Kimkim Trip Reviews for France

Overall Mathilde did a great job of planning our intinerary to france/ paris. Reflecting back, I think we would use mathilde and her team again but in a limited way. A few notes on why not a perfect score:
- I wish she asked further on our preference for smaller items such as "what is your preferred time for train travel", or "please note some unique details on your itinerary like it says "welcome to paris enjoy a free day in paris" but please note that we have put you on a night time train so there will not be a free day in paris. however, I also should have read the very small details in the area of the schedule that says "click here for more details". but we made the assumption of hiring a travel agent, and paying the higher price for the convience of them working through the details and communicating with us on small items like this. We now know for next time, or we just wouldnt use them for items like that.
- we did ask for the last day to be open and we will plan on our own as we booked 2 private appointments for dress shopping and a different private appoitment for a shopping and a specialized reservation, however mathilde and her team completed ignored this on two occasions and just scheduled over and did not ask us what time we would want them to book a train etc to accomodate our time. we also reminded them of these pre booked items and to check in with us but they never did. However, when they did double book us, they were accomodating to try to rebook which was nice.
- lastly, mathilde reccomended 2.5 days in the small village reims, in hind sight we wish we only did a day trip as it is really limited what to do in the smaller towns. Now that is kind of a shame on us as we should have trusted less and done our own research and insisted a revised schedule. As well, we currenlty live in a big city with much to do so that may have jaded our view of the town. But overall they were accomodating when we asked to change things.

Great hotels and restaurant recommendations! We didn’t partake in many of the recommended activities or attractions, but we had a great time in Cote D’Azur!

Activity Review

Welcome to Nice

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My Wife and I spent 7 days in France with the help of Liz, our Travel Specialist, and the Operations Team. We were very happy with KimKim and our trip. Liz had several great ideas on how to organize and improve our agenda. The contractors hired by KimKim to transport us and guide us were top-notch. In the south, we spent a day with a guide visiting Eze and Monaco as well as the Rothschild Ville. Theo, our Guide, was excellent in his knowledge, affability, and well-connected to get us in places and reservations for lunch, etc.. His knowledge of the area was excellent, and he was very patient with our questions.

Later, we traveled without hick-up to Paris on the TGV trains. Once again pick-up service was flawless, and we started the Paris portion of our trip with a dinner cruise on the Seine River. We had KimKim hire guides for a tour of Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle. We were again extremely pleased with the guide and his knowledge. These guides are worth every penny as they make the experience so much richer. No way we could have had half the experience without their local knowledge and historical context.

My only minor correction or suggestion was the seating assignments on the river cruise. The seats were a little tight and would have preffered a better spot on the boat.

Thanks again to Liz and the Ops Team for taking such good care of us.

The App we used, as well as the personalized Tips Video of our Trip, and all the care and attention during our trip were spot on. Not over or underdone.

Best Regards,
David Faber

I recently returned from a trip to France. Our local specialist, Sebastian, was quite helpful and understanding in planning our trip. He was sensitive to our interests and helped to maximize our days given what we wanted to see and do. His hotel recommendations were all centrally located providing easy access to walking and public transportation within the cities. The small group tours he chose were great and the local guides in each case were knowledgeable and made the experience that much better. This was the second time I have used KimKim and will definitely use them again.

My husband and I travelled with another over 70’s couple to the south of France (Côte d’Azur)
using Nice as our main home base. We wanted to focus on art and great food and suggested
several ideas to Kimkim who ran with our requests. They did an outstanding job coordinating
our drivers for each adventure as well as our hotels and walking and boat tours in all of the
towns we visited. Kimkim’s timing for each activity was perfectly orchestrated without a hitch.
Their team responded immediately all during the trip if we had questions or concerns.
Our 3 central hubs were Nice, Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. Of the 3 hotels we stayed in
during the 10 day trip, the Aquabella Hotel and Spa in Aix-en-Provence was by far our favorite.
Each hotel was centrally located per our request.
On several days we were driven to various nearby hill towns such as Eze (Fragonard factory),
Monaco (stunning Ephrussi de Rothchild Mansion and gardens), St. Tropez and Cassis (not to be
missed!). We requested an extra side trip to Saint-Paul-de-Vence to visit the Maeght Gallery
which was one of the highlights of our trip. We even had one day when our driver, Donato
realized there was a triathalon in St. Tropez and that it would have been impossible to get to
the town. Kimkim changed our itinerary so that we wouldn't miss St. Tropez.
One highlight was our day with Rosa the chef at Les Petits Farcis cooking school, who first led us
on a tour of the local market and then guided us through cooking all aspects of a meal. Frankly,
the meal we cooked with her was one of our best of the entire trip and that is saying a lot since
the food all during the trip was quite good.
All of our guides from A la Francais were equally charming and informative: Mohamed who paid
careful attention to the late arrival of our planes in Nice, Brigitte who toured us brilliantly
through the history of old Nice, and Donato, with whom we spent the most time touring many
hill towns. Donato spoke in depth about all that we were experiencing as he drove us to special
small villages including in the Luberon. All of his recommendations were perfect for us. He
even surprised us with some special views of Mont Saint Victoire as he drove us from Aix-en-
Provence to Marseille.
Other highlights in Nice were the Chagall Museum and the Matisse Museum which featured all
the preparatory drawings for the Stations of the Cross which we then saw at the Matisse Chapel
when we visited Vence. Our sunset electric cruise was relaxing and beautiful as we learned
about the new electric boat kits. Kimkim arranged this for us as well as the boat tour of the
Calanques National Park (think fijords). We'd never heard of this magnificent place and were
thrilled to have experienced it by boat.
In short, Kimkim did an outstanding job arranging our trip. They were also available and
responsive during the trip, including some last minute scheduling changes. We really enjoyed
the experiences they recommended. They were a pleasure to work with, and their "platform"
was easy to use and quite helpful.

Our France adventure was beyond what we asked! Not only did we fulfill our desire to explore French wine and wine regions, we had guides who made every tour more fun and more meaningful - starting with Ann in Champagne, then Raphael, Mel, Sandra, Bruno and a few others! We loved having all the transportation and hotels taken care of so we could enjoy our trip even more. Thank you Justine!!

Hotel Reviews

Radisson Blu London Heathrow

London

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Plaza Madeleine Hotel & Spa

Sarlat-la-Canéda

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Loved the sauna!!

Hôtel de Sèze

Bordeaux

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel de l’Horloge

Avignon

Authenticity & Character

Loved the view from our room and the location

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Phénix Hôtel

Lyon

The room and bathroom seemed especially small and no view out of the window

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Philippe Le Bon

Dijon

Authenticity & Character

Loved the courtyard

Location

Perfect for walking everywhere

Staff

Staff was so friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Parc Saint Séverin

Paris

Authenticity & Character

Location

Latin quarter

Staff

Everyone so helpful when we had questions or needed reservations

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Travel back in prehistory at Grotte de Font-de-Gaume, Les Eyzies

Sarlat

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Villages of Dordogne - Domme, La Roque-Gageac and Beynac

France

Quality of Experience

Fascinating history

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Historical walking tour of Sarlat

Sarlat

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bruno was amazing

Visit of the town of Bergerac and wine tasting

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sandra was very personable and knowledgeable

Transport

Gourmet and History Tour of Bordeaux

Bordeaux

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved Melodie our guide

2 wine regions within a day: St-Emilion & Médoc

Bordeaux

We had an awesome guide - Dorian

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dorian was so entertaining and knowledgeable!! He was very personable

Transport

Cité du Vin

Bordeaux

We were surprised how excellent the whole experience was - the interactive exhibits are so fun and offer great learning experiences

Quality of Experience

Châteauneuf du Pape Tour & Wine Tasting

France

Learned so much!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Saint Remy, les Baux de Provence and Pont du Gard

Avignon

Quality of Experience

Our guide and the amazing window to bistory

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Villages in Luberon

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Beaujolais 100% Wine

Lyon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lyon Old Town Food Tour

Lyon

The places we visited were very special and the owners took great pride in what they shared with us

Quality of Experience

Great guide and very fun small group

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Villages of the Burgundy countryside

France

Raphael our guide was fun and so knowledgable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He loves his job as a guide! Contagious!

Transport

Full day in Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Short day-trip to Champagne: Family Growers & traditional Lunch

France

Our guide was so friendly and knowledgable, and we enjoyed her fun relationship with the growers!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sainte Chapelle and Notre-Dame

Paris

Our guide was so personable and knowledgable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in France. Each of the excursions arranged by kimkim was excellent. I not only enjoyed them but felt I learned a great deal from each of the local guides who were knowledgeable and quick to answer questions pertaining to the tour but to also recommend further activities in the area. (This was especially true of Emma our guide for the Normandy Beaches excursion).
All of the drivers were also courteous, timely and accommodating.
I was very pleased with the location of our hotel(Hotel Lorette-Astotel) in Paris. Its proximity to several metro lines made it very convenient for reaching desired locations.

Sebastian/kimkim did a great job and we had a great trip.

Hotel Reviews

Jangle Courtyard by Marriott Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport

Le Mesnil-Amelot

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Best Western Plus Hotel Litteraire Gustave Flaubert

Rouen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel le Dauphin Les Loges

Honfleur

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Bayeux

Bayeux

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Needs to be updated.

Hôtel Beaufort

Saint-Malo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Maison Rabelais

Amboise

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Lorette - Astotel

Paris

Excellent location and friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to several metro lines which facilitated travel within Paris.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided visit of Rouen

Rouen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full-day Tour of D-Day Sites

Bayeux

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chenonceau & Chambord : A Low-Season Loire Getaway

Amboise

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Tourraine Wine tour

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monet's Giverny House & Gardens Small-Group Half Day Trip From Paris

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Paris: Illuminations Seine River Cruise

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Audrey created an outstanding itinerary for our trip to France, covering Paris, Marseille, Nice, and a wonderful day trip to Monaco. She took the time to truly understand our preferences and crafted a plan that exceeded our expectations. We were extremely pleased with every aspect of the trip—the duration was ideal, and the hotels were perfectly located, making it easy for us to explore the city centers on foot.

Audrey also suggested destinations we hadn’t originally considered, such as Monaco, Eze, and Monte Carlo, and included them as a day trip, which turned out to be one of the highlights of our vacation. The visit to the Luberon Villages was just the right length and absolutely delightful.

Overall, our experience was five stars. I highly recommend Kim Kim and Audrey to anyone planning a trip to France!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel de la Fontaine

Nice

Nice location and clean

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Escale Oceania Marseille Vieux Port

Marseille

This hotel was very old. It served us the purpose but staff can be a little friendly.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Queen Mary

Paris

Excellent location and clean!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Day excursion to Monaco, Monte-Carlo and Eze

Nice

Too good and perect day outing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Luberon markets and villages

Marseille

Excellent! Not to miss this day trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit of the Eiffel Tower with access to the summit

Paris

It was a 9 PM ticket and perfect for a greta night view of the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The pleasures of Provence are legendary, and the Kimkim team was instrumental in helping us to delight in them. Our guides were interesting people in their own right, affable, informed, humorous, efficient and invariably reliable. I’m quite old and I have my share of infirmities—but the guides, Adie and Greg, were alert to these and truly helpful in accommodating my needs. To Lucie we owe the wonderful idea of cooking a meal in a chef’s kitchen, for me the high point of the trip, including as it did a trip to the market for the ingredients of our meal. (Special praise is due to the chef, who said, after our trip to the market, “For this afternoon, my kitchen is your home.”) Lucie also accommodated us when we needed to make changes in our arrangements and was, from the first, always accessible. The drivers from and to the airport in Nice were on time and very helpful, though there was some confusion about the dropoff in Nice, which I attribute to the hotel. I couldn’t have made this trip without the Kimkim team.

Hotel Review

Grand Hôtel Roi René Aix-en-Provence Centre – MGallery

Aix-en-Provence

Entirely comfortable and adequate, though the open shower was a bit hard to manage. Breakfasts were quite ample and quite good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A bit distant from the center of activity in Aix, but not a problem for a good walker.

Staff

Very pleasant and helpful, but could do better in helping us to change large Euros

Cleanliness & Comfort

very clean, beds very comfortable, shower a bit hard to manage

Activity Reviews

Private Provençale Cooking Class & Lunch

Aix-en-Provence

I have commented on this in my written review. It was, for me, the high point of the trip, and Emma, the chef, was wonderful: I’ll never forget her welcome to her kitchen and the pleasure of shopping for, cooking and eating a meal with her.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of the Bastide du Jas de Bouffan

Aix-en-Provence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

ignore—we had no Kimkim driver or fuide for this event

Transport

ignore—we furnished our own transport

All five stars… except the following which we submit to help both KimKim and your future customers:
Transfer from airport to hotel was perfect. Hotel wonderful, quirky and close to the train station. Tell your customers to learn the train early to avoid pricy taxis.
While waiting for the hotel to be ready, we walked to the Big Bus and did a two hour lap around Paris. Excellent. But the hotel was not ready for us so we sat way too long. If I hadn’t been a bit pushy we might still be waiting! Finally we got a room at past three PM. They promised us noon!
Louvre and Notre Dame in one day was too much. Guide Ed was absolutely fantastic. Use him as often as you can.
Trip to Versailles was ok. We have seen palaces before and this one was similar. However the guide had too many people and she was often talking French to other people so our ear pieces were confusing. Back to Paris for a brief moment before dinner at Eiffel’s place. Fantastic. But you could suggest customers not flash the pink ticket to get off the elevator at the first stop and go to two for free for a couple of minutes. Then back to one for first rate dinner and view.
Transfers from hotel to train and from train to new hotel went well.
Hotel in Arramoush (sp) beautiful and we thank you for adding the breakfast. Both excursion trips were good and the free day on Sunday was a welcome break but a great day. Transfer to ferry went well and the driver helped us to the check in area. He received our last 5 Euro note!
We arrived in England broke! But found our hotel and an ATM.
I forgot to comment on Champagne; great tour. Great guide.
D-Day tour was great. But arrival time for lunch was so late, all restaurants were closed/soldout.
Mount St Michael has over 300 stairs and we are both still sore! Guide, Lou, was very good and interesting (and a cutie).
Thanks, Liz. We appreciate everything you did.
When in Southampton, or anywhere probably, don’t use MOXY by Marriott. Room smaller than a cruise cabin. No shelves, storage, phone, safe. Also no A/C!

Hotel Reviews

Les Villas d'Arromanches

Arromanches-les-Bains

We thought the commute to the meeting place in Bayaux was inconvenient but we are so lucky to have stayed in Arromanches. The hotel was fantastic. The breakfast excellent (except the day we checked out very early). Having a Sunday without plans worked out well. The 360 movie at the far end of town was excellent and tied together all of the D-Day sites we visited. Big lunches and light dinner was the plan most days.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel OFF Paris Seine 4*

Paris

Fantastic views. Waving to the dinner boats as they went by was fun. Slightly disappointed that they didn’t have our room ready. At 9:30 they promised noon and even advised that the previous guests had already checked out. We napped by the pool and finally were invited to our room at 3:15 PM. Extremely long day as we flew overnight and were in France at 6 AM. Excellent breakfast three days but missed one day because our Champagne tour started early.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Mont-Saint-Michel Day Trip

Bayeux

Long drive but interesting. (We all slept on the return trip!) Lou was a great guide. She told us good stories and lied to us about just how many more steps! Note; this is hard on 71 year old people with aches and pains already.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lou was a cutie!

Transport

Omaha & Utah Beach War History Day Trip

Bayeux

This is why we came! Guide was extremely good. Great stories. Enough time at each stop. We cried at the cemetery. And prayed at the chapel. Guide took special interest in helping us find anything to do with the USS Nevada. We located a plaque at Utah Beach saying the ship was 5.6 miles off shore. Great history. The last stop at a church that was used by the medics was a great story/coincidence. One problem was our lunch break was very late and none of the restaurants could seat us. Terrible “club sandwich” was thick stale bread and thin slices of dry ham/cheese.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Champagne Region Day Trip with Tastings

Paris

Long taxi to the meeting play. But the restaurant was open for breakfast. Scope out the others in the group because we split into two groups for the rest of the day. Small winery was absolutely fantastic. Informative and very good quality Champagne. Visit to Reims Notre Dame was good. Big winery was a bit overwhelming. Quick stop at Dom P’s grave was interesting and a scenic stop later on was nice. Very good lunch somewhere. Donna may have pictures to help identify.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wish bus had a toilet.

Eiffel Tower Madame Brasserie Dinner

Paris

Dinner of a lifetime. Note that the ground floor meeting place looks closed until check in time when the blinds rise. Be in that line. Then go up and don’t get off at the first stop. Have a quick look at the second stop and come back down for the dinner reservation. Window view is well worth it.

Quality of Experience

Food

Versailles Essentials – Half-Day Tour

Paris

No rest room at the meeting point. Then long bus ride with many groups. Our guide was talking non stop to others as well as us. The free time in the gardens was good.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Notre-Dame & Sainte-Chapelle Visit

Paris

Long line at Saints-Chapelle so we skipped it. Long line at Notre Dame but worth it. Again Ed’s knowledge was great. Ed also found us a lovely restaurant for lunch in between and came back to pick us up prior to Notre Dame.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Louvre Museum Visit

Paris

Pricy taxi but once we found Ed, all was excellent. His guidance through the ancient Egyptian displays was top notch. He made sure we saw the “big three”. Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, and a horse with an angel on it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ed is attentive to our needs and pace.

Transport

Learn the train!

Free Day in Paris

Paris

Big Bus on our own. Pretty good way to see everything in order to plan the rest of the stay.

Lucie and Slimane from Kim Kim planned a fantastic trip for our family to Aix-En-Provence. The companies that they connected us to were all top-notch. The guides from A la Francais couldn't have been better. We spent 4 days with Adrien and 1 day with Greg. They were passionate about the experiences they provided to us, were well versed in history and regional information and were kind and accommodating throughout.

Our cooking class with Emmy who runs La Cuisine De Leki was magical. Her intent is not to have a technical cooking class, but to let you experience what it's like to be invited to a French home for a home cooked meal with friends or family, and she certainly succeeded.

Lucie and Slimane made this happen over months of planning with my Mom, with frequent changes and updates, but their patience and knowledge certainly turned this into a memorable trip.

The trip was great. Justine set up every step of the way. We started with a list of sites we wanted to see in Italy and France and a time frame for the trip. She took it from there.
We nicknamed the trip "Trains, planes and automobiles". She booked every step of the way. The hotel rooms were all 1st class and in "safe" areas. The chauffer transfers were on time and more than just a ride. One example was the transfer from our hotel in Paris to the train station. The driver picked us up on time, loaded our luggage and drove us to the train station. When we arrived, she grabbed our luggage and walked us into the train station to our train platform. This was above and beyond.
Our guided tours in Italy and France were personal guided tours. Not a group of 20 or 30 people with headsets trying to follow a wandering guide. By personal, I mean we were the only people on the tour with the guide. Very personal and informative. We had a one-on-one informative tour on all of the tours.
The train travel was all booked as first class and the car rentals were top of the line vehicles. We were given clear instructions on where to pick up and where to drop off the rentals.
We were able to enjoy a personalized tour of each of the sites we had chosen and did not have to worry about the travel or overnight details.
We would highly recommend KimKim and Justine for an enjoyable, personalized, and carefree vacation.

Both guides were terrific.

Fantastic trip plan put together by Liz and her team, we enjoyed all of the tours! We made some incredible memories, met some nice people and had some delicious food.

Justine was an amazing resource for our family of 4 first international trip to France. She thoughtfully planned a trip catered to our wants and wishes, not just a packaged itinerary. Overall our days were seamless and well thought out. Activities, sight seeing, food, culture and relaxation…she helped us balance them all! I would suggest Kim Kim to others and plan to use them again myself in the future.

Hotel Reviews

La Bastide de Moustiers

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

There are no words, and certainly 5 stars is not even enough. I could have spent my entire vacation here. Spanish, provential, mountain retreat. We spent just a few days exploring the nearby Verdon Gorge. Despite all its natural beauty the kids would still ask if we could just go back to our amazing hotel room! Space for everyone and beautiful private serene grounds to recharge and relax in.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Royal Garden Champs Elysées Paris

Paris

Great home base in Paris. Central location for walking to many sights as well as great food nearby. Excellent petit dejuener on site too. Family apartment provided all the amenities to make it a home away from home; fridge, microwave, tea kettle, coffee, daily water, balcony, and dining table.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rock climbing initiation (2 hours)

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

Top favorite activity for both our kids ages 8 and 15. They had climbed very few times, my husband and I never before. But it was catered amazingly well for everyone’s level of climbing. Great day, great view, GREAT guide Christine! Views of gorge are beautiful. Started out very cool in am (jacket!) but warms up when sun is on you climbing. Layers necessary.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the Catacombs of Paris

Paris

My husband and 15 year old loved this tour. I am claustrophobic and would not have done well (they confirmed that!). FYI

A kayak trip in the Calanques (inlets)

France

One of our 2 5 star activities on our 12 day family trip to France. She’s 8, 15, mom and dad enjoyed 4 hours in the water. Kayaking, snorkeling, beach, caves. steady work paddling for many hours but the beauty was well work it.

Eze & Monaco with Oceanographic Museum Entry

Nice

Eze is AMAZING! True Provençal French town. So many great views, wonderful shops and casual dining. 2 hours is not nearly enough!! Needed more time here and less at the oceanographic museum.

Seine Cruise with Commentary

Paris

The cruise is nice, but we preferred many of our guided toured over this. Gives a good overview of the lay of parts of Paris. Line proved much shorter near lunch hour than the popular evening cruise with very long lines.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Prior to our trip, we appreciated going over the itinerary with Liz, who had a lot of tips for maximizing our stay. She had ideas for nearly every activity.
The hotel location was excellent!
In country, the local guides were great. We met a new local every day, and each was so kind and tailored the activity to us.

Hotel Review

Citadines Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Paris

Excellent location, walkable to many museums and historic sites. It’s surrounded by great places to eat. Each room has a small kitchen, so there’s no on-site restaurant. There are complementary beverages and vending machines in the lobby, and there’s a small gym with a few machines and free weights.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walkable to many popular tourist sites

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Seine River Cruise

Paris

So relaxing! A great way to wind down the day

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Versailles Bike Tour

Paris

Our guide was so caring, knowledgeable, and fun! We met him in Versailles and started the day with tasting and shopping in the market for our picnic lunch. After a quick stop at the bike rental shop, we set out for the gardens at a leisurely pace (most of the bikes lacked gears), stopping frequently to check in and explain about the area. After leading the group through the forest and around a pond, he took us through the Grand Trianon, and then let us explore the Petit Trianon and Marie’s Hamlet on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Notre-Dame & Sainte-Chapelle Visit

Paris

Our guide took a perfectly-paced slow tour through Saint Chapelle, pointing out details in the stained glass, the architecture, and changes through its history

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Louvre Quest for Teens

Paris

Excellent way to see the highlights, as the Louvre is vast

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private French Revolution Walking Tour For All Ages

Paris

Our guide gave us an excellent overview of the city, not just the Revolution.

Arc de Triomphe - Self-guided Tour (tickets only)

Paris

Amazing view from an iconic place

Self-Guided Champs-Elysées Discovery Walk

Paris

Lots to see, ranging from gardens to shopping

Quality of Experience

Every guide we had was amazing! Working with Natalia was amazing! Everything was easy to plan and we were able to get into every pace we wanted! Hotel that was booked for us was great and were still able to go to the places that even though had been closed the day we are originally supposed to go.

Everything went so well. The hotels were great, and our tours were very good (even Mont St Michel in a downpour.)
Our first guide, Agate was wonderful for our chateau tours in Amboise. We rented bikes but never used the bikes bc it was raining. Amboise was really beautiful. Hotel Le Manoir St Thomas was very comfortable and a nice blend of modern with a nod to the history of the area. There was a food truck for snacks, lunch and the like but we went out to dinner most nights in the town. Che Bruno was a huge favorite. L'Arpents also.
All the Paris tours were great but of course, very crowded so slow going. The Louvre was a really crowded so we didn't see as much as planned but we loved what we did see. Stephanie was an exceptional guide for the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral and Sainte Chapelle. The Hotel Verneuil was really nice . The rooms are small but so comfortable and clean. The location was perfect. The Eiffel Tower at night was a definite highlight.
The food tour of the Marais district was fun. I don't remember the guides name. It was hard name to remember bc it was unusual - Mairiaty - or something like that. She took us to the market and various pastry and chocolate shops.
Our favorite restaurant in that area was Cinq Mars just down the street from Hotel Verneuil on rue Verneuil. It was so good. I had the best omelette that has now ruined me for any omelettes moving forward. We also had their fish and chocolate mousse - both so good. We walked over to the Rodin Museum. Not crowded and a small museum but packed with wonderful Rodin works including The Thinker. The gardens were beautiful.
We are so glad we stopped in Giverney - it was one of our favorites. It was really interesting to see Monet's house and gardens and then visit the musse d Orsay and see so many of his paintings back in Paris later on.
David was our guide for DDay and did an awesome job. We started with the German cemetery and ended with Omaha Beach. It was a beautiful day. We were able to be at the American cemetery for Taps at 4pm. It was very moving. Our hotel was one of our favorites - Hotel Belle Normandy. The people were so friendly and the setting was beautiful. The town was interesting. A lot of Americans and Brits. Finding a restaurant was more difficult so call ahead before your trip.
Our Mont Sainte Michel day was a downpour but we made it through and it was fascinating. Oliver was very good and getting us through the crowd and seeing all the high points without getting drenched. His knowledge of the area and the history of France and WW1 was really interesting . His stories and facts kept us entertained on our walking.
We loved walking around San Malo. What a beautiful town. The Golden Tulip Grand Be was a nice hotel with lots of amenities. They had a spa and workout room and a sauna. We only used the sauna one day but it was appreciated after I swam in Bon-Secours Beach saltwater pool which was quite cold. The locals were swimming so I ventured in. Walking the ramparts was okay but too windy to enjoy thoroughly. I would imagine in nicer weather, it would be a beautiful walk. The food was amazing. We ate at two restaurants - L'armateur and L'Atelire. Both really good.
Our last afternoon in Paris, we went to the Musee' dOrsay and dinner at le-Coup-Chou near our hotel, Hotel Jardin du Cluny. Musee d'Orsay was packed which we expected bc it was a free Sunday but we are very glad we made the effort. Both the hotel and the restaurant did not disappoint.
Nathalie was very helpful with the planning of our trip. We made changes and tweaks and she accomodated easily. During our trip she was able to help out when we needed to add my neice very last minute to the tours in Paris. She was just what we needed for planning and implementing this trip. She thought of everything . We are grateful to her for a wonderful trip.

Sue and Bill

Very well organized and well-thought out trip.

Hotel Bon Encontre in Sarlat was lovely, especially the owner Christine and her marvellous breakfasts. I might have preferred somewhere where one could get more meals than breakfast, but you can't have everything, and Christine did supply wine by the glass in the evenings.

Our guide in Sarlat, Benoit, was also excellent.

We thoroughly enjoyed our 10 day trip to Paris and Provence. We chose to use the KimKim service because we had never planned a trip like this before and did not know what to expect or how to navigate the planning process. We also do not speak French. Lucie was amazing in working out all of the details and activities once I told her what we would like to experience. The days were packed and we enjoyed all of our tours. If I were to do it again, I may allow a little more free time, even though we enjoyed everything that we did. Some of the highlights were the Moulin Rouge, the food tour in Paris with Laure as well as the tour with Remy in Provence to the three villages. We also loved, loved, loved seeing Cassis with our tour guide Coco. Our train travel between Paris and Provence was seamless, and all the transfers were on time and as planned. The hotels were fine; comfortable and we really enjoyed having breakfast available, but I would have liked being closer to the main attractions in Paris and a slightly more elevated experience. I should have communicated this more effectively. Be sure to review all the details of the trip before your go. We had one minor glitch that I noticed last minute and Lucie did make the adjustment that was needed promptly so there were no issues. All in all our trip to France was magical, memorable and way more than I could’ve expected or could’ve planned all on my own.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Jeanne D'Arc Le Marais

Paris

We only stayed here one night. It was very comfortable and staff friendly and accommodating. We needed our breakfast a little earlier and they were great. Very close to a square with lots of restaurants. Was a tad noisy due to this but we weren’t bothered. Elevator functional but very small. Common areas a bit worn.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Escaletto

Aix-en-Provence

Opt for a twin room (2 twin beds pushed together) as double room was very small. Enjoyed the rooftop deck and location close to the heart of the city. Friendly staff and lovely breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location is great, there is a lot of construction nearby right now.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le 9Hotel Opera

Paris

Hotel is in the Opera District, some attractions close by, but not in the heart of the city. Rooms were comfortable and was staff friendly (limited English speakers). Also offered a great breakfast! We had 2 adjoining rooms which was great but 1 room had a large tub/shower with high sides which was VERY difficult to climb in and out of.

Authenticity & Character

Nothing special

Location

Closer to heart of city and more restaurants/shopping close by

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Excursion to Cassis

Aix-en-Provence

We loved both the area and our guide. She could not have been more attentive and accommodating. Cassis is just gorgeous and quaint. We absolutely loved it!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I cannot say enough good things about our guide!!!

Transport

Provence Wines and Luberon Villages

Aix-en-Provence

This was really 2 tours in 1 day with the same guide. The morning wine tour was enjoyable with stops at 2 different wineries. They were very different, with the 2nd being our favorite. We then returned to Ax-en-Provence for lunch on our own and headed back out for a very long afternoon at 3 different Luberon villages. The were all lovely.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide came off as a bit arrogant. He spent a lot of time giving his opinions about why France is better than US/Canada rather than providing historical/factual information.

Transport

Excursion to Arles, Les Baux and Saint-Remy de Provence

France

This was one of the highlights of our trip. The guide was amazing! He was super knowledgeable, easy to understand and made sure we saw everything. He answered every question and we could tell he really enjoys what he does.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cabaret show at the Moulin Rouge

Paris

Loved it!!!

Quality of Experience

Day Trip to Loire Valley Châteaux

Paris

The castles were beautiful and the driver/guide was friendly and accommodating. There is LOTS of walking and stairs on this trip, so just be prepared. Would have appreciated just a bit more information at each stop about where to go and what we were seeing. We got a brief overview and then we were on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gourmet food tour in Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Paris

Loved our guide and everything we saw, tasted and experienced.

Quality of Experience

High quality tastings!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So knowledgeable and friendly!

Seine river cruise

Paris

Tour was great. It was cool and rainy when we went, but we still enjoyed it. The guide was wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit of Orsay Museum

Paris

Loved this museum! Skip the audio tour, it’s not necessary. Enjoyed lunch in the fancy restaurant as well.

Quality of Experience