Kimkim Trip Reviews for France

All the arrangements were perfect. Our guide, Chloe, in Marseilles was excellent. The pastry chef, Chef Marthe, was a very experienced and amazing teacher. Our captain, Bastian, in Cassis gave us a wonderful tour of the coastline. All in all a great trip.

Activity Reviews

Half-day Visit of the Calanques by boat with swimming stops from Cassis (private cruise)

France

Private Gourmet Food Walk in Marseille

France

Sorgue River Canoe Trip

France

Lavender Museum (entrance tickets)

France

Another unexpected delight.

Pont du Gard (Entrance tickets)

France

Free day in Uzès

France

Baux de Provence Castle & Quarries of Lights (Combined ticket)

France

The Quarries was an unexpected delight.

French Dessert Cooking Class

Paris

La Galerie Dior - entrance ticket

Paris

Unlock the Secrets of Perfume-Making!

Paris

Seine River Cruise with Audio Guide

Paris

Wonderful 1 month in France

Hotels were great, almost all guide were excellent, train connections all great except when the rails were covered with a landslide after a huge rainstorm. Nathalie called to let us know she was making alternate plans for us before we even knew there was a problem. Speaking better than normal French certainly helped, but everyone was very welcoming and gracious. Some minor things for the future: if you are leaving the hotel super early, don't include breakfast in the room charge, when staying in 2 different hotels in Paris the driver went to the first one instead when taking us to the train, the guide in the Camargue spoke almost no English which frustrated my wife (we didn't know it was French Mother's Day so the regular guide was not available). Some unforgettable experiences like the huge hail storm while with our private guide in the Louvre and while driving through the towns and mountains around Carcassonne we picked up a monk walking alone by the road who then gave us a private tour of the abbey.

Our family of four (kids aged 14 and 12) had a great time on our trip to France, which Kimkim planned. We enjoyed each activity they had planned for us. We had multiple private tours scheduled, and each guide was exceptional. All respected all of our wants and needs to the utmost degree. All of the transfers worked very smoothly as well. The travel specialists listened to all of our requests and delivered.
Only two minor gripes, which downgrade my review to 4 stars instead of 5. The travel specialists changed multiple times during the planning, and it would have been nice to have this be more consistent, as I feel the trip could have been a little more personalized if rapport had been built with one specialist. The other small detail was that our trip documents were not released to us until very close to the trip, so some of the details were unknown until that time, which led to a small amount of anxiety.
That being said, neither of these things impacted how we enjoyed the logistics and events that were laid out for us. We did have a fantastic trip!

Hotel Reviews

Le Meridien Nice

Nice

Authenticity & Character

Location

If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Negrecoste Hotel and Spa

Aix en Provence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Hôtel Le Tourville Paris

Paris

Our family of four stayed in the family suite (1 king and two twin beds) on the top (sixth) floor for five nights. We truly enjoyed our stay. The suite fit us very well. As expected in Paris, it was a little small, but we made do. The closet and bathroom were nice and large. This is a boutique hotel, and as such, it does not offer some of the amenities that larger hotels typically provide, such as a pool or spa. That being said, the staff were charming and helpful, and the breakfast options were plentiful.

Authenticity & Character

They have a French writing theme, which is unique

Location

It is very close to a Metro stop and easily within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower and the Seine.

Staff

Always available and attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was cleaned daily and no signs of any distress in the rest of the hotel.

Activity Reviews

Monaco, Eze and La Turbie Tour Private Tour

France

Tour in the Alpilles, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, and Les Baux de Provence with Wine Tastings

France

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Greg, from A la Francaise, was an amazing guide.

Villages and Markets of the Luberon

France

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Greg was a fantastic guide from A la francaise.

Eiffel Tower Summit Ticket

Paris

Louvre Late Opening Private tour

Paris

Montmartre & Sacré-Coeur walking tour

Paris

Sweet Side Food Tour of Paris

Paris

Family Bicycle Tour of Paris

Paris

Our family left the Le Peloton Cafe in Le Marais for a private tour. Cedric was our guide, and he provided us with very informative insights. We covered a fair territory on the bike for a total of 5-6 miles.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Seine Cruise with Commentary

Paris

This was the kids favorite part of our time in France.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It was nice to have a local travel agent to connect us with experiences we wouldn’t have known about otherwise. It was a long trip with so many options but she really helped us narrow things down. There was something for the adults and the children and everyone was happy.

All of the tour guides we had were friendly and knowledgeable. They made the excursions interesting and fun. Our favorites were the trip to Carmargue, especially the bird sanctuary, the trip to Annecy, and the cooking class. It was a fantastic trip!

We originally thought about a trip to Normandy and the WWII beaches. While working with Justine it was clear the timing was not right and the accommodations we would like were booked. Another time….

She came up with an interesting plan instead to add on to our Rhône River cruise that finished in Lyon. We enjoyed a 4-5 hour wine tour of the northern Beaujolais region; a large vineyard operation and a smaller one….vineyards are quite an operation whether big or small. We walked all over Lyon, the food capital of France, and enjoyed our boutique hotel along the Soane River. The following morning a driver picked us up for our next adventure to the medieval village of Annecy, in the heart of the French Alps. Annecy, with cobbled streets, winding canals and softly colored shops is located on the pristine and clear waters of Lake Annecy. This city was the medieval home for the Counts of Geneva, Geneva being only 20 miles to the north and historically significant to the Dukes of Savoy. We spent 4 nights in Annecy, enjoying our boutique hotel which included a tasty breakfast…all within walking distance to the train station. We walked the bustling village, sampling restaurants and cafes and a myriad of shops. No doubt this village is hopping in the summer given the offering of water activities, however, our time in May after the bank holidays was ideal.

Other activities Justine scheduled for us all worked out well. We used our rented bikes and circumnavigated the 24 miles of Lake Annecy, a beautiful day and a great workout. She also arranged a personal boat cruise on the lake and the Captain prepared fondue and served us a lovely crisp white wine ….a very nice evening. He was a local man and we enjoyed hearing his stories of the region. On another day we set off for a paragliding adventure at the southern end of the lake, each with our own pilots. It was spectacular, launching at 3400’ and riding the thermals to 8000’….the sensations and vistas were memorable, Lake Geneva in the distance and Annecy below. On the last full day we went on a driving tour out to the Bauges mountain region stopping at the city of Chambery for a tour with a local guide….she was fun, knew everyone in town and regaled us with the local history. After a delicious lunch at a wonderful alpine restaurant overlooking the valley of farm fields, we experienced the workings of a small family dairy/cheese farm….so nice to learn their process and meet them. The owner of the farm did not speak English so our driver translated. It was his first visit to the farm and it was a special day for him as well. This farm is very well known in the region and has won many awards for their cheeses, for which we sampled.

Our trip soon to end, we hopped on the train for a leisurely trip back to bustling Paris, but soon exited for our final afternoon in Chantilly. The huge biannual garden and flower market was going on and Chantilly was bustling with people, mostly regional locals it seemed. It was time to begin to decompress from our 16 day French adventure with a lovely dinner before heading to the airport the next morning.

The weather was perfect for our stay. All the arrangements by Justine worked very well and we enjoyed immersing ourselves in a different culture. It was especially nice to have drivers take care of the logistics. Thank you Justine.

Jim and Joanne Matthews

Our Avalon Cruise to the south of France was cancelled six days before embarking. We called Liz at KimKim and she put together a wonderful ground trip based on our wishes in three days. She was able to get us a fully customized trip with drivers and tour guides in record time. Everything went as scheduled with expert guides, the best hotels and even a cooking class with a top French chef, something that normally needs to be booked way in advance. Thanks to Liz and the KimKim staff for saving our trip and making it possibly even better than what was planned.

It appears that not everything was well coordinated. For example, our trip to Saint Tropez we did not have to take the taxi for €70 and the bus could pick us up on the way. There were a few similar mishaps like this. However, the good part was that bastion was always available on the phone. You really appreciate that. He helped us when the conflict occurred on the way.

Audrey, our trip to France was incredible. Thank you for everything you did to make it happen. We always felt you had our backs while we were traveling. You were excellent to work with. I would definitely use KimKim again and will recommend KimKim to others. We were especially pleased when you solved our train problems while we were traveling to Nice. You were watching out for us.

Hotel Review

Boutik Hotel 3*

Annecy

The Boutik Hotel 3 was very traditional, quite comfortable and perfectly located by the town square. The staff were very friendly and the breakfasts were very French. We loved staying here and would stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

It was an old, remodeled orphanage that is rich in history.

Location

It is right next to the town center and very close to the waterfront.

Staff

The main staff who prepared the breakfasts was so kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was just super comfy and so perfectly located .

Activity Reviews

Day excursion to Monaco, Monte-Carlo and Eze

Nice

Good driver, but the tour was mostly on your own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day excursion to Cannes, Grasse and Saint-Paul-de-Vence

France

The tour wasn't your classic tour with the tour guide explaining history, etc, as you move thru a town, the country side, etc., Essentially, the driver explained a few things as we drove to our destination, then he let us out of the car and said we were on our own to explore the cities with limited time to do so. Also, "Victor" , one of our drivers in Nice, was impatient and somewhat rude. I would suggest not using him again.

Quality of Experience

Whatever we experienced, it was through our own efforts. Victor wasn't very helpful.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Victor was quite impatient and somewhat rude. He drove too fast.

Transport

Don't use Victor. Set expectations regarding the nature of the "tour".

1-day Mont Blanc Multipass

France

Must do. the Multipass allowed us to really enjoy the Chamonix surroundings.

Quality of Experience

Aiguille Du Midi was such an incredible experience. It is amazing to see such engineering work merged with such a challenging environmental component

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The connections were quite good.

Lucie was great and attentive, even during the trip. 5-star!

Hotel Reviews

La Villa Nice Promenade

Nice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not old town but close. Close to beaches and what is now my new favourite restaurant Dante

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Ponche Hotel

SAINT-TROPEZ

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Le Concorde

Aix-en-Provence

Staff was excellent but hotel needs updating.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Market visit and Provençal Cooking Class in Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence

Gilles is the MAN! Such a great day and we've made friends for life as a result of this experience.

Quality of Experience

If there were more stars I'd check them.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marseille food tour

France

Sebastian was an awesome dude! If we lived closer together we'd surely be friends.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

French Riviera countryside and wine tasting

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Market visit & Cooking Class followed by lunch

France

Gilles was a great host.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Provence Wines and Luberon Villages

Aix-en-Provence

Two tours in the same day was too much.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All the guided tours were informative and fun. Andrea (our bike tour guide in Versailles)was entertaining. Raphael took us on two great tours: : Medieval France and the Louvre and d’orsay museums. Sweets tour and The Moulin Rouge were one other highlight of the week.

Hotel Review

Hotel La Bourdonnais - Tour Eiffel

Paris

Walking distance to the tour Eiffel, and the Seine as well as many restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to iconic locations.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleaning staff took care with our room each and every day.

Activity Reviews

Dinner show at the Moulin Rouge

Paris

Loved the acrobatic acts!

Best of Louvre & Orsay Museums

Paris

Raphael was very knowledgeable!

Quality of Experience

Versailles : Food & Palace Bike Tour - Full Day

France

Had so much fun!

Sweet Side Food Tour of Paris

Paris

Yummy!

Quality of Experience

Rodin Museum & Gardens Private Tour

Paris

Tour was educational and visually stimulating.

Nighttime Seine River Cruise with Dining Experience

Paris

Excellent food and service!

Eiffel Tower Summit Ticket

Paris

Medieval Paris - St Chapelle, Notre Dame & Conciergerie

Paris

2CV Private Tour Paris Highlights

Paris

Our driver was fun and informative!

Meet and greet at your hotel in Paris : step into the shoes of a Parisian local !

Paris

Very helpful. Took us down in the Metro and helped us buy tickets, walked us around the area.

Bob's comments:
Our local specialist, Audrey did a great job. This saved us a lot of time in planning our trip. She was patient and helped us with all the details from a local perspective. Our tour of Normandy with guide Francis was one of the most memorable days on this trip. His in-depth knowledge and personal accounts of events around D-day were very interesting and sobering.
Alicia's comments:
Audrey did a wonderful job of working with us to plan a memorable trip to France. She was incredibly patient with my suggestions and changes while creating our itinerary. All of the sights we saw were wonderful, memorable, and unforgettable. She chose some towns that I hadn't heard about before and I'm so glad. Her suggestions for activities and sightseeing were perfect. I enjoyed the lodgings she chose. Many were centrally located and we were able to walk to most of our activities and meals. Having breakfast included was perfect. And being picked up at the Orly Airport and taken to the train station was wonderful and so helpful. We've never done that before.
Some small suggestions:
It would have been good to have a little more information about parking availability for our lodging and about toll road cost. Also, for the last two lodgings in Bayeux and Giverny, we ended up staying at a different location and address than was listed on the itinerary, so it was a bit confusing. In hindsight, I would have chosen to drop off our rental car in or near our last stay in Giverny and take the train to Orly Airport. The car return signage at Orly Airport was minimal, small, hard to see, and it took a long time to find the drop off location.

This was our first time using a planning service like this, and it will not be our last. The process was so smooth, the hotels were wonderfully picked, and the guides were amazing. Everything about this was perfect and simple. Lise directed us to unique locations that we would not have chosen otherwise. I honestly cannot imagine a better trip!

Hotel Reviews

Chalet Hotel le Prieuré

CHAMONIX MONT BLANC

Great location and beautiful views

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Le Pélican

Annecy

A perfect location in Annecy. The pool and the restaurant were a great addition.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Le Tourville Paris

Paris

Great location! The family room gave everyone some space and the view of the Eiffel Tower from the bathroom was a surprising bonus!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Exclusive Day in Chamonix - Mer de Glace

France

This was another great day. The train was fun and offered amazing views in the mountains without having to climb them. Our guide was wonderful and went above and beyond to make sure we were happy. The glacier was closed for the month of May, but still so happy that we went up and got into the mountains. Our lunch in town was one of our favorites of the whole trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Farm visit

Annecy

This was another favorite of ours. The location was absolutely gorgeous and learning about the cheese process was so fun. Getting to taste the cheese and drink the local wine at the end of the tour was an added bonus.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

lol

Enchanting Lake Annecy Private Boat Tour

Annecy

We loved this day and loved being out on the water. It was the perfect way to spend the afternoon. We brought a bottle of wine as we cruised around the gorgeous lake and even jumped in.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Louvre Museum Private Tour

Paris

We all agree that this was our most favorite tour that we took. Emmanella was absolutely fantastic and kept our kids engaged for the whole tour. She gave us all the details we needed without spending too much time in each room. We all learned so much and still talk about her often. Could not recommend her more!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Had a wonderful trip to France. Sebastian, was highly responsive and flexible to our needs and requests. Thank you Sebastian.

Top highlights of our tour:

(1) Private Bour tour at Marseille visiting Frioul archipelago
(2) Cycling through Cezanne's route at Aix-En-Provence
(3) Visiting 6+ villages (Luberon and Riviera) experiencing so many aspects of French cuisine and culture
(4) Visit to Eze, Monaco and Montecarlo
(5) Paris Cycling and Guided tour to Montmarte

Activity Reviews

Cultural tour of Antibes | Grasse & Gourdon | Saint-Paul de Vence

France

Gourdon and St Paul Du Vence are awesome.

Quality of Experience

Gourdon and St Paul Du Vence

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very flexible guide. Accommodated request for a 30 min delayed start.

Transport

Very comfortable van

HD - Monaco, Monte Carlo & Eze private guided tour

France

Another top highlight of our trip

Quality of Experience

Coast view, Perfume factory, Monaco walk

Guides, Drivers and Staff

High energy, positive vibe and very social. Guide was flexible to start 30 mins later.

Transport

I think vehicle did not have AC at the rear. But guide did everything he could to make us comfortable.

Private Boat Cruise in the Calanques National Park

Marseille

Top highlights. Amazing experience. Clemence was the best guide of our trip

Quality of Experience

Archipelago, swimming in the ocean, spotting fish, speed boating

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Clemence is queen of the season. One of the best in the business.

Transport

Gourmet & Historic walking tour of Marseille

Marseille

OK tour learning about Marseille history

Quality of Experience

Visit to soap factory was not there.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nice person

Luberon Markets and Villages small-group guided tour

Aix-en-Provence

Great experience visiting 3 villages

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

E-Bike Tour Along Cezanne's Route

Aix-en-Provence

One of the best highlights of trip. Amazing guide and amazing experience.

Quality of Experience

Cezanne's route is magical

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

One of the cycles - electric motor did not work

Paris: Illuminations Seine River Cruise

Paris

Wonderful experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

May be a boat with some AC :)

Private gourmet pastries & chocolate tour in Saint Germain

Paris

Final tour was different from St Germain due to food allergy related. Nice tour but details in the tour were not as interesting. Guide was very passionate and very nice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Passionate guide. Very flexible. Stayed back over time to see of us in our cab.

Skip-the-line: louvre museum greatest masterpieces private guided tour

Paris

This was not a private tour. It was a group tour. We were delayed by 10-15 mins due to a bus route issue. Tried calling agency but they did not pick up the call. The lady at the agency was very rude. She refused to accommodate us in any way. Refused to give guides number. Also said ticket may not work but thankfully it worked. This was a big disappointment.

Quality of Experience

Grace period when delays happen

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Family Tour of Montmartre

Paris

Great trip. Julien was an awesome guide.

Quality of Experience

Avoided crowds

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Electric Bike tour of Paris' Hidden Gems - Small-group

Paris

Great trip. Pierre was an awesome guide. Enjoyed so many aspects of Paris.

Quality of Experience

Learning about history

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Overall, this was a great and the expierence went farily smoothly. The only reason I won't do 5 starts is that I felt the communtication right at the end was lacking. I was told to schedule a call and there were no times available. Another issue was that we were given incorrect directions to one of our scheduled plans. This turned out to really be difficult and we were quite late.

Hotel Review

Hôtel Bastille Spéria

Paris

Wonderful - close to metro and easy to walk to shopping and resturants. The breakfast was a perfect way to start each day!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The only imporvemnet I would suggest would be nightstands with drawers. Or any storage since the room was very small.

Activity Review

Macaron Cooking Class

Paris

Wonderful! Hightly recommended.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

N/A

Paris is beautiful. Impressed with the old building architecture. Amboise visit was great. Chateaus are very intersting

The guides that Emilie booked for us were very knowledgeable, courteous and enjoyable to spend time with. I especially liked our Versailles guide (I am horrible with names, and I can’t find my notes, sorry), he was fun & his knowledge of the history of Versailles & the era was impressive.

Thank you Emilie.

Gail

Overall, we thought that the trip was amazing. The French team had everything planned and made the trip seemless. They were informative with suggestions if issues came up, booked great hotels (minus 1), and were communicative. Only issue we had the entire trip was when we arrived, our car service never showed up, even though we paid for it. We did have to double pay for that, but that was the only hiccup. Would recommend them to anyone, and will be using Kim Kim again!

I worked with Sebastian from initial planning all the way through the end of my trip. He incorporated my ideas and wants into my trip itinerary with some suggestions of his own that turned out to be great. He selected hotels that I would not have necessarily keyed on and they all ended up being wonderful experiences with real local feel and not just another cookie cutter Holiday Inn.

During the trip there were a few instances where I had questions or needed clarification on things and Sebastian and his team were timely in getting back to me and even stepping up to help get answers to some of my questions, etc.

In my opinion, this is a perfect example of "you get what you pay for" and what I got for my money with KimKim and Sebastian was an amazing experience seeing a large swath of the country with activities tailored to my interests. It is worth the time and money to work with these fine folks.

I had a fantastic experience booking my trip to France with my son through Kimkim. Bastian was incredibly helpful throughout the entire process — he helped us plan a thoughtful itinerary and was always available to answer questions, even when we were already in France.

One moment that really stood out was when we were at a train station and couldn’t figure out where to go because no one around us spoke English. I called Bastian, and he answered right away and guided us through it — it made all the difference and really eased our stress.

Thanks to his support, the whole trip felt smooth and enjoyable. I’ll definitely book with Kimkim again — you can absolutely trust them!