Christine Liu

I just completed a private tour of South Korea organized by Christine of Kimkim. The trip fulfilled all my expectations and was an excellent introduction for a first visit to a country I've always wanted to visit. As usual with Kimkim the arrangements were first rate, from airport transfers, hotel pick ups, and private and group tours.

Seoul was a great beginning, and I had a private tour of the city highlights with Hera, who was informative, lively and flexible. She rearranged our schedule on the fly to accommodate both crowded venues as our tour fell on a major holiday, the Korean Thanksgiving, as well as rain in the afternoon. Hera knows the city well and easily found parking at Namsan Park and Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was my favorite place as I enjoy history. We also visited Bukchon Hanok Village and later Kwangiang Food Market where Hera described the various dishes available. She also recommended a resturant for lunch were I had an excellent local dish, Samgyetang, a ginger soup with a small whole chicken stuffed with rice.

The next day I visited the DMZ on an all group tour with Julie. It was fascinating. Julie was knowledge and she made the historical reality of a divided Korea relatable. We crept thru a tunnel leading from the DMC into South Korea, viewed North Korea across the DMZ, and meet a North Korean defector and heard her story.

From Seoul I took the train to the city of Gyeongju. A driver picked me up at my hotel and drove me to Seoul Station and walked me inside and ensured I knew which platform my train departed from.

At Gyeonjgu my driver/guide, Luke was waiting for me, and we spend the afternoon visiting various Silla Dynasty locations, from Tumuli Park with their curious royal tombs, to the Gyeongju National Museum with a first-rate collection of Silla artifacts and an excellent narrative of Silla history. We visited the beautiful Woljeonggyo Bride and the interesting Cheomseongdae Observatory. Luke provided detailed explanations with historical background on each place.

The next day Luke took me to Bulguksa Temple, and Seokguram Grotto. Both Buddhist sites dating back to the 8th Century CE. Both were located in beautiful settings and the buildings lovely. We drove to Busan that afternoon and on the way to my hotel Luke took me to a spa where I enjoyed a bathhouse experience that is part of Korean culture. We also took a walk around parts of the city.

Our guides were great. Nicole was really amazing and fun to be with on our tour of the Fortress in Suwon. We wanted to detour to Osan to take some pics of my old base but wasn’t able to do so but everything else went well. Billy our guide for our trip from Seoul to Gwangju, Daegu, Cheongju, and Pusan was extremely well versed in the history of the different dynasties and period of Korean history. He did everything to ensure we had a great time as we journeyed through the land of South Korea. Christine was always available to help and to fix anything that went wrong or keep us informed of any changes or updates to our itinerary. We love the Hotel arrangements and the food offerings at each location. Our tour in Daegu and Cheongju as well as Pusan were great. The people we met were so warm and attentive to our being able to have a wonderful experience in South Korea. We were able to visit the Language Institute in Seoul and Pusan and attended church on two Sabbaths and met some wonderful people of our faith. We enjoyed the spiritual fellowship with them and great food as well. Our trip to Jeju had a small hiccup with airport security but Christine came to the rescue and remedied the situation. Thanks for all your help Christine. You were great. We plan to visit again in 2030. Hope to stay in touch with Billy(Lee Kyung Jong), so we can see him again soon. Thanks to everyone involved in making our trip to South Korea so enjoyable and such a memorable success.

The planning phase was super - we were hoping to trust kimkim to interpret our requests and preferences into an itinerary that met our needs and would make our travel experience smooth and enjoyable. They delivered. Every day was thoughtfully planned with the right amount of activity and also room to improvise when we decided in the moment we wanted to do something different. We had support from private guides and scheduled activities so we didn't have to figure out many logistics, but also flexibility to explore or simply skip things based on our energy levels. The only challenge was overcoming the time difference and a bit of a language barrier negotiating some of the details.

The guides were all excellent in different ways, and I would recommend them all. They were funny, enthusiastic, and friendly and truly enhanced our experience in all of the places we visited. The Hello K cooking class and the Jinyeon traditional music performance were especially notable, but we found so much to enjoy every day. I also recommend the National Museum of Korea, the United Nations Peace Memorial, and the charming Hotel 28 Myeongdong where we stayed during our first leg in Seoul.

This is the first international family trip that we have done, and it was a stellar experience. We had a beautiful and memorable visit to Korea that we will remember for years to come.

Hotel Reviews

Maison Glad Jeju

Jeju

Felt luxe, and everything was quite nice, but lacked personality. Good location and an excellent breakfast.

Hotel 28 Myeongdong

Seoul

We LOVED this charming little hotel. It was a perfect place to spend our first nights halfway across the world.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We could walk to many restaurants, shops, and sites

Staff

Very kind, polite, and attentive, They spoke English extremely well.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great amenities and exceptionally well maintained

Shilla Stay Busan Haeundae

For a huge hotel they did a good job. Beach town vibes. Not fancy, and some of the choices in the rooms were odd, but pleasant enough, and well situated.

Activity Reviews

Explore Seoul Highlights

Seoul

Sebastian was amazing!

Go on a Hiking Tour of Bukhansan and Ancient Seunggasa Temple

Seoul

This is a challenging hike! We enjoyed it but it was VERY hot and we probably shouldn't have done it during the heat wave.

Korean Full-Course Meal Cooking Class at Local Home with Local Market Experience

Seoul

Perfectly lovely in every way

Jinyeon: Korean Traditional Music Performance with Modern vibes

Seoul

Unexpectedly moving. Loved learning about Korea from a musical lens.

Discover the Culture of Busan with Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

Busan

Jino was a delight. Such a kind and sweet young man. We loved seeing Busan with his perspective.

Family-Friendly Mt. Hallasan, Tea Plantation, and Arte Museum Tour

Jeju Island

Jimmie was fun and interesting - loved hearing about his mother's diving, and appreciated all of his recommendations. The Arte Museum was an unexpectedly awesome experience.

We had an amazing eight days in Korea, and much of the credit goes to Christine at KimKim. From the beginning, she listened to what we wanted and created a thoughtful schedule that was not only well designed, but actually honored throughout our trip. Every transfer was prompt, communication was excellent, and we always knew what to expect next.
That level of organization made the trip remarkably stress-free. We had only one hiccup during our eight days, and Christine resolved it immediately. Her attention to detail, responsiveness, and genuine care made us feel that we were in very good hands.
A real highlight was having Kory in Seoul and Lucy in Busan as both our drivers and guides. This was an enormous advantage. Navigating the traffic and parking in two major cities would have added a great deal of stress, and instead we could simply enjoy the experience.
Kory brought Seoul’s history to life with his storytelling and knowledge. Our day at the DMZ was especially moving and became a true core memory for us. He clearly loves his country and city, and that enthusiasm was contagious.
Lucy was a wonderful ambassador for Busan. Her love for her city was infectious, and her knowledge, storytelling, and joyful personality made every stop enjoyable. Her timing was also exceptional—we seemed to arrive everywhere just before the crowds.
We also enjoyed a phenomenal Korean cooking class, along with many other experiences that gave us a wonderful mix of history, culture, food, and everyday Korean life.
A note for other travelers: We are an active retired American couple in our 60s and 70s, and this itinerary was very manageable for us. That said, it does involve a fair amount of walking on uneven surfaces, getting in and out of cars and trains, and navigating some smaller hotel rooms compared with typical American accommodations. We knew this going in, so we packed light, wore good, durable walking shoes, and managed our expectations. With that preparation, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
What impressed us most about KimKim was that the trip worked exactly as planned. The schedule was honored, transfers were prompt, communication was excellent, and when something unexpected happened, it was handled immediately.
Christine, Kory, and Lucy each played an important role in making our eight days in Korea exceptional. We came home with wonderful memories and a much deeper appreciation for Korea. We would highly recommend KimKim to anyone looking for a well-planned, personalized, and worry-free experience.

We had an incredible well planned trip through South Korea and Japan. Jay was an excellent tour guide in Busan, she knew so much about Korean history and the out of the way places in and around Busan. Irene was an excellent guide in Jeju, she also had deep knowledge of the island and its history. She was also flexible with us in our itinerary when we got tired late in the day. Overall it was an excellent trip!