We had an absolutely wonderful experience with KimKim, and so much of that was thanks to our travel advisor, Lisa.
Lisa was incredibly helpful throughout our trip. She expertly organized our hotels, museum tickets, train travel, and private guides—including a fantastic guide who took us through the WWI battlefields. She was patient, responsive, knowledgeable, and always willing to help whenever we had a question or needed something adjusted.
Everything was handled so smoothly, which...
Read more
We had an absolutely wonderful experience with KimKim, and so much of that was thanks to our travel advisor, Lisa.
Lisa was incredibly helpful throughout our trip. She expertly organized our hotels, museum tickets, train travel, and private guides—including a fantastic guide who took us through the WWI battlefields. She was patient, responsive, knowledgeable, and always willing to help whenever we had a question or needed something adjusted.
Everything was handled so smoothly, which made traveling through several cities and countries much less stressful and allowed us to simply enjoy our trip.
And the local guides she arranged were exceptional. Our guides in Brussels, Antwerp, Ypres, and Brugge were all top-notch—knowledgeable, engaging, and extremely informative. They added so much to our experience and gave us a much deeper appreciation for the history and culture of each place we visited.
We had a fantastic experience with Lisa and KimKim. Lisa went above and beyond, and she was such a pleasure to work with. She was so good that we can confidently say we will use KimKim again for our next adventure. Highly recommend!
Hotel Reviews
Hotel des Arts
Amsterdam-Centrum
Friendly and great location.
Location
close to all of the museums for walking around. Easy to catch the metro.
Good location off the beaten path of all the tourists. Quite and an old heritage hotel. We did have issues with the elevator not working a lot of the time. We did enjoy our stay.
Cleanliness & Comfort
The bed was very comfortable, and the staff was very flexible.
Hotel Bourgoensch Hof
Bruges
Had major issues with this hotel. We were placed on the 3rd floor where there was major construction happening. The construction made it uncomfortable as saw's, drills, hammers and workers were always on the floor making noise. The finally ended their day about 6:30 and started at 8am again. The AC was turned off when we arrived, and took all night to finally cool down. We did not have a good experience with the front desk staff either. Very rude and non-apologic about the situation. Cannot recommend.
Staff
Be nice and accommodating to your guests who are paying you well to stay there!
Cleanliness & Comfort
I have to give it one star because there was a lot of drywall dust on our floor, plus noise and workers...
Hotel O Kathedral
Antwerp
Hard to find but in a great location. The decor on the walls and ceiling were kind of odd as there were half naked 'ruben-esk" women with chubby cherbs on the walls and ceiling. The sink and shower are open to the room but luckily the toilet was in it's own room.
Activity Reviews
Bruges - Hans Memling Collection at Sint-Janshospitaal
Belgium
This was very interesting, especially the building itself, as they have maintained the interior architecture from the original period. The paintings are displayed beautifully, and the colors are brilliant.
Bruges - Day trip to Ypres by private transfer
Bruges
Our driver and tour guide, Lucas, was fantastic. He guided us through Flanders on a moving and educational tour. It was an exceptional experience, and we were very grateful for his personal stories and insights about the locations we visited. This turned out to be another highlight of our trip.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Bruges - Private guided walking tour
Belgium
Enjoyed the private tour and guide. He was able to bring the medieval world around Brugge to life.
Antwerp - KMSKA Museum of Fine Arts
The Netherlands
As expected, the old master's artwork is stunning. I loved seeing all of these Flemish painters: Rubens and Van Dyck. Huge paintings with lots of religious and historical subjects. Magnificent.
A real delight was the special exhibit of Gormley sculptures, which was very fun to see and experience. One of his pieces filled an entire 2-3 story room, and you could walk inside the sculpture to see a beautiful lighting of soft gray, white, and black. Very well done.
Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum
The Netherlands
I am at a loss for words to describe how wonderful this museum was. It was spectacular, filled with countless exhibits, old masters, and endless beautiful art. A true treasure! I loved it immensely!
Quality of Experience
Highly recommend even for a non-art lover. So much to see.
Brussels - Private guided walking tour
Belgium
Veronique was an excellent guide. She spent more time with us than necessary and was truly wonderful. Engaging, funny, easy to walk with, and very informative, she shared captivating stories about her time in the city and explained how Belgium is organized both politically and historically. Her insights provided a perfect foundation for the rest of our trip in Belgium. We found her to be incredibly helpful and enjoyable to have as our guide—a real gem!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Veronique was perfect, and we really enjoyed our time with her.
Brussels card 24h
Belgium
Brussels - Magritte Museum
Belgium
Enjoyed the retrospective of Rene's work. I especially enjoyed his later work. The museum is very informative of how he matured his art and philosophy of art.
Bruges - Lace Centre
Belgium
I had a wonderful hands-on experience at the museum. While the museum itself was enjoyable, the highlight was watching the women who were making lace. They were patient, informative, and a joy to watch and learn from. I really appreciated their willingness to teach us how to lace weave and share stories about when and how they learned their craft. I hope they can keep this museum and their trade alive for the future. It showcases a beautiful and historic talent.
Unfortunately, my phone battery died, so I don't have photos.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Amsterdam - Van Gogh Museum
The Netherlands
The Van Gogh museum was quite crowded during my visit. While it was a bit overwhelming, one pleasant surprise was seeing the Almond Blossom painting, which was on temporary display. Years ago, my brother-in-law created a replica of the painting using a Virginia Dogwood flower, which I now own and display in my home.
Amsterdam - Anne Frank House
The Netherlands
It was incredibly moving and sobering—one of those places that makes you stop and reflect on both the best and worst of humanity. The museum and annex were very well organized, and I appreciated the effective crowd control inside. In the annex, they showed great respect by pausing the audio guide, allowing visitors to reflect on the space and consider how the people lived during their captivity there.
It was simple and so easy to use everywhere!
Antwerp - Red Star Line Museum
Belgium
It was very interesting to learn about the history and the process that immigrants had to go through. I appreciated the ancestry information provided at the end, as I am currently trying to find out if my family passed through Antwerp during their immigration.
Ghent - Gravensteen Castle of the Counts
Belgium
This place is super interesting and a lot of fun to visit. You have complete access to the entire castle. The audio tour is excellent, as it includes humor in the storytelling about the castle and the royals who lived there. I definitely recommend visiting! We had a very fun visit.
Ghent - Scenic boat tour (join-in)
Belgium
Another fun experience in Ghent. I recommend that everyone take one of these boat tours. We had a fun driver and good boatmates on our tour. It is a lovely way to see the city.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Brussels - Center for Fine Arts (BOZAR)
Belgium
The museum was quite interesting, although it was perhaps a bit outside my usual taste in art. The first exhibit featured a large mud hut that visitors could enter after removing their shoes. The second exhibit was created by artists who were denouncing the concept of 'beauty.' While I understand the message they were trying to convey, it felt as if the artists had a strong disdain for anything related to beauty. This exhibit might resonate with some people, but it wasn’t one of my favorites.
Bruges - Groeningemuseum
Belgium
The museum was lovely, situated away from the crowded main streets, which made it a peaceful place to visit. The Flemish art was beautiful, and I enjoyed admiring the works of the old masters. Their ability to capture landscapes, family life, and religious history is truly spectacular.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Antwerp - Private guided walking tour Diamond District
Belgium
I had a wonderful walking tour of Antwerp's old district as well as the diamond district with Luc. He was excellent and met me at our hotel, which was located in the old district rather than near the train station. Luc thought it would be better to walk around and show me some historic sites, such as City Hall, the Cathedral, and Saint Carolus Borromeuskerk Church. Of course, we also made our way to the diamond district.
It was fascinating to hear him explain how the diamond wholesale process works, and I learned that the diamond district is highly secure. Barricades with gates line both ends of the street, and a police station is nearby, with active military surveillance in the area. Luc was fantastic, and I am so grateful for the time he took to explain everything. It was very well done!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Ghent - Adoration of the Mystic Lamb
Belgium
We were thrilled to have tickets to see this incredible piece of history and art. The tour before the viewing included virtual reality (VR) glasses that provided background information on the painting, the artist, and the fascinating history behind the artwork. The VR tour was well executed.
When we finally saw the painting, it was unbelievable. The vibrant colors, incredible details, and beautifully arranged panels were breathtaking. I had not expected it to be so clear, bright, and filled with extraordinary details. This is definitely a must-see in Ghent.
It was very well displayed.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Local specialist: Lisa van den Eerenbeemt