Ethical Travel Portal

Our entire trip was incredible! Katie designed a trip that included a variety of activities, as well as free time for us to explore. She has been so easy to work with, very responsive to every question, full of exactly the information we needed. I have so many great memories from this trip. I would like to return to Norway some day and hope Katie is still doing this work at that time.

Norway was one of those delayed-by-the-pandemic trips for us. We were childless when we first planned to go a few years ago. When we finally got around to going, we had a two-year-old and vastly different ambitions for what we might see and do while in the country. Booking through Kim Kim turned out to be a great way to square our past and present selves. With local expertise from Christina, Katie, and Tom, we still got deep into the country and saw amazing sights -- but weren't burdened by an overly ambitious itinerary that would have burned out our toddler (and us, frankly). They never pressured us to do and add more to our days, which was much appreciated.

Norway is a great place to travel with kids and our son had a great time on the trains, trams, and boats. It was so easy to get around on our own in between scheduled stops and we were never short on ideas for quick things to do, thanks to our guides. We were especially grateful for their help once we were in the country and needed to change one of our accommodations and add an unexpected outing -- and another time when we needed help reaching a taxi driver who didn't arrive to pick us up on time. They were very prompt to reply and put us totally at ease. I highly recommend this group to anyone traveling to Norway!

Tom has been very helpful and patient with our inquiries. The trip was tailor-made to suit our needs, and it has been a very pleasant experience. We will definitely consider KimKim for our future trips.

Our trip was absolutely amazing! Thanks Tom for all the great suggestions, patience with all the questions and changes, and efficiency in always getting back to me quickly and thoroughly. Your ideas of how we could have a magical time with a family with two young kids in Norway and Lapland were perfect.
Thanks again!!

We absolutely loved this short trip through Northern Norway and Lapland and Estonia. Mathias was a pleasure to deal with and got back to us with any of our queries immediately. All the day tours were fantastic and I would recommend (as always) kimkim to organise further trips.

Hotel Reviews

Santa's Igloos Arctic Circle

Rovaniemi

The hot tub room was sublime. We spied the northern lights and a colourful meteor shower after being notified by alarm through the hotel to the room. The staff at reception were extremely helpful and polite and I would recommend staying here to anyone if in the Santa Claus Village area.

Authenticity & Character

We’ll set out rooms for viewing the sky and the hot tub was amazing in the cold snow.

Location

Located quietly away from the main village area making it feel more intimate.

Staff

Staff were extremely polite helpful and professional.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms are exceptionally well kept and set out.

Hotel Fabian

Helsinki

The hotel is close to everything and our room was excellent. The staff were amazing and prepared early breakfasts for us on 2 days which was exceptional, considering our early schedules. I would recommend this place to anyone staying in Helsinki.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel felt extremely comfortable and homely.

Location

It was close to everything even the Xmas Market.

Staff

Everybztaff member we dealt with was extremely helpful and polite with their advice on things to do and see and in making our stay feel very personal.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were very clean and tidy and well set out.

Santa Claus Holiday Village

Rovaniemi

The hotel seemed central for most tours outside the village and is placed in a good location. The staff seem respectful but not overly helpful or knowledgeable. The rooms are adequate but lack heating, which was definitely felt in the Rovaniemi winter. We used the sauna with the door open to help heat the room. The restaurants provide plain fare with a five star price. Everything closes way too early making a rushed feeling to get around if excursions are organised during the day.

Authenticity & Character

Certainly delivers on its marketed character

Location

Excellent central location

Staff

A lot needed to exhibit more enthusiasm and knowledge of the area and facilities.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our room definitely needed better heating as the floors and room temperature were too cold to walk around comfortably and relaxed inside without keeping socks and warm clothing on.

Scandic Ishavshotel

Tromsø

The hotel is in an excellent location with most things nearby. It is well kept and the rooms were comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Historical City Walk

Tromsø

Astrid was a brilliant guide with a pleasant and knowledgable character. Her stories were captivating and we loved the tour she provided.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Astrid was a wonderful guide for this tour.

Dog Sledding

Tromsø

This was our favourite tour. It was great fun and really interactive. The staff were all fantastic and made it feel really authentic and not touristy. The dogs looked well cared for and it was great to be able to interact with them before and after the sledding without feeling pressured to move on.

Quality of Experience

Something very different and fun.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All the staff we met were really enthusiastic about the dogs.

Transport

On time, comfortable and our driver was pleasant.

Day Trip To Tallinn

Helsinki

This is a great day trip and old Tallinn is a beautiful area to spend the day.

Reindeer Safari & Farm Visit

Rovaniemi

It feels very touristy which it is, but we had great fun and the staff were all lovely.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

If you took the time to talk with the staff and ask them all about the reindeer, they were fantastic and really informative about how they look after them.

Transport

Northern Lights Hunting in Santas Village

Rovaniemi

We only just saw lights far in the distance through the camera for a second, however the overall experience out in the quiet with the staff made for an exceptional night.

Quality of Experience

The staff made the night really enjoyable.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They kept us entertained all through the night when we had a distinct lack of Aurora watching to help fill in the time. The staff really were great company.

Transport

Silent eSnowmobile Safari

Rovaniemi

This was great fun and went for a really good amount of time. Loved the countryside and the overall experience.

Quality of Experience

What a great bit of fun

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was really enjoyable to be around and made everything seem easy, smooth and relaxing.

Transport

We had the most fantastic trip to Norway! Anna made the planning process so easy and when it came time to travel, everything was seamless with all of our booking information in one place. Anna gave great suggestions and advice for our trip!

Oslo was such a neat city and we loved everything we did there! We visited Stavanger which was such a unique and cozy city. The fjord cruise was absolutely beautiful.

In Bergen, we did a walking tour with a local, John, who was phenomenal. He was informative and continually checked that we were okay to keep going. John asked about our interests and gave us suggestions of places to visit. This walking tour was easily the most memorable part of the trip!

Our train ride to Flåm and our fjord cruise to the Viking Valley were breathtakingly beautiful! We enjoyed the Viking Valley, however due to being the off season, there was a 3 hour gap between the closing time of the valley and the shuttle ride back to Flåm.

We created memories to last a lifetime and I’ve already recommended KimKim to numerous friends and family! Thank you!!

Activity Reviews

Explore Bergen with a Local

Bergen

This was easily the most memorable part of our trip. John was informative and knowledgeable about the city and gave us great suggestions based on our interests. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with John!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nærøyfjord Cruise & Viking Valley Tour

Norway

The fjord cruise was absolutely breathtaking. The Viking Valley was interesting and I’m glad we visited.

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A shuttle near closing time of the valley

Transport

Our adventure to Norway was driven by us wanting to see the northern lights . When we started researching how to do this , we came upon a cruise option that was quite pricey and we weren’t sure in November if that was the best way to travel given the increased nighttime hours and colder temps . We found Kimkim and sent them the cruise itinerary we were entertaining. Our specialist Christina took the cruise itinerary and curated a trip for us based on our desire to see the northern lights and what were the best things to do in Norway in November . And the cost ended up being a couple thousand dollars less per person than the cruise. She ended up going on maternity leave prior to our trip and we were then assigned to work with Katie who was amazing!!!
When our trip finally came … Katie called us a couple weeks before and went over everything we would be doing and how to get around. She also recommended popular highlights in each city and booked us for extra activities and a porter to help with luggage from Oslo to Bergen … which was well worth the money!
This trip was literally planes , trains and automobiles lol. We were on the move every 1-2 nights
She basically created the road map for our trip and we followed it . She was always available on the app to answer questions and kimkim has an emergency number also to help while on the trip . This trip was absolutely epic !!! The hotels were amazing. The local tour guides were amesome . We saw the lights not once but twice. King crab fishing, sea eagle expedition, fjord cruises, historic cities … you name it …we did it !!
Our trip however, was not without complications. We did have some weather that forced us to reroute one part of the itinerary. Katie was there immediately to help us with that. She was on the phone with us, guiding us as to how we can reroute and what our options were. She was absolutely awesome.
We also got a flight cancellation leaving Kirkenes because of a snowstorm. She was on the phone with us, helping us find the best options.
Even though we had the roadmap of the trip to do it on our own, she was always there with us to help us guide us along the way.
I can’t say enough amazing things about the Kim Kim team.
Thank you Katie for helping us have an unbelievable trip!!! We will never forget it !!!
Highly recommend kimkim for future vacations!!!!

I am a very type A person who likes to be in control so I was hesitant to use an agency to plan a trip for me. I have to say Kimkim far exceeded my expectations! Ana helped plan and then fine-tune the trip based on our interests and was very knowledgeable with her recommendations. We went from Oslo to Bergen to Tromso. When she was out for vacation someone else stepped in to make sure I knew they were here to help me and everyone as so communicative and transparent (shoutout to Tom and Tricia). They were on top of things even when it was too early to book something they had alarms on when new dates were released to make sure we got to do everything we wanted to do. The way the itinerary , booking confirmations, and tickets were delivered to us was so organized. it came with a lot of extras like how to use public transportation and an ethical travel guide. One thing I didn't realize before the trip that all of the excursions that were booked were with ethical and sustainable agencies and a few run by the indigenous Sami people of Norway. I really liked that aspect!

During the trip we did have one part of an excursion get canceled because of the lack of snow and Tom messaged us 2 days before to let us know and gave us options to rectify the situation. There was another time where there was an issue with one of our excursions when we got there and we messaged and Tom jumped on it right away and figured out the issue so we didn't have to waste any time of our trip figuring out logistics.

Overall I would definitely recommend Kimkim's services!

Hotel Reviews

Amerikalinjen

Oslo

This hotel was so easy to get to from the train station and was super cute! The architecture and décor was great and the breakfast had a lot of variety and was very good. Of the 3 hotels we stayed in on our trip this was our favorite one. It was the nicest as well. This was the only hotel of the 3 that acknowledged our honeymoon and had laid out a cute fruit and chocolate plate with a very nice note!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

the bathroom was great and the bed was nice.

Hotel Norge by Scandic

Bergen

This hotel was centrally located and walkable from the train station which was a big plus! Staff was helpful with our questions and the breakfast was very good with lots of variety. The room itself I would describe as fine. It wasn't bad by any means but it was also nothing to write home about. It was comfortable for our 2 night stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Ishavshotel

Tromsø

The location of this hotel is the selling point for me. The bus to and from the airport stops right in front of it and multiple excursions use this hotel as a meeting point. If you have a room facing the correct side you would have a great view. We unfortunately did not have a nice view in our room. The staff were very nice and helpful but the room left a little something to be desired. I liked that they are sustainable so there was little notes around about how to conserve water, and you need to use keycard to work the electricity so you aren't wasting it while you aren't in the room. They also don't clean your room unless you sign up for it which I think is a good system. However, our room didn't seem like it was cleaned well before we got there because we found numerous pieces of trash around the room including a candy wrapper and empty water bottle. The first time I tried to shower the drain was so clogged the water immediately started overflowing. I had to get re-dressed and go downstairs. To their credit someone came immediately up and cleaned the drain out but it was an inconvenience. This hotel was the only one of 3 that we stayed in that didn't provide body lotion and had only a 2in1 shampoo/conditioner combo which is terrible for my hair. This hotel is located in a place that had the harshest weather so not having lotion was horrible on my skin. I didn't pack any because I was traveling from out of the country trying to pack light with little liquids. It didn't seem worth it to go out any buy lotion either since we stayed here at the tail end of our trip and would have had to throw it aw which would have been wasteful. Of the 3 hotels we stayed at this was my least favorite. Maybe I wouldn't have been so critical if I didn't have the other two recent comparisons because it was a fine stay but that is my honest review. This hotel did have the biggest breakfast of any of the 3 and it was good!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Brunch on the Fjord

Oslo

This was our favorite thing we did in Oslo. Views were amazing! The food was good and the bar on board was nice as well. It was nice to relax in a warm boat while still because able to see the scenery.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience Bergen from the Fjord

Bergen

We showed up early and the captain never showed up so we wasted about an hour of time just standing around in the rain. That being said, when we got in touch with the captain he was very apologetic and said our booking had slipped through the cracks and offered to immediately rig up the boat but we declined because by then we had already ventured on to do something else. We got a full refund for this excursion. We did see the boat and it looked nice and like it would be afun time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Silent Whale Watching

Tromsø

This was our favorite excursion of the whole trip. Not only was it incredible to travel next to a pod of orcas for a little over and hour but the views to and from port are incredible! The staff are very knowledgeable about the sea life and they even put on some presentation via slide shows on the tvs and verbal audio over the loudspeaker about whales, orcas, birds, etc. That was a fun extra. The snacks on board were great too. Boat was warm and comfortable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Reindeer Sledding & Northern Lights Experience

Tromsø

Unfortunately we didn't get to do the sledding part of this activity because of a lack of snow but the rest of it was great! Feeding the reindeer was so fun and I loved learning about the Sami culture. The transportation was great and so easy with clear meeting points in town.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Adventure in Tromsø

Tromsø

The owner/tour guide really went above and beyond driving all the way to Finland to find clear skies to see the northern lights! The excursion went longer than expected to make sure we all got a chance to see the lights and take pictures with them. Guide was very knowledgeable and a talent photographer. Bus was brand new and cozy as well. The guide also shared cultural stories on the ride too and is a Sami indigenous person herself. She was very funny and entertaining as well. Meeting place was easy and convenient.

Quality of Experience

Transport