boat

Flåm

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fjord and Glacier Tour from Balestrand - Day Trip to Fjærland

Balestrand

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Trip and Dinner at Cornelius Seafood Restaurant

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Dinner was amazing culinary triumph

Guides, Drivers and Staff

waitress Anna was delightful, Owner was there and talked to every group

Transport

Kristiina was very helpful and knowledgeable, paid close attention to the kind of trip we were looking for in Norway, and did not disappoint! The itinerary was well planned out and detailed, so helpful to refer to during our trip. Fenne did a fantastic job making our reservations and making edits when we had questions or concerns. We were affected by the global IT outage and had our flight to Oslo disrupted as well as lost our baggage, but the emergency text line and Rufo were amazing! They were able to find us a hotel in Amsterdam at a lower price, notify our hotel in Oslo that we would be missing the first night and arriving very late the next day, as well as direct us to places to purchase clothing. They also switched the dates of our reservations for a kayak trip when we noticed that it was going to rain that day. Can't say thank you enough to them for their on-the-spot support! Highly recommend KimKim to any travelers, they are very professional and kind :)

Kristiina was very responsive and helped put a trip together that worked well for our family. The emergency support contact while we were in Norway was also extremely responsive and helpful. The tour guide we were connected with in Bergen was also super helpful and provided all sorts of helpful information about restaurants and places to avoid.

Overall the trip was good and kimkim did a fine job making planning a 10 day trip super easy. There are some items we would have done differently and a couple of misses, but hind-sight is 20/20. We had an issue with some of our tickets not downloading properly (expired link), but they were able to solve it quickly on the fly by sending us the needed documents via Whatsapp.

I'm not sure we would say we got the "insider's" guide to Norway and no real spots off the beaten path, but we had a good time and it was incredibly beautiful. Quick review of hotels we stayed at: Hotel Bondheim in Oslo was mixed--one room we had was very nice and the other was quite dumpy. Scandic Torget in Bergen is probably nice if you have a view of the water, but we didn't and the rooms were pretty small. Great breakfast though. Very busy part of town, which is good and bad. Kringsjå Hotel in Balestrand was our favorite. Not super nice rooms, but had great balconies off the rooms, great views, and an extensive lounge area and game area that was awesome for our kid. Also not crowded at all. Finally, the hotel manager there is the nicest man ever.

Hotel Reviews

Hotell Bondeheimen

Oslo

One room is very nice and the other was quite dumpy. Very small elevators, but somewhat typical for Norway.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Torget

Bergen

In a very busy part of town--could be loud depending on which direction you are facing. Hotel layout is a bit unusual (historic building) and some rooms are quite small. Breakfast room was impressive!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kringsjå Hotel

Balestrand

Decor hasn't been updated in a while, but charming hotel nevertheless. Hotel manager was amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds weren't amazing, but good enough.

Activity Reviews

Fløibanen

Bergen

This was a great activity, especially with kids. Lots of awesome playgrounds at the top and hiking trails. Really cool spot.

Private day tour to Hardangerfjord, incl Voss Gondol & Four Great Waterfalls

Bergen

We would have appreciated less driving and more walking while at each site. We spent most of the day in the car, which seemed like too much given all the prior travel we had just done. It turned out to be okay because it was raining most of the day and being in the car was probably better than being outside, but still too much car time. Our guide Arne was really top notch though and very engaging, particularly with our kid, which helped keep her engaged in the trip. The gondola ride was cool and the food at the top was quite good. Maybe would have been better if the weather were nicer and we could have hiked around at the top, but mostly felt like we were being shuttled from spot to spot.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Finnafjord RIB Boat Tour

Balestrand

This was a very nice tour and the folks running it were knowledgeable and very nice. I thought I read that we were supposed to bring layers for this tour, but they provided a whole insulated waterproof suit to wear--so all those layers I brought were not needed. My 6-year old was scared by the suits and the prospect of going really fast, so she and my wife had to bail. I'd suggest 8 years old may be the min age you might want to consider taking on this trip, depending on how adventurous your kid is. The boats go 40-50 mph and the water was pretty choppy on the day we went, so a fair amount of bumps, but nothing crazy. The seats are tall and her feet would not have touched the ground, which would have been okay, just adds a bit to the uncertainty factor. Some 6-year olds would probably have a blast--but not for all.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Luggage Transfer Service

Norway

A Norwegian evening on the fjord

Oslo

Loved the tour, but food was pretty mediocre and drinks were quite expensive.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Norway in a Nutshell Tour

Norway

Amazing tour, but a lot to fit into one day, particularly for younger kids.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our connection at the airport was great!
We felt the Fram day long, with many line ups, rushing crowd's and to many connections. The train going straight through from Oslo to Bergen would have been a better choice! Sort of redundant as we were cruising the coast of Norway

Hotel Review

Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel

Oslo

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Luggage Transfer Service

Norway

Norway in a Nutshell Tour

Norway

Quality of Experience

Electric fjord cruise on the Oslofjord

Oslo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hello, I will be honest in my review, and hopefully not too critical.
Overall our trip was fine but not outstanding. Part of that may be that we have always been fit and healthy, and now in our mid 70's we not as energetic or willing to accept annoyances.
Hotels....the 3 hotels we stayed in were nice hotels in general, and all had friendly, professional, and helpful staff. All breakfasts were good as well.
Our first hotel experience though, was challenging. Our assigned room at the Norge was the smallest room I can ever remember, and we were there for 5 nights. Our only other choice, which we opted for, was a much larger room with a pleasant view. This was in a handicap accessible wing on the ground floor with wide hallways which were used to store extra furniture. This, combined with food smells from the restaurant, and the stained carpet made for a less than appealing sense of arrival each time we came to our room. In addition, we had to pay $470 CAD extra to the hotel for the room.
It seems that all our hotels in Norway used the same company for interior room design. All were minimalist, with zero or only one drawer for clothes. This is unacceptable for stays of several days....no place for socks, underwear, PJ's, dirty clothes etc. It ends up with shoes and clothes strewn all over the place.
Regarding the guided tours, we were pleased,
Although we recognize much of Norway is about the water, we spent too much time on boats, even considering the one we missed. The ferry from Bergen to Stavanger was very nice. We went to the oil and gas museum in Stavanger, which was very interesting.
regarding you contact people, we started with Kristina, then over to Fenne, then to Rufo. Rufo was helpful in last-minute rescheduling of our Cornelius dinner.
I sent 2 messages requesting light bedding in our rooms. None of the hotels had the requests on file when we checked in, so we had to deal with that in various ways. The bedding issue was important to us, especially sing none of the hotel have air conditioning.
Thank you,
Randy Byrne

Activity Reviews

Dinner Cruise in the Oslofjord

Oslo

Food and culture guided walk

Bergen

Nina is very good

Great Summer Waterfall and Fjord Tour

Bergen

A bit too long

Boat Trip and Dinner at Cornelius Seafood Restaurant

Bergen

Private Nature Walk: Island hopping

Oslo

Private tour of Oslo's highlights: Fram Museum, Vigeland Park, and Holmenkollen Hill

Oslo

Mariann was very good

Our visit to Norway was beyond our expectations. The original itinerary appeared to be amazing. However, due to Joseph’s special needs, changes were necessary. Thanks to Fenne, we had a wheelchair available at both hotels and needed to change hotels in Bergen. The Scandic Torget Bergen was in a perfect spot as the two bus tours started across the street. Both bus drivers were exceptional. The cider tour and fjord cruise to Flåm were highlights of our trip. We also enjoyed dinner at Engebret Cafe which was on the list of places to eat that you provided. We had no problem with all the tickets for the various events. We were also impressed how responsive team members were to our questions. Overall, we are very pleased. Thank you. Joseph & Patrick

Hotel Reviews

Hotell Bondeheimen

Oslo

We had a deluxe room so it was roomy with windows on two sides. The most amazing feature though was the breakfast — so many choices! On the negative side, the shower had no hand bars for safety, did not limit water to shower area, and the shampoo pump was difficult. There are no hand towels and the bath towels barely wrap around one’s body. The air in the room was still and warm and barely improved with oscillating desk fan.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It seemed to be in the middle of centre city — only blocks up from City Hall and piers and a stroll along Karl Johans gate.

Staff

Friendliness and helpfulness

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Torget

Bergen

Here we had an accessibility room which did not offer adequate space for luggage — no dresser. Beds and chairs were comfortable. Shower did not have hand bars for safety, did not keep water in shower area and offered no face cloths. The temperature of the room was good. Here too the breakfasts were great! Enjoyed the fire pit in the lobby.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Friendliness and helpfulness

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds were cozy.

Activity Reviews

Cidery Tour To Balestrand By The Sognefjord

Bergen

Knowledgeable and rewarding — learned a lot about cider. Presentation was professional and cider sampling paired with good was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ride the Ulriken Cable Car

Bergen

Beautiful!! Stunning!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided tour and fjord cruise to Nærøyfjorden, Flåm and Stegastein viewpoint

Bergen

Stunningly beautiful — blessed to have had good weather. Bus driver was outstanding.

Quality of Experience

Have to credit bus driver, not only his enthusiasm but above & beyond our expectations.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See comment above

Transport

Kristiina did a great job planning our 15 day itinerary! She was attentive to our personal interests, likes and dislikes.
Fenne also did a wonderful job booking all the tours, excursions, hotels, and modes of transportation. Two of the four hotels we stayed at could have been nicer however, the room at one of the hotels had the loveliest view of any place we’ve ever stayed in all of our travels. Everything worked like clockwork without a problem. Julia was our 24 hour contact while traveling in Norway. We only needed to use her assistance once and she immediately took care of the issue.
We spent several days in Oslo. What a beautiful city! We then flew to Alesund, a lovely small city along the coast where we took excursions to Geirangerfjord (breathtaking), an e-bike tour, and a bus tour of surrounding islands. We then flew to Bergen where we did a guided kayak tour, a guided tour along the fjords including a boat trip down Hardangerfjord (magnificent). We then took a lovely ferry ride to Stavanger where we hiked to Pulpits Rock one day and went on a fjord RIB Safari. A relaxing train ride back to Oslo then gave us the final day to visit the Kon-Tiki and Fram museums which were wonderful.
All of the cities were very walkable and easy to navigate.
The Norwegian people couldn’t have been nicer. Very friendly and helpful.

Hotel Reviews

Clarion Hotel The Hub

Oslo

Great location!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thon Hotel Ålesund

Ålesund

Great location. On the water.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Zander K Hotel

Bergen

Dark and tired looking. Not a great location. Poor view from room. Looking at a big office type building not far from our window. Eating area very dark. The walls were black.

Authenticity & Character

Rugs were old and worn. Eating area dark.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Stavanger City

Stavanger

Not a great location. Our room looked out on an alley type road with nondescript buildings.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Oslo private tour

Oslo

Our guide was great!

Quality of Experience

Art Nouveau city bike in Ålesund

Ålesund

Our guide was friendly. We rode out of the city to an adjoining island which was lovely. From the Art Nouveau name of the tour we thought we’d be learning about the architecture.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

No transport was involved

Fjordcruise Ålesund - Geiranger (Return)

Norway

We were on a boat with a group of other people who had park service guides. The guides gave interesting commentary about the surroundings which made the ride more interesting .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ålesund – Sightseeing and Viking saga islands

Ålesund

Leisurely bus tour around the surrounding islands with visit to a church and lighthouse.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Kayaktour Bergen

Bergen

Leisurely kayaking around low lying islands. Nothing strenuous. Guide was friendly and informative. Lunch was very good. One of the local fisherman cooked up a fresh fish meal. Yum!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Hardangerfjord Tour: Voss Gondol & Mt. Hanguren Panorama

Norway

Our guide Arne was great!! He even brought a drone. Stopped at a few waterfalls. One was spectacular. The fjord trip was great. Gorgeous scenery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hike to Pulpit Rock Preikestolen

Stavanger

Our guide was super nice and engaging. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see anything as it was foggy the whole time. But we got some good exercise.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lysefjord RIB Safari from Stavanger

Stavanger

Enjoyable. A bit jolting at times. Got to see Pulpit Rock from the water.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Even though we did not travel in the summer, and there was a bit of snow, we really had a great time, and actually enjoyed seeing the white tops on the mountains.
The proposed itinerary was a good match to our preferences.
The guide to Preikestolen, Terry, was great. Overall, we really enjoyed the balance between boat trips and the walks in the nature.

We knew we would have a great time in Norway, but this trip still exceeded all expectations - Kristiina helped to create an itinerary that suited our wishes and needs, and it played out to near perfection. Every tour and hotel was in a nearby location and easy to attend (not to mention really enjoyable)! I found the convenience was a huge relief. Some of our highlights that she created for us include our stay at the Hanseatic in Bergen, our Hurtigruten experiences, and all the Tromso tours. All the Tromso tour guides were amazing, especially Jorges on the Coastal Safari and Mark at the husky sledding experience. We felt that the fjord tour to Hardangerfjord was not what we hoped for and perhaps could have been replaced with something else, but this seems to be a limitation of the season. Fortunately we were able to book another amazing fjord cruise further north via Hurtigruten (we would have done only this one if we knew this was an option, to save some money), and enjoyed a Sami tour via the Hurtigruten also. We didn't know we would gain so much from the Hurtigruten voyage itself, so this was a pleasant surprise. I am so glad we incorporated this to our trip. We had some travel hiccups, but nothing within KimKim's control, yet they were all so helpful when I reached out for advice about our lost luggage. Julia, Fenne, and Kristiina did everything possible to support us and keep us in the loop. Lastly, they provided great(!) local recommendations for each main city we visited, which helped to make our time even better. Also, during this trip, my partner and I got engaged - KimKim helped to make this the ideal place and time for such a special thing. Planning the trip was made so much easier by going via KimKim, and I think it went brilliantly. At times we wished we had more insight into our tour options and alternatives, pricings, etc. But would definitely do this again regardless. Thank you so much for creating a beautiful holiday for us and being so present from start to end to make sure it went well. We are so pleased!

Activity Reviews

Fjordcruise to Hardanger

Bergen

Whilst Rosendal and the natural beauty of the fjord was lovely, we didn't know most things in Rosendal would be closed at this time of year. So we arrived to a ghost town and didn't know what to do, and walked far to find closed places. It was nice but we could have skipped this in favour of another tour to save some money and time. Also the fjord cruise itself was more like a taxi service than a tour. I bet it is nicer in summer.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free Day in Bergen - Board Hurtigruten

Hurtigruten

Hurtigruten is a great experience filled with amazing tour opportunities and some onboard fun, especially if you travel south to North- there is a big deal about crossing into the Arctic Circle. Really glad we did this.

Dog Sledding

Tromsø

Highly recommend! It was fun and we had heaps of time to play with the dogs. The tour guides are all so accommodating and eager for you to enjoy yourself. The lunch we had was delicious also!!

Coastal Scenery Safari with Local Tastings in Tromsø

Tromsø

This was way better than we imagined. It was intimate, flexible and beautiful. Our tour guide, Jorges, was passionate and helpful. He made it a great day by choosing good spots to stop for photos and helping us to spot wildlife, etc. It was a great spot for lunch at the halfway point too. I enjoyed this so much. It was quite a relaxing and worthwhile taste of the Tromso islands and coast.

kimkim really made the planning and organization of our trip to Norway easy and convenient. Their local specialist like Kristiina and Fenne suggest a trip based on your initial thoughts and then offer up many options to refine it into the trip of a lifetime that you're looking for. They know the places to go, things to do, and what to see. They arrange the hotels (including breakfast), local transportation, event tickets, and dinner reservations. When things go a-rye because of bad weather, they are there to help you adjust and get to your next destination. I don't know if I would have changed much in the path of our journey but look forward to sharing with friends and family.

Hotel Reviews

Vestlia Resort

Geilo

This is a nice hotel but isn't the level you might expect for a resort at a ski area. Rooms lack washcloths, bath matts, tissue box, coffee maker, fridge, extra pillow, and safe. Bowling doesn't open until 4 pm. If skiing is closed due to wind, not much to do. We were there when a huge real estate retreat was going on and the partying was out of control. However, you can runt skis, and the cross-country track is great, even for snowshoeing around the lake. Restaurant has limited menu that would get boring after 1 night. Town has some amazing restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

a few more amenities

Location

close to town

Staff

Staff were always nice and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

everything is just a bit old and run down, a refresh, add a few room amenities like extra pillows

Clarion Hotel the Edge

Tromsø

This is so well located. You can walk to most anything in a short time. Close to the cathedral, good restaurants and shopping. Dinner cruise is just outside the front door. Breakfast is amazing.

Authenticity & Character

This is more modern, not really authentic Norwegian.

Location

near everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were really nice

Hotell Bondeheimen

Oslo

cute little boutique hotel. Rooms are small but work if you're out much of the time, which we were. Close to many attractions and bus/train routes. Breakfast good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

centrally located near lots.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Bergen

Bergen

Close to the water and historic buildings. Shopping and bay close as well as old fort for walking. Rooms small but comfortable. easy access to bus to airport.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Oslofjord Sightseeing Cruise

Oslo

This is an open air sail boat but they make it warm and cozy. Peaceful ride and good way to start a trip. Glogg warm drink is a must!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Northern Lights Chase

Tromsø

This tour takes you on a packed bus more than an hour outside of town for dark skies. The staff are pretty quiet. Only went to one location. No guidance on where to look, what you're looking for, or how to take photos...that would help. A bit more narrative of a history of the area would help. Others on the trip stand in front of your pictures, use their flashlights, without regard to others.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

bit more narrative and communication. Provide some "good conduct" when arriving at destination and taking pictures.

Transport

driver was very safe and good driver

Tromsø Cable Car

Tromsø

This is a must. would recommend doing it in the day time, 1 hr before sunset, to be able to see all the mountains around the area.

Quality of Experience

the views

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nothing special, they just open and close the doors

Transport

pretty smooth operation

Aurora Dinner Cruise

Tromsø

this is a nice cruise around the bay. Food was ok, not great, and meant for fish lovers. We had bad weather, so no going outside or seeing northern lights.

Quality of Experience

Food

quality you might expect for a large group; Ok if you like fish. Offer other options, warn folks that the app is cold.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Narrator was animated and seemed to enjoy what she did.

Transport

easy peeve