Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

James, our trip planner was easily accessible and pleasant with any of our questions.
Danielle, our Mount Etna guide was knowledgeable and attentive to our climb in the mountain.
Rosario, our Taormino guide brought that city to life.
Simone, our Syracusa guide, was delightful and so knowledgeable.
Vincenzo was a last-minute addition as a guide in Catania. He showed us so much more than just the city. You should definitely add him to your list of great tour directors.
The whole trip is one we will share with our family and friends and would give it a 5 * rating.
Here are a few of my suggestions for future travelers:
Realize that driving yourself in Sicily is not easy. The city streets are very narrow and parking is almost impossible. Instead of traffic lights, they often use traffic circles which are poorly marked and often confusing, even with Google. On the Autostrada there are tolls which are like E-Z pass in the US. You have to be careful choosing your toll booth. In the future, we would hire a driver.
My last advice for future travelers would be to not expect an on-time departure from the smaller airports if you hope to continue on to the next leg of your flight. The smartest move we made was to book a reservation the night before our departure in Rome Hilton which is within walking distance of the airport. I believe you should share suggestions like these with future travelers.

Putting together a trip to Europe is stressful, when you're planning on proposing there... it's even harder. Andrijana stepped in to help and we had the entire trip wrapped up in a few weeks. Any worries or concerns I had before we boarded the flight should have been left at home: this was an amazing experience and everything went off without a hitch.
We had 4 planned stops on our trip: Cinque Terre, Chianti, Venice and Como. Andrijana suggested I abandon my initial idea of renting a car in favor for the trains and she was correct to do so. The trains were incredibly comfortable and easy to use, even with 4 suitcases. We had private transfers to and from our destinations, all arranged ahead of time, which made the transfer days some of the most relaxing I have ever experienced. A great opportunity to recharge between destinations.
Our stop in Cinque Terre was at La Sosta di Ottone III. Getting to this place was difficult, it's located outside of Levanto so you need to call a cab or get a car to get to the cities themselves, but they are only a short 10-15 minute drive away. The hotel itself is very rustic and quite, perfect for anyone looking to just escape from the world of technology and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Vernazza was by far my favorite place in the area. La Pirata Cafe, all the way in the back of the little town, had by far the best food I had in Italy, no Michelin star needed. That pesto changed my life.
Chianti was amazing as we are huge wine lovers. We finished at least a bottle or two per night while we were here during all our winery tours. Andrijana set up the most amazing visit to some micro-breweries where we got to meet and have dinner with the owner of Campocorto, Marco. His family welcomed us to dinner and we had a fantastic evening filled with great wine, food, and conversation.
Venice was my favorite stop. Andrijana set us up with an amazing hotel right on the canal, we had a great tour through the city and got to enjoy a lot of resturants. Walk around the city after midnight, wear some loud shoes, and you can really appreciate the beauty of the city and the amazing designs behind every street.
Our stop in Como was also amazingg, our hotel was right on the water with amazing balcony views of the lake. The food in the area was amazing but we particularly enjoyed a small walk in sandwich shop called Passion Como, in the city of Como itself. We went back twice that same day.
This was a fantastic itinerary and I am very happy with everything that we managed to put together. We made memories that we will cherish forever and I cannot wait to work with Andrijana again for our future trips.
Thank you!

My lifelong BFF and I decided to spontaneously get away in late August, with trip dates for Sept 2021. I work long hours and don't have the time nor desire to look for deals and reviews, especially so close to our trip date. I found KimKim online and it was the very best thing we've ever done! Our specialist, Andrijana, was better than we could've ever wished for in a travel partner. We only had 7 nights and no idea of where to go, do or stay; Andrijana curated the most perfect vacation for us. Working together we planned some structured days and some to be 'free' days, where she offered us ideas of where to go, and best places to eat. It completely took the stress out of vacationing, including where to get our Covid test to come back home. The hotels were exactly what we had hoped for. Our drivers were always prompt and courteous.
A couple of highlights (so hard to pick as it was all magical) was the hotel in Positano with the most spectacular view. Small-sized boat trip from Sorrento to Capri. Our private guide, Giuseppe, who took us to Pompeii and then on to a private winery for lunch, followed by the climb up Mt.Vesuvio.
I would absolutely recommend this incredible agency - the personal connection and knowing that the agents are just a message away, is exemplary and next to none.

Andrea was great through the entire planning process to the completion of the trip. I will def use him again for my next trip to Italy. The guides and drivers were top notch, the recommended restaurants and activities allowed us to have a wonderful Vacation.

Thank you, Andrea!! You're the best!

There were a few minor glitches. I would have liked to have had St Peter's Basilica included in the Vatican trip, but it wan't and I wasn't given that option. Most guides were super informative and delightful, but there is a parking problem in Tuscany tour and the guide couldn't accompany us on the sights. Again, it would have been good if the Pisa was arranged in a way so we could have entered it, but that was not an option.
In Rome, I would have liked to have had a tour of the first level of Coliseum.
The hotel at Spainsh Steps was not great. For the prices that I paid, I would have liked to have better luxury.
Since you asked: David was the highlight. Sisteine chapel was underwhelming (Sorry Michaelangelo! I expected to be blown away like seeing Mona Lisa. I wasn't)
Except for these two minor glitches (4 1/2 stars but you don'e have 1/2 stars), everything was out of this world. They even tried to pick pocket us in the subway in Rome. Speaking of the complete experience!
Monica was outstanding. A definite 5. Alessia in Venice was great. Another 5.
Hope to work with you again next year for Greece!

The best part of our 14 day vacation was the choice of hotels. Our first two nights at Posta Di Veccia were a perfect way to start the trip. We relaxed the first day at the hotel right on the sea, and then spent the next day touring Rome with a great guide. The second hotel was Il Pelicano, which we also loved. At both hotels we had really nice rooms with amazing views and felt really welcomed and well taken care of by the staff. The food and location was amazing at Il Pelicano on a beautiful little island that we toured in our convertible. We went to Elba Island next and we were schedule to stay at Villa Ottone for 4 nights, but we stayed there only one night and moved to our next hotel 3 days early. Unfortunately Villa Ottone was listed as a 5 star hotel, but it was mire like 2 star. We really did not like it there even though they did try there best to make us happy. Luckily kim kim was able to change our itinerary and it worked out beautifully staying at Castello di Velona for 6 nights! We loved this hotel so much and felt like a prince and princess living in a castle! Each day we would drive up to a half out to different hilltop towns to walk around and have lunch and then we’d come back to the hotel to lounge in the thermal water in the afternoon. My favorite hilltop town was Montalcino, and it was only 15 minutes away. The last 3 nights were in Florence, at Villa Cora. This was a stunningly beautiful hotel and they gave us a beautiful room on the top floor with a balcony overlooking the city and the sunset. We loved exploring Florence and then relaxing at the pool in the afternoons because it was so hot. Our last night we went to the Four Seasons for their tasting menu and it was such a beautiful night with a really cool dj playing during our dinner. We loved this trip so much. It was the most romantic honeymoon I could have imagined! Thank you Tasos and team!!!!!

My husband and I just got back from an amazing trip to the Amalfi Coast of Italy, including Positano, Sorrento, and Naples. The process of planning and booking the trip was easy, organized , and our specialist Andrijana was very responsive and attentive to our preferences for the trip. She was able to put together an itinerary that had everything we love about vacation. The detailed plan for the trip was great and the transportation from the airport and between the cities we visited was seamless. The accommodations selected by Andrijana and the Kim Kim team were incredible, (especially the bed and breakfasts in Positano and Naples). Tiziana was a fantastic host at our accommodation in Positano, and Gisella was great in Naples. We ate at amazing restaurants with fantastic views of the beautiful Amalfi coastline. We did have a discrepancy about one of the tours that was planned during the stay, where there was an apparent miscommunication between the provider and the travel agency. The team, however, was very responsive and helpful despite the fact that our day did not go as planned. We appreciate the work on their end to try and resolve the issue, and they did compensate for the mistake quickly.
During our stay, we communicated with the team about recommendations for restaurants etc, and it was great to have a access to local guides to get great suggestions.
We had two of the most amazing guides for our tours in Sorrento and Naples. Celestina did a wonderful job showing us around Sorrento and explained the landmarks, culture, and traditions on a walking tour of Sorrento. She was friendly, warm and very knowledgeable. Celestina did an excellent job! We ended that tour with beautiful garden dinner at a the restaurant. We had a fantastic time with our amazing guide, Giuseppe who took us to the picturesque town of Ravello, took us on a walking tour of Naples, and guided us during our favorite day of the trip that included Pompeii, wine tasting and Mt Vesuvius. Giuseppe was top notch! He was one of the best guides we have had on a vacation. We learned so much from him during our tours! I can’t say enough about the hospitality and incredible service he provided on the last few days of our trip. Thank you to everyone that made this trip so memorable for us! We would definitely use KimKim again and recommended their services to our friends and family!!

Just back from an amazing family vacation! Emi’s recommendations and planning allowed us to see and experience parts of Rome, Milan, Turin and Florence - both through relaxed self exploration within the cities and small group tours for daylong excursions in smaller towns nearby. The hotels, and train travel she organized made it easy to relax and enjoy the trip. Questions arose while we were traveling, and she was quick to reply - so nice to have a friendly local resource! Would definitely recommend and use this service again for future trips. Thank you Emi!

This is my 2nd time using kimkim to book a trip and I am so glad I did! This was my first time to go to Italy and I wanted to do/see all the highlights. Marianne created the ideal itinerary for me and I was able to do everything I wanted and more. I had the most amazing 19 days touring Italy-Venice (Murano and Burano), Florence (Sienna, Pisa), Naples (Amalfi coast, Sorrento, Pompeii), and Rome-with great tours and days to saunter and wander on my own. I mean, it was PERFECT! I did have a few hiccups but Marianne was readily and immediately available via WhatsApp to help and get things sorted for me and she did. Everything from hotels, tours, and transportation (private car and train tickets) were all booked ahead of time and I received all of that information before I even headed to Italy. Not having to worry about those things allowed me to relax and enjoy my entire trip. Marianne even offered great suggestions for things to do in each location during my days I had to explore on my own. I'm really grateful that those exploration days were part of my itinerary. I was able to revisit some sites as well as see things I encountered along the way. I didn't feel like I missed out on anything! I highly recommend Marianne to help you plan your Italy trip!

Had a ton of fun. All the recommendations for restaurants were on point. The Wine tour was a little underwhelming. That is pretty much my only criticism of the vacation. Thanks for everything !!

Valentina has been extremely accommodating throughout the entire process — from proposing an itinerary, to making late changes in our plans due to weather, to ensuring that our trip was going well. Our trip to Italy would not have been the same without her. I would definitely work with her again should I travel back to Italy in the future.

Our Guides Alessandro in Florence was excellent. Ricardo in Rome was excellent also. They were also very helpful . I was. Dis appointed in Matthew. On our second he asked us how our cooking class was? We said no one showed or called. Matthew said he would call us back. We never heard another word from him all week! We waited around all day prior to his call, alerted the front desk and no one came. My husband was really looking forward to this. Loves to cook. Communication was a definite issue with the trip, until we took the initiative and asked what time we could expect some one. Andrew was our main driver and was very nice ,. He was on the phone with Matthew 2-3 at least when we were we with him. I use say in higher voice , we are waiting for him to call back. When I asked Matthew if we could go to the isle of Capri, I thought he said it would be to far away. My husband walks around in the morning while we were in Sorrento and what were staring at was Capri from our Bacolony! Our off day we went to for a twenty minute boat ride to Capri and had a wonderful day.

This was a great trip. Cycling routes were very planned and hotels had been very well chosen. Got a real feel for southern Italy at olive harvesting time. Managed to do some informal oil production visiting and tasting as well as wine tasting organised by the tour. Good mix of country and coast.

We had an amazing trip to Italy. The planning went very smoothly with my contact taking into consideration the type of activities we were interested in and arranging for guides that were knowledgeable and excited to share their information. Marianne was a text or phone call away and very helpful in making last minute changes for us. We especially enjoyed Matilde’s pasta making class in Lecce, instructional and fun, delicious too! I think they could have done better with the mostly average accommodations. The two agriturismo stays we had were delightful. B & B Conti Luna in Sciacca, Hotel Palazzo Failla in Modica and Hotel Baia Delle Sirene in Taormina were among the better. The people we met along the way made our trip an adventure we will never forget! Thank you KimKim, overall, great job!

Had the most amazing time in Italy. My daughter and I enjoyed our trip to the hilt. The Kimkim team planned it all out very meticulously down to the very last details. The hotels chosen were perfect and so were the tours. Valentina went out of her way to stay in touch and ensure a great vacation. She was forever suggesting places to eat and things to go. A spl. Shout out to her!

You guys are great and I have already recommended you to my friends. I will definitely go with you folks again!

Thanks, Narayani

The best review I could give is to say that when I do my next Italian Holiday I’m going to get KimKim to organise it for me again. We had the most amazing, stress-free holiday I could ever have imagined. Thank you so much Matthew for your amazing attention to detail and the clarity of all of the documentation; worth every penny. The hotels were really well located and made getting around so easy. The care that we were given made our Italian adventure a trip of a lifetime. We felt very spoilt.

Our trip in Italy was fantastic. The drivers who picked us up and drove us to all of our destinations were extremely friendly, nice and professional. One of our phones was forgotten in one of our driver’s car, and he was kind enough to bring the phone back to us the next day in perfect condition. The hotels were greatly located, clean and the staff were very accommodating. The hotel in Amalfi and Rome were beautiful, however the hotel in Sorrento lacked some appeal as we were put in a room below ground level that was dark and very small. I would highly recommend all the hotels, except that one.
The food was fantastic and there was a great breakfast selection at most hotels.
The tours were fantastic, including the guides and staff.
Matthew was a great help throughout the trip, always answering our questions right away and giving us wonderful suggestions.
All in all, I would recommend kimkim to anyone that is travel to an unknown country and thank you all for planning an unforgettable trip for us!

David was very attentive to our requests and needs from the start. We wanted a hut experience in the Dolomites and he suggested a beautiful trip. We had a wonderful accommodation at Hotel Pider in Wengen, and then two days hiking to and back from Rufugio Fanes. The hikes had a lot of variety in addition to the beauty that is the Dolomites. The food was delicious and the hosts were welcoming in both places. We had several questions for David before the trip, which he answered promptly and graciously. We found his service very professional yet friendly.

Had an amazing trip planned thru KimKim and Julien as our local specialist. We had a group of 8 people and everyone had a great time, and loved the trip. The route had great diversity and stunning views. Julien was VERY responsive and we asked him a TON of questions. He did an amazing job on our 14 day trek thru the Dolomites.

The material (maps, roadbook, and app) provided were well organized, the guidance on what to bring , money necessary and buses was very helpful.

The app provided worked flawlessly and was a great help. The routes were all well marked and the app provided that extra confidence that we were travelling in the correct direction at all times. The pictures at the turning points also proved helpful at times.

The rifugios were clean, comfortable and accommodating to our meal requirements. Not all rifugios offer private baths so if you require this make sure you inquire what the facilities are that are available. The flexibility in the itinerary was also helpful for a couple people in our group and for the day we had bad weather. We did have a couple of issues with our accommodations being slightly incorrect in a couple of refugios, this may have been to the fact we added 2 people very late in the planning process.

Julien organized two via ferrata's for us which included equipment and guides. Highly recommend Monte Paterno via ferrata. The second via ferrata (Les Cordes) was VERY short and not really worth it. It was a new via ferrata this year so Julien was not aware of the route and distance. All the guides were awesome.

I would highly recommend a trip to the Dolomites, they are amazing. The hiking is not easy, but very beautiful. I will be going back and will use KimKim on future adventures.

Our favorite part of the experience was the cooking class in Tuscany. The view was absolutely stunning and it was such a fun day! We really enjoyed the smaller group tours. I would highly recommend taking the ferry when traveling between the Greek Islands. It’s much more convenient than flying. Bellou suites in Mykonos was our absolute favorite hotel. Beautiful views, friendly owner and quiet and set back away from the hustle and bustle of this party island. We booked a few tours on our own that we loved too. We did a biking tour through “we love Tuscany” and would highly recommend this to people who want to be more active. Overall it was a very awesome trip!