Kimkim Trip Reviews for Norway

Our 10-day trip to Norway went really well !
Our local specialist, Mathia, was very professional and responsive, and I highly recommend him !
His choice of hotels and activities, as well as his recommendations, were just perfect.
Many thanks to Mathia & Kimkim !

Both guides, Oslo and Bergen were wonderful. They explained so much about history of Oslo and Bergen

We used KimKim to help us plan a trip for four families. It isn't easy traveling with 16 people all with different needs and interests. We also had some serious allergies to be considered. Anders, Julia and the other KimKim staff we interacted with were all very professional and helpful. They were extremely patient as we worked on the itinerary, even when we made changes back and forth. The trip was a huge success and went very smoothly. The hotels were better than expected and all the tours and activities they helped arrange were great for our group. Everything was very smooth and well arranged! Having a local guide available for questions on the same time zone also came in handy. I would definitely use KimKim again!

First I would like to commend Mathias for putting together a memorable itinerary and seeing to every detail. He was very attentive to incorporating my requests for modifications. He was supportive throughout our trip. He responded to any questions or concerns. If he was not available, he provided us with a back-up rep. The guides (Slig, John, and Wanda) were very knowledgeable and gave us wonderful incites into their areas. Bjorn who took us on the Waterfall Hike was extremely knowledgeable about his about area and made the hike and the viewing really fun.

Hotel Reviews

Amerikalinjen

Oslo

Amerikalinjen was fantastic for our stay in Oslo. Its perfect location just across from the train station was such a convenience, making it easy for us older travelers. The accommodations were comfortable and the breakfast was excellent, providing a wonderful start to each day.

Scandic Nidelven

Trondheim

Scandic Nidelven in Trondheim offered an incredible breakfast experience. It was over the top with a wide variety of delicious options that were more than we could ever consume. The accommodations were superb.

Vangsgaarden Gjestgiveri

Aurland

Vangsgaarden Gjestgiveri in Aurland was a simple yet charming hotel in the countryside. Although the breakfast was not as elaborate as other places, it was perfectly fine and suited the beautiful rural setting. The area was absolutely stunning.

Activity Reviews

Trondheim Walking Tour

Trondheim

The Trondheim Walking Tour was fantastic. Having a private guide made it easy to ask any questions we had and engage deeply with the city's rich history and culture. The guide's expertise made our walk both informative and enjoyable.

Explore Oslo's Hidden Gems with a Local Expert

Oslo

Exploring Oslo with a local expert was an enriching experience. We had the guide to ourselves, which allowed for a personal and engaging conversation. The guide was knowledgeable and shared insights about the city that we wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

Mathia, thank you for helping us plan a wonderful trip. You enhanced our original itinerary and provided great recommendations. Our bookings provided seamless transportation including trains, ferries and a car all in one day! Your prompt reply to questions was appreciated! Thank you for helping us make the memories!
Jim and Louise

Mathia was outstanding in helping us plan an amazing trip with activites and fjord trips. We were on all the major fjords including the UNESCO Geirangerfjord and twice on the Naeroyfjord.

I had no idea there would be so much support DURING our travels. Mathia sent us messages regularly, and when he wasn't working, we were helped by Tom and Katie.

The only thing that I wish was different, would be that the communication wasn't website based. For me, it would be better through texting on WhatsApp or a similar platform. Due to international plans through my cellular carrier, I had disabled email. So I was unaware of chats that were web based early on... Then, when I went to the kim kim web chat portal, getting the web page to refresh properly on my phone led to delays in me seeing messages through the kimkim chat portal.

But everything Mathia suggested and arranged worked wonderfully! I have recommended kimkim to many of my friends.

Hotel Reviews

Strand Fjordhotel

Ulvik

Nice, family owned hotel next to the fjord in the tiny town of Ulvik.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotell Bondeheimen

Oslo

Very pleasant hotel in Oslo. Great location. Excellent restaurant

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vangsgaarden Gjestgiveri

Aurland

Charming family owned run hotel in beautiful Aurland. We had the best room overlooking the Aurlandsfjord. It was at the top front of the 2nd floor, I believe room 201. Staff and breakfast was great,

Authenticity & Character

The original buildings have been preserved to look authentic, but updated beautifully with an abundance of electrical outlets; great shower; heated bathroom floors and beautiful furnishings.

Location

Aurland is a gorgeous town and the origional hotel site dates back to the 1700s.

Staff

Friendly and interested in talking to us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Trondheim Walking Tour

Trondheim

Exploring Trondheim on a walking tour with a local guide was an amazing experience. The guide was knowledgeable and took us through the rich history and culture of Trondheim, making it a highlight of our trip.

Bike and Hike Ålesund

Ålesund

The bike and hike trip in Ålesund was fantastic. The equipment provided was top-notch, especially the ebikes which were the best I've ever ridden. The hike to Sukkertoppen was challenging but incredibly rewarding. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

We had a wonderful time celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary in Norway. Alex planned a perfect trip that included Bergan, Flåm, Geiranger, and Alesund. The Bergen city tour set the stage for our immersion into Norway. We had the right balance of planned and free time each day. We loved the boat ride to Flåm from Gudvagen in a spectacular Fjord, the Flåm tour and the train to Myrdal were highlights. The city of Alesund was a nice surprise with another spectacular fjord cruise to Geiranger. We were able to do many hikes, took a plunge in Alesund and enjoyed our Seafood Tower at the Cornelius Restaurant on our Anniversary. Alex and Nick were ready to lend assistance if needed but everything was planned so well we didn’t need any help. Timing was spot on for connections and next event timing. Thanks for a very memorable experience in Norway.

Activity Reviews

Fløibanen Funicular Ticket

Bergen

We checked the radar to for this activity in. We had a 2 hour break in the clouds which gave us the opportunity to ride the vernicular, hike the area and have a drink at the restaurant on top. If it had been a sunset type of day we may have had dinner, however the sunsets are around 11:00 at night.

Quality of Experience

Cultural Walk with a Local

Bergen

Thomas did a great job explaining the long history of Bergen. The big take away was the number of fires and rebuilds that were done and the power struggles throughout history.

Quality of Experience

Guide was extremely knowledgeable and excited about Bergen’s histort

Self-Guided Bergen Exploration

Bergen

We had just arrived from an overnight flight. It was raining. We did the easiest thing and walked to the fish market, had a couple beers and had dinner. We noticed the locals ignored the weather so we did too and just dressed accordingly and carried our umbrella.

The whole experience from planning with Maria and then traveling with the help of the rest of the team was absolutely perfect. We felt completely supported throughout the trip. We made a few last minute changes and the team was there for us every step of the way. It’s so relaxing to have that kind of immediate help while traveling. We didn’t have to worry about anything. We just got to enjoy the incredible beauty of Norway.

And I will add that the experiences that Maria chose for us were customized for our pace and our interests. And we were very happy with the accommodations that were booked for us. So overall, I would highly recommend Kimkim for making your trip to Norway memorable!

Hotel Reviews

Thon Hotel Kirkenes

Kirkenes

Great views of the harbor. Good food. Comfortable rooms.

Scandic Royal Stavanger

Stavanger

It’s a little far from the center of town but quiet. No views. But comfortable.

Radisson Blu Royal Hotel

Bergen

Perfect location. Quiet. Spacious rooms. A great base camp for exploring downtown Bergen.

Heimly Pensjonat

Flåm

The rooms are very small without a lot of room to put your stuff. But the view is incredible, the service is awesome and the meals were great!

Amerikalinjen

Oslo

Located right in the center of town, the hotel has a great history and character. Service was awesome, especially the bartender where you will have some amazing unusual cocktail!

Activity Review

Private City Walk

Oslo

There is nothing like a local to share their understanding of a place. And our guide gave us tips to explore things we never would have been able to do on our own!

Alesund was an amazing town to slowly start the trip. Gorgeous views. Lovely town to walk around in and get rid of jet lag!! We drive to Runde Island for a do it yourself hike. We saw puffins on the hillside in flight and in the water from afar. That was amazing!

A quick trip up the Atlantic Ocean road to Kristiansund was “okay”. The weather was rainy and windy and we more or less missed the highlights bc of weather. We thought the road would be miles and miles of bridges but was actually quite short. The city offered a few areas to walk around and a little hike up in a park area but one night there would have been better skipped and added into Oye (see below) IMO.

Andalsnes the lodging at Rosvang Gard w Otto and Albert was incredible. Food to die for. Again scenery was awesome. We drove over to the Stave church across the fjord. The Golden Train and Gondola were wonderful to see and do! Eating at Eggen was dreamt as well!

Geiranger was a stunning site! Kayaking w Martina (from Argentina) was fantastic. The Four Sisters didn’t disappoint.

Oye was the most perfect pristine town ever. Kayaking with Jorge from Baja was very enjoyable. A lovely quiet fjord to paddle in and a few easier trails to explore the hillside was a great way to wind down the week. Would have loved to be there two nights

Last night near Alesund at Storfjord hotel. Also would have loved two nights there. Or at least a later flight to take in the breakfast there. Oh well!

What a great trip, Katie was beyond helpful from where to go, lunch spots, plus what is special in each of our locations. Overall, KimKim and Katie made our family trip to Norway one that we will remember forever.

Had a wonderful
Kimkim planned a well thought out trip
Thank you team

Professional, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and the pride of Norwegians!

We had a wonderful visit to Norway and Denmark, made easy, fluid, enjoyable and more personal working with Kadri via kimkim. Our hotel in Bergen, Oslo XVI, was perfect for location, comfort and quality. The food and culture tour we took was just what we wanted to start out with, to get to know the city more intimately and Diane was a great guide around the city to food stops we may not have found on our own, and she treated us to stories and tastes that made us feel so good and grounded in the city. The Fjordrive tour we booked on our own was also wonderful with such a warm welcome from our driver/guide Bjarte. His lux van, warm nature and expertise in all things Norwegian coupled with the exquisite beauty of Norway itself made the all-day tour to fjord and viewpoints wonderful. Kadri gave us all the information we needed to make the city of Bergen our own -- we loved it! Bergen is an incredible place to visit -- so much to do. so walkable, so beautiful, so friendly, and with Kadri and Kimkim team's help we were able to be in city for the first time as if we knew what we were doing. The transfers to airport and hotel were also lovely and stress-relieving for us. The only trouble we had was due to my lack of preparedness. Our phone service isn't perfect when traveling abroad and when we encountered a flight delay, I struggled to know how to reach the driver picking us up in Copenhagen. The best I could do was alert the kimkim team by email -- it was all I could think of to do. While the team (Kadri) responded quickly, they were not able to alert the driver in time to save us an unexpected fee. If I had a do-over, I would make certain I had all contact numbers and means of contacting support more at my fingertips. Everything had gone so smoothly the whole trip that we weren't ready for the flight delay when it happened. Overall, what I appreciated most from Kadri and kimkim was the access to local knowledge and expert choices/information so kindly shared with us, that made this first visit to Norway, 2nd visit to Denmark, really special from beginning to end.

Hotel Reviews

Copenhagen Admiral Hotel

Copenhagen

This beautiful hotel may still be finishing up its renovation. It is ideally situated close to the water for easy, beautiful walks, but our access to our room was strangely blocked by large covered carts containing supplies (?) maybe? So our first encounter with the floor we were on and getting to our room felt strange -- as if we were on a storage floor rather than a floor occupied by hotel customers. Otherwise, all else was nice -- nice aesthetic, clean room, comfortable bed. Just not outstanding, yet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Opus XVI

Bergen

This hotel is perfectly situated in a beautiful, bustling part of Bergen making walking or access to trains, tours, and funicular easy. Though there can be a lot going on around there, our room overlooking the square was quiet and comfortable. Breakfasts in the morning are lovely as well, and the staff are welcoming and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to Bryggen and starting point for many tours, close to everything actually.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Food & Culture Walk

Bergen

I felt as though this was the best thing we could have done to start out our wonderful time in Bergen. Our guide, Diane, was friendly and kind and knowledgeable, and she helped us feel at home in the city, taking us to places we wouldn't have found on our own and introducing us to foods we may not have tried. She took us through the big, wonderful fish market (incredible) and we tried a warm fish cake unlike anything we'd ever had before that was so much fun to eat. She gave us bites of dried cod to try. She walked us up and down and around the old parts of the city and told us interesting stories as she popped us into a cool coffee shop and a wonderful old bathhouse now local hangout and a cool pub. This tour was great from beginning to end and gave us a welcoming, wonderful introduction to the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

There were no places we didn't love. Mathia was an indispensable before during and after our trip. He made the the absolute best itinerary.

Hotel Reviews

Amerikalinjen

Oslo

Another upscale big city hotel. Absolutely has the biggest breakfast offerings.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Again, right next to the train station in city center.

Staff

Concierge very helpful in planning our half day in Oslo.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vangsgaarden Gjestgiveri

Aurland

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very welcoming.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Visnes Hotel Stryn

Stryn

Right on the water in the village center.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bestebakken

Hafslo

Very quaint and the owner was more than helpful in planning our local day trips.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Breakfast and dinner were near gormet quality.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Strand Fjordhotel

Ulvik

Small but clean and in the center of the village.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Norge by Scandic

Bergen

Great location in the middle of the city. Walking close to everything.

Authenticity & Character

Much more upscale than we're used to.

Location

Central to all the best Bergen sites.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Nærøyfjord Cruise & Viking Valley Tour

Norway

Great ferry cruise to the valley. The captain ever went near shore so we could get close to a large waterfall.

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transport

Round Trip on the Flåm Railway: Flåm - Myrdal

Norway

The views were phenomenal.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Visit Stegastein Viewpoint

Norway

We drove up the one lane road. Not for the faint of heart. There is also a bus.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I was the driver.

Transport

Explore a Cider Farm in Hardanger

Ulvik

Only a short walk to the farms. We didn't think we'd like cider, but now we're big fans.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bergen Walking Tour With a Local Guide

Bergen

Quality of Experience

The scenery and the people.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cider farm guide was local and was actually part owner of our hotel.

Transport

We had a fantastic time. Highlights were the two day kayaking trip and the overnight Trolltunga hike. We were also very impressed with the transportation throughout. Seamless transfers and really nice trains and busses. We walked around Oslo and Bergen and enjoyed our urban experience. Great time all around.

Linda's guidance before and during the trip was very helpful. She and her team were very attentive while we were traveling and offered excellent insights.

Alex put together a great trip for me and my daughter on short notice! First time to Norway for both of us! We will definitely have to come back. Nick and Alejendra were very helpful after the trip was booked and helped adjust some last minute timing changes.

Hotel Review

Home Hotel Bryggen

Bergen

Very convenient location just off the harbor. Our room on the 6th floor was huge. The style and finishes are a bit dated, which on the plus side helps create the feeling that you are in a historic building. The small gym in the basement is nice, with a great sauna, which i used twice. We were positively surprised to learn that the hotel offers a complimentary fika (sweets & tea) in the afternoon and even a buffet style dinner for all guests at 6pm. We used this to our advantage by having an early dinner and then go out into the bright summer evening to eat some more fish and desert near the harbor. The breakfast buffet was great with lots of fresh choices, but quite crowded when it opened at 8. On Saturday night the bar across the street was very noisy with locals partying until 3am, which affected my sleep a little, but then again i was happy to see the Norwegians celebrating the nice summer weather. Overall a very solid hotel with character at a perfect location.

Authenticity & Character

Rooms feel a bit dated, but that only adds to the authentic character of this historic building. Great photos on the wall everywhere

Location

2 minutes from the harbor.

Staff

Staff was friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms and bathrooms are clean and comfortable but quite basic for this type of hotel.

Activity Reviews

Fløibanen Funicular Ticket

Bergen

Cool experience. We took the funicular to the top and then did a challenging hike to the top of the Gondola via steep and remote trails.

Quality of Experience

Food & Culture Walk

Bergen

Great overview of the history of Bergen by our guide Serena. She was very engaging and kept our group of 8 interested for the full 3 hours. I highly recommend this walk as we learned a lot of details about Bergen's history we would otherwise be unaware off.

Quality of Experience

Great overview of Bergen's history and some nice food stops

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Serena was excellent and fun to chat with

Mar listened to all my thoughts and desires. She gave suggestions and feedback which was very much appreciated. Starting in Copenhagen: we had a terrific guide, So drs, who really explained to us the Hygge life. The ferry to Oslo was really terrific and a great way to relax and enjoy the next destination. The food on the ferry in the “ special” restaurant was quite good. We adored our hotel in Oslo. Great location … great rooms. Have to admit…. We were shocked at prices of food, alcohol and Ubers in Norway. Our guide was quite good but as many Norwegians… a bit stoic. Loved the Munch Museum and enjoyed the Norse Folksmuseum body’s 1 $ 2.
The train ride of 7 hours to Bergen was truly a highlight. Absolutely great, fun hotel in Bergen: Charmaine. Away from maddening crowds. A bit if a mixup with tour guide… but all handled beautifully and added Furnicularvtude was included. Would suggest shorter boat ride seeing the fjords and skip visiting Rosendal. The Kode Museums somewhat meaningless but enjoyed the town overall.
Mars planning was spot on. Would highly recommend her and Kim Kim..

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel Charmante

Bergen

We adored this hotel… a cross between Maxims in Oaris and a French bordelli… it was kitschy, cozy… lots of lively private spaces to enjoy. Staff were si terrific and mindful. Had a terrific” private” room for cocktails. Restaurant was also quite good. Well-served breakfast. Quiet… chic rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Karl Johan Hotel

Oslo

Could not have been better. Great location. Staff professional, kind and extremely helpful. Loved the spacious lively room. Breakfast was terrific

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

DFDS overnight cruise

We had fun. Paid for a terrific meal in steakhouse as opposed to the buffet. Quite goid. Sang at cocktail lounge for hours. Room was small but comfortable enough. Loved seeing Znirwegian coastline in morning.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Axel Guldsmeden

Copenhagen

Relaxed. Comfortable. Good size room and clean. Right near both train station and two blocks from Tivoli Gardens.

Authenticity & Character

Just a bit informal and relaxed . Young staff

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cultural Walk with a Local

Bergen

I felt it was important to take this tour but our guide was a bit odd. He spoke of the many languages he knew… and pointed out artisans etc.just a bit if an @ odd@ msn.but nice!

Quality of Experience

Maybe a more personable guide who emoted a bit more humor and history

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private City Walk

Oslo

Bjorn was a lovely older gentleman who knew his history. He was a bit dry and stoic… very few funny stories and a bit lacking in humor. He didn’t try to I get to know us nor did we really get to know more about him.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hygge Tour Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Sondra was fabulous. It absolutely pored in us the whole time and we didn’t care. She made it such fun. We stopped along the way for Danishvtreats and conversation was great. Learned soooo much.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We thouroughly enjoyed our trip to Norway. The itinerary put together by Kimkim allowed us to have both planned excursions to the best sights, but also gave us time to explore on our own. When things unexpected happend, our Kimkim team of Alex and Nick stepped in to help out. We started in Bergen at the Raddison Blu. Rooms were simple but confortable and the breakfast was wonderful. We stopped by Flam on our way to Oslo. In Flam we enjoyed wonderful hking and a cruise thru the fjords with our charming guide Nathan. Alex and Nick made the trip easy to plan and the itinerary had all the details needed to make transfers easily. Thank you Kimkin for a great trip.

I enjoyed having kimkim as a partner on our family trip to Norway. From the early planning provided by Anders to the actual booking and logistics provided by Fenne, the operations and support team were excellent. I also appreciated Riccardo's proactive intervention to advise on a dinner reservation in Solvorn. Norway is a beautiful country and kimkim handled all of the legwork and coordination to make this a smooth and delightful experience.

Hotel Reviews

Hotell Utsikten

Geiranger

It gets 4 stars primarily due to location, but other wise I was not real impressed with the hotel. Again we stayed only one night. No elevators and only one e-car charger was working.

Authenticity & Character

This is an older hotel and it exudes a charm all its own.

Location

Proximity to views of Geiranger.

Staff

Everyone was friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bathrooms were small but adequate.

Walaker Hotel

Solvorn

Walaker is deep in history and tradition. My family had the pleasure to meet the owner and he took us on a brief tour of the original hotel building. We loved its beautiful location, but unfortunately could not stay long enough to see the historic church that is a ferry ride away. We also experienced a wonderful four-course dinner and the room was relatively secluded and private.

Authenticity & Character

You can feel the history!

Location

Nestled down a hill on the shores of Lustrafjord. Charming community with lots of history. Hiking nearby.

Staff

Everyone was very friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Quality Hotel Ålesund

Ålesund

We only stayed one night and found the hotel to be clean and comfortable. Staff could have been a little more proactive by informing kimkim (or me) in advance that on the day of departure a marathon was being held which would shut down several roads in the city, including the road the hotel is on. Making our way to the airport was a mini-adventure.

Authenticity & Character

Location and layout of the common areas (reception, dining room, sitting rooms, etc.) contributed to the charm of the hotel.

Location

Enjoyed the location on the bay and found it was well positioned within a fun part of the city, close to restaurants and shopping. Would like to point out that in very close walking distance to the hotel there was a Chinese restaurant called HK. My family thought it was the best Chinese restaurant we ever ate in. The food was fresh, excellently prepared and tasted wonderful. This is saying a lot because we have dined in countless Chinese restaurants back home.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson Blu Royal Hotel

Bergen

Stayed only one night. Staff are friendly. The elevators did not work properly the day we were there and appeared to be undergoing maintenance, probably not a big deal. However, worth noting is the elevator does not go down to the parking garage so bags needed to be brought in through the 1st floor lobby. Hotel room was clean and comfortable. What we really like about this hotel was its location. Bergen is a beautiful city and we were in walking distance of restaurants, shops, fun stores, and the harbor. We were also close to a funicular train that takes you up a hill for great views of the city.

Authenticity & Character

I think you could learn to love this hotel just based on its location.

Location

Great location with lots to do and see. Bergen is a completely charming city, and like all of Norway, everyone was quite friendly.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Art Nouveau Discovery by E-Bike

Ålesund

Had to cancel due to a misunderstanding on the departure time.

Geraingerfjord Safari by RIB

Geiranger

Great views of Geiranger. Informative and entertaining ride.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff