Finland Travel Agents

My wife Miriam and I have traveled the world together for the last 40 years. Usually independent, self-guided. An occasional small group tour.

We asked kimkim to plan a 3 week private trip to Finland. August/September. Goals: to experience out of the way rural and urban destinations, visit skilled artisans in their workshops, sample good food, both hearty and simple, and learn what gives Finland its special character.

To fill every day’s schedule completely/sensibly, but with... read more

My wife Miriam and I have traveled the world together for the last 40 years. Usually independent, self-guided. An occasional small group tour.

We asked kimkim to plan a 3 week private trip to Finland. August/September. Goals: to experience out of the way rural and urban destinations, visit skilled artisans in their workshops, sample good food, both hearty and simple, and learn what gives Finland its special character.

To fill every day’s schedule completely/sensibly, but with time/flexibility to veer off and see what was around the next corner.

Kimkim’s Moonika delivered exactly what we wanted.

And then some.

We explored fantastic landscapes, met intriguing people. Each day was singular and always in a different way than any before.

Studied with the most amazing artisans who shared details of their time-honored family trades, workshops, sometimes centuries old. A contemporary leather handbag designer/craftswoman personally demonstrated how she produces her beautiful work and sources her supplies.

Helped bake a favorite dessert with just picked berries … which, still warm from the oven, we enjoyed at the end of an action packed visit with a nationally recognized artisan family.

Bear watching in overnight wetlands blind • day trip to Estonia • Iitalia factory • sleeper train to Rovaniemi • dogsledding training tips • learned the different shapes and fuzz on reindeer antlers

While large groups of tourists plodded by, our local nature guides stopped to point out unique Finnish plants, trees, insects, rocks … and told a beloved folk story about the bird that just swooped by.

We learned the names of everyone’s family at home … their pets, too.

Thanks, Kimkim and Moonika, for making it all happen.

Fantastic.

David and Miriam
USA

Hotel Reviews

Overnight Train

Old-fashioned but totally contemporary and fun. Best night of sleep over all the nice hotels. Wish we could go again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Park Hotel Turku

Turku

The Park Hotel was a highlight. It was different from the modern ones and we loved the old one.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kurula's Resort

Pyhätunturi

The resort was the best. It'll be exceptional when it's done. The staff was superb and accommodating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arctic Wilderness Hike (Summer)

Rovaniemi

Easy to rate - because Barbara was hands down the best trail guide ever. Funny, smart, forward thinking ... plus taught us to use a fire starting flint, shared amazing stories and nature details from start to finish. But - we taught HER how to make a Finnish variation of our traditional "smore". Substitute a ginger cookie, delicious Finnish chocolate and strawberry flavored marshmallows for the traditional plain old graham crackers, dull American chocolate and white marshmallows ... grilled over a fire started with her flint.

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Food

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Aurora Adventure at Lake Pyhäjärvi

Pyhä

Our guide "tried hard" but no aurora seen that night. But exceptional fun sitting around fire at his house with his devoted dogs, learning about his family and talking "horses". Visited stables andsaddle room of what might be the farthest north "western horse" operation. Unexpected fun,

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Porvoo Design Tour

Helsinki

My guide got mixed up with another group but the hotel staff and everyone involved were so helpful and friendly, turning the situation into a really fun memory.

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Picnic Cruise along the Aura River

Turku

Despite the rain, the guide made it fun and interesting. The cruise was a highlight.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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The Industrial Past of Tampere

Tampere

The tower was super and the local craft shop was interesting.

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Finnish Legends and Stories Around the Fire

Rovaniemi

The workshop was an unexpected highlight and the stories around the fire were in-depth, really interesting, and not touristy at all. The guide was passionate and knowledgeable, which made the experience even more special.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Bird & Wildlife Watching Tour

Pyhä

The Bird & Wildlife Watching Tour was superb, the guide was retired military and passionate about nature. The Aurora Adventure was fun, despite not seeing the lights.

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Kuusamo to Pyhä Transfer with a stop at a Husky Farm

Finland

This was one of the very best stops of the entire trip! The hosts spent endless time with us. Super memories of lots of dogs barking, people laughing … and learning so much.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We did the Baltic Sampler trip (or I think that's what it was called) - starting in Helsinki, and then moving on to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Valdis was very helpful throughout and very responsive as we asked questions and made tweaks in the itinerary. He booked excellent hotels for us, and arranged for truly excellent local guides to help us truly understand the places we were visiting, as well as getting access to experiences like a tea ceremony, and a cooking classes. I highly recommend working with Valdis and this platform.

This is my second trip using KimKim and I could not be happier! Our local guide Moonika knocked it out of the park for our 11 day long Girls Trip! By the time we decided on the final trip, I believe we were on our 4th itinerary. Moonkia really listened to what we wanted and it turned out SO good. All the transport (busses, taxis, trains, walking) was seamless and easy. During the trip Moonika was easy to get ahold of though WhatsApp and answered all our questions as they came up.
Our... read more

This is my second trip using KimKim and I could not be happier! Our local guide Moonika knocked it out of the park for our 11 day long Girls Trip! By the time we decided on the final trip, I believe we were on our 4th itinerary. Moonkia really listened to what we wanted and it turned out SO good. All the transport (busses, taxis, trains, walking) was seamless and easy. During the trip Moonika was easy to get ahold of though WhatsApp and answered all our questions as they came up.
Our trip was a great mix of culture and outdoor pursuits with a day in Helsinki and a day in Turku to learn about the old and new capitals. The evening bike tour and sauna was super fun. Our guide Philipe took us all around town and we ended up at a sauna overlooking to harbour and a cold dip pool in the Baltic Sea. We loved the train travel and the overnight train to Lapland was a unique experience. The third bunk was pretty high up there!
In Lapland we were booked in with a company called Yllas Experiences. We had a half day canoe trip with Jana who was an excellent guide and knew heaps about the surrounding nature. The next day we went on an overnight walking trip with Jussi. He was an allstar guide, cook, game player, and language teacher. Our breakfast of porridge with cloudberries and reindeer salami melt sandwiches was epic. We had awesome weather the the views of the fells of Lapland were stunning. Yllas experiences had very good quality equipment which was much appreciated!
Our trip finished with a visit to a reindeer farm where we got to pet, feed, and even kiss reindeer. The final stop was a lakeside sauna. Thank you again Moonika for one of the best trips I have ever had!
The two best tips I can think of are: First, ignore what people say about the mosquitoes. They can be not bad at all at certain times. Second, sauna as much as you can! Almost every hotel has a sauna and it it where you get some of the most intimate Finnish experiences.

Moonika was fantastic! She put together the perfect itinerary for us and we had the BEST Finland trip. All our excursions were super and loved all our guides. Phillipe on the bike and sauna tour was warm and friendly and very knowledgable. Our walking tour guide in Turku made it our favorite city, Joosi, Aku, and Juana from our canoe and backpacking excursion were so much fun. All our transportation was smooth with great drivers. Also loved the overnight train ride.
I will... read more

Moonika was fantastic! She put together the perfect itinerary for us and we had the BEST Finland trip. All our excursions were super and loved all our guides. Phillipe on the bike and sauna tour was warm and friendly and very knowledgable. Our walking tour guide in Turku made it our favorite city, Joosi, Aku, and Juana from our canoe and backpacking excursion were so much fun. All our transportation was smooth with great drivers. Also loved the overnight train ride.
I will definitely be using Kim Kim again. This was the easiest and smoothest overseas trip I've taken. Loved all our hotels and the attention to detail. Having everything put together with transportation makes a huge difference. Moonika was even available to answer questions during our trip. Couldn't have asked for better. Thanks Moonika!

Hotel Reviews

GLO Hotel Art

Helsinki

Loved this place! Super cute, great atmosphere, and loved the breakfasts:) Just what we needed.

Authenticity & Character

Awesome decor

Location

Close to everything in walking distance

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Kakola

Turku

Such a cool concept and loved that they kept the prison theme going. Visiting the sauna is a MUST!!!

Authenticity & Character

Great prison decor and touches

Location

Easy walking distance to the city, close to an AMAZING suana. A must!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lapland Hotels Saaga

Ylläsjärvi

Loved the mountain (fell) scenary and looking out to see reindeer grazing on the hills.

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lapland Sky Ounasvaara

Rovaniemi

Loved the attention to detail and surrounding beauty. The trails around the hotel are fantastic and a must for walking (or biking, skating, etc).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Loved being up on the hill with the view and all the nature trails. Only a half hour walk down to the city center. The view from the restaurant is fantastic.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Overnight Train

Clean and comfortable. Such a fun experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Love being able to see the countryside.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Helsinki Sauna Tour

Helsinki

This was a great addition to our Helsinki experience. Learned a lot about the Finns and Helsinki plus had a great time with our guide Phillipe. Highly recommended.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Turku City Walking Tour

Turku

Our guide made us fall in love with Turku. It was our favorite city we visited. Highly recommended!

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Canoeing Trip on River Äkäs

Finland

This was a fun and easy paddle. Our guide Janna was great and we had so much fun. Loved how peaceful the river was and just what we needed.

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One-Night Camping Trip to the National Park

Finland

This was one of our favorite parts of our trip. The Fells were amazing and the scenary was better than expected. Our guide was great and we had so much fun chatting and playing Farkle by the campfire. Food was good and the gear was clean and comfortable. Highly recommended.

Quality of Experience

Trip was tailored for our desires.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Reindeer & Wilderness Sauna Experience

Rovaniemi

Eric was great! Super knowledgable and had tons of info on reindeer, Finland, and sauna history. Loved feeding the reindeer and the traditional sauna experience. The lake plunge was awesome.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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I can’t travel without KimKim ever again! This is my fifth time traveling to Europe and I can’t imagine doing it without KimKim. Moonika took care of everything! The transfers were seamless, it was easy to access all of our tickets and passes needed. We never once worried about being on time for anything. Our guide Felipe for the Sauna Bike tour was amazing and was very knowledgeable about Helsinki and the sauna culture. Our Sea kayaking tour around the Archipelago was fantastic. Aavameri... read more

I can’t travel without KimKim ever again! This is my fifth time traveling to Europe and I can’t imagine doing it without KimKim. Moonika took care of everything! The transfers were seamless, it was easy to access all of our tickets and passes needed. We never once worried about being on time for anything. Our guide Felipe for the Sauna Bike tour was amazing and was very knowledgeable about Helsinki and the sauna culture. Our Sea kayaking tour around the Archipelago was fantastic. Aavameri created a camping trip to remember. On to our Backpacking trip into the National Park with Ylläs Experiences, Yuusi put together our trip based on our experience and how far we wanted to hike. The food was great and who doesn’t love picking blueberries and cloud berries for breakfast. Nordic Odyssey was our final tour with a trip to a Reindeer Farm and a Lakeside Sauna. So fun to feed the reindeer and learn about this animal that makes Christmas so special. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend any of these experiences if you are looking to get to know Finland. Thank you Moonika we will back for a winter trip!

Hotel Reviews

GLO Hotel Art

Helsinki

Beautiful hotel, the staff was excellent! 15 min walk to 2 saunas and the beautiful water. Breakfast was great and they have plenty of seatings areas to enjoy a glass of wine or an Original.

Authenticity & Character

Great history and beautiful architecture

Location

Walkable to museums and the waterfront

Staff

Friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms and bathrooms were very clean

Hotel Kakola

Turku

Hotel Kakola was one of the favorite parts of visiting Turku, the Spa attached is incredible. You have to experience the saunas. There is also a brewery and cafe near but the restaurant inside was delicious! The history of converting the prison into a hotel a community is really interesting. When the Funicular is working it’s a fun way to drop down into the streets of Turku but you get your exercise on the steps if not

Authenticity & Character

Great history, love the way they preserved the characteristics of the prison but added modern style

Location

On top of the hill overlooking Turku

Staff

Great staff, very helpful and always available

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms and bathrooms were very clean

Lapland Hotels Saaga

Ylläsjärvi

Beautiful hotel, delicious breakfast. The rooms are modern and the sitting area outside was perfect for watching reindeer graze on the hillside

Authenticity & Character

Very Finnish, beautiful and modern at the same time.

Location

Away from other restaurants but during the winter you couldn’t ask for a better location

Staff

I can’t say enough about the staff, so helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lapland Sky Ounasvaara

Rovaniemi

Beautiful hotel, delicious breakfast. It is a 40 minute walk to the center of Roveniemi so unless you plan to make reservations for dinner there meals elsewhere can be tricky. The Nature trail created around the hotel is gorgeous a great way to start your day with an hour trek.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful style, very modern and rustic at the same time. Nature brought inside.

Location

It’s quite a ways from the city center but if being in Nature is your goal it is Perfect

Staff

The staff was very helpful and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms and bathrooms were very clean, the saunas always had plenty of towels

Activity Reviews

Turku City Walking Tour

Turku

Anu was lovely! So knowledgeable and made Turku one of my favorites in Finland. Such a beautiful city with a fascinating history.

Quality of Experience

Anu made sure saw the interesting and beautiful sites in Turku

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgeable

Transport

Helsinki Sauna Tour

Helsinki

Fun biking around Helsinki. Felipe was fun, easygoing and had lots of fun facts and tips for visiting the Saunas.

Quality of Experience

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