Basquelands Way

Kimkim was absolutely amazing connecting us with local guides for our trip to the Basque Country! We were constantly taken care of from the moment we arrived in the Bilbao airport and saw our driver with our name until our return there after exploring this beautiful country. Kimkim connected us with BASQUELANDS WAY travel. Alfonso was in touch with me to plan our trip weeks before our departure. He booked hotels, drivers, restaurants, entry to museums and local activities. His flexibility and knowledge of the towns we visited was outstanding. Susanna was our local guide in Bilbao and incredibly knowledgeable in every aspect. Our tour of the Guggenheim was an amazing experience. What a joy to be in her presence. Alfonso planned our travels through cities between Bilbao and San Sebastián. When we realized that a planned hike was not what we expected, he quickly changed the itinerary to meet our needs. The hotels he booked were beautiful. The sunset cruise amazing. Guernica, Hondaribbia, Pasajes San Juan, San Sebastián were some of the highlights. Alfonso recommended Michelin restaurants, Pintxos bar crawl, sights to see when we weren't in his knowledgeable and caring presence. This was an experience that my husband and I will never forget. Thank you Kimkim. A very special thank you to Alfonso and Susanna.

Activity Reviews

Bilbao walking tour

Bilbao

Quality of Experience

Susanna wa spectacular

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cantabrian Sea Sunset Cruise

San Sebastián

Gorgeous, relaxing

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guggenheim private visit

Bilbao

Susanna made this tour one of the highlights of our trip

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So knowledgeable and fun to be with

Transport

Comfort, enjoyable company, fun

Discover Basque Coast Nature & History

Bilbao

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike, Boat & Lunch on the Bay of Pasaia

San Sebastián

Centro Neighborhood Tapas Walking Tour

San Sebastián

So much fun and delicious local Pintxos. We did this multiple times throughout our visit

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My family and I had an amazing experience in Spain thanks to KimKim service, led by Alfonso and his colleagues that arranged everything during our 10 day tour through northern Spain. My colleague initially recommended KimKim given she had a very positive experience. While I was initially a little reluctant given it’s mostly an online only set-up experience, I was very pleased with the overall experience from start to finish.

Alfonso and his team set us up for amazing experience which started in Madrid (2 nights), wine region Rioja (2 nights), San Sebastián (3 nights) and finally Barcelona (2 nights). Starting in Madrid, we met with Gerardo, a local expert on Madrid and Spanish history. We walked through Madrid with Gerardo over two days. He was excellent guide and showed us amazing sites; experienced Tapas at local markets; went to a few museums and experienced the royal palace. Of particular interest was our site visit to the Prado museum. Gerardo was spectacular guide throughout the museum and knew exactly where to go and the history of each of the major art exhibits.

We then transitioned to wine region and two absolutely amazing experiences at two local vineyards. The first day, we were able to walk to a local vineyard (Luis Canas)from our hotel (Hotel Vuira) and the second day, we were blessed to have Alfonso meet us and we rode E bikes throughout the wine region on an absolutely gorgeous day and ended the day with an outstanding wine tour and lunch visit to Murua vineyard.

Upon arriving in to San Sebastián we adored the town and really enjoyed walking around experiencing tapas places on our own. As an American, most can attest, our education curriculum rarely spends time on Spanish history. Most of our emphasis is on WW1 and 2 and the countries most involved, therefore our curriculum rarely covers Spain. If you’re a western educated traveller, do yourself a favor prioritize Spain on your next trip. The history is fascinating and of particular interest is the Basque region, its people and its culture. You may not find a more amazing gastronomy experience and culture anywhere in the world! The food and people are amazing! For our second day there, Alfonso met us at our hotel and we enjoyed another full day of great history and experience. On our last day in the region we completed a day trip to Balboa for a cooking class (which was amassing!) and a excellent visit, with an expert guide (Susanne) at the Guggenheim Museum. Do not skip this part of your Basque region visit! I’d also comment that when driving through the area, it offered amazing scenery, Swiss like mountain beauty.

We ended the trip in Barcelona with a great walking tour and an amazing sailboat experience in the Barcelona. Bay to observe the sun go down. Amazing way to end our trip.

Bottom line, there is no way we could have planned this on our own, or derive such a sequence of experiences through some travel book or website. The KimKim’s ability to liaise and build a travel experience with local travel experts was hands down the best way to go. I’m particularly pleased with Alfonso and his teams ability to connect with local experts in each region that created a lasting, educational and rich cultural experience for my family. Our kids learned a lot and what was most inspiring is Alfonso’s disposition and approach to life as a guide, father, expert on Spanish history and culture. He and his team left nothing to chance and took great care for each and every detail.

When we return to Spain again we will, without question, work directly through KimKim and Alfonso’s travel company!

Our family traveled to Barcelona, Madrid and Toledo and enjoyed all of our sites. Our tour guide, Juan, in Madrid was excellent and really sensed what our family wanted to do and explore. He was kind and sincere. Our tour guide in Barcelona, Jordi, was knowledgeable and brought us around the city on a nice bike tour to see a lot of different sites. Both of the hotels we stayed at were excellent. The pool and bar on the roof top of Hotel Avenida was great to see the city at the end of the day. Both hotels were clean, comfortable and located in the center of the cities which allowed for great access to see the different sites. The travel arrangements by car and train were planned out very well. We felt well supported along our trip by Alfonso and he quickly responded to any of our questions or needs-he is an excellent resource.

Activity Reviews

Park Güell & La Sagrada Família

Barcelona

We all loved the tour of La Sagrada Familia and climbing the tour for the city view. Unfortunately we missed our tour to Park Guell as we made an error on the timing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Evening Tapas Stroll with a Local

Madrid

Juan was a great tour guide and showed us over half of the city in this walking tour. His knowledge of art, history and architecture was outstanding and added to our tour greatly. He is personable and friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private City Tour - Discover Madrid's Royal Legacy

Madrid

Viewing the palace and taking the tour with Juan was information because of Juan’s extensive knowledge of Madrid and the royal family. Juan gave us factual and anecdotal information.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Toledo Day Trip

Madrid

Toledo tour was all encompassing and Juan once again had extensive knowledge of the city and the history of all of the sights we toured. Our tapas lunch was excellent. He has a great ability to sense from us what we were up for seeing and touring throughout this day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Sailing in Barcelona

Barcelona

We had a private sailboat for this evening activity and Fiona was friendly and personable. She did a great job managing the boat and talking with our family.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Barcelona Bike Tour

Barcelona

A great way to see a large part of the city and riding bikes allowed a sense of freedom from the busy traffic and packed side walks.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Tapas Walk in Barcelona

Barcelona

It was a great over view of the city. It gave us a sense of where different parts of the city were located. Jordi was knowledgeable. We unfortunately were delayed on a flight and traffic so were over tired and very hungry when we started this walking tour so it was a bit hard to focus.

Quality of Experience

Food

If we could have picked the food with Jordi or seen a menu.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Alphonso was responsive, well informed and easy to work with. While in Spain, we had confidence that he or someone in the shop would respond in a timely way to our many questions. It took a lot of pressure off our backs. We had a great trip, which he helped us plan, including visiting several different regions. We relied a great deal on his judgment. Sasha in Girona, Juan in San Sebastian, and Susanna in Bilbao were all terrific -- extremely knowledgeable and fun. We had never used a travel agent before, but will certainly come back to KimKim.

We had an amazing trip to Spain and the team helped us ensure it was unforgettable. Highlights included the Taylor Swift concert in Madrid, a cooking class in Seville, and the Hammam baths in Grenada. Overall, we had an incredible time touring with the local guides, with special shoutouts to Juan and Gabriella for giving us authentic local experiences and recommendations.

Alphonso was responsive and informed and easy to work with. While in Spain, we had confidence that he or someone in the shop would respond in a timely way to our many questions. We had a great trip, which he helped us plan, including many different regions and experiences. We relied a great deal on his judgment and were amazed at how great the guides were. It took a lot of pressure off our backs.

Activity Reviews

Private Wonders of Girona Walk

Girona

Sasha was very knowledgeable, and we learned a lot. We were especially interested in the Jewish history, and she did not disappoint.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Not relevant (can't get rid of the star!!!!)

Private San Sebastián City Walk

Spain

Juan was terrific, one of the great guides in our history of guides. Smart and funny.

Quality of Experience

Cantabrian Sea Sunset Cruise

San Sebastián

The sunset cruise was fantastic. The captain and his wife made everyone feel welcome and cared for, and it was beautiful and even exciting, bouncing on the waves. Definitely would recommend it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guggenheim private visit

Bilbao

Susanna is an excellent guide. Totally open to questions, very generous with her time and expertise. She's wonderful, pure and simple!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bilbao walking tour

Bilbao

An interesting, walkable city even without the Guggenheim.