Ethel Laul

Absolutely wonderful trip and all the details worked out flawlessly. We had a little bit of everything in our family trip to Norway and it went off without a hitch. We loved the fjords, the saunas, the Viking Village, and the city of Bergen. We made some unforgettable family memories!

This was our fifth trip trip booked through Kimkim, and once again, it did not disappoint! Kimkim has done a fabulous job coordinating trips around the world with well-qualified local tour companies. For Norway, we worked with NORD DMC. Jacob, Ethel, Riccardo and the whole team were fantastic in planning out a tailored itinerary that met our travel needs and interests. They also made themselves readily available when we had questions along the way, ensuring that our trip to Norway was a memorable one and went as smoothly as possible.

Our trip entailed seven nights in the northern region of Norway. The first night was spent in Bodo where we went on a late night small-group tour in a van up into the mountains to see the Northern Lights which were magical (as it was our first time seeing them). The next three nights were spent in Svolvaer in the center of the Lofoten Islands. What a beautiful place! We did another small-group van tour through the snow covered islands, taking many pictures along the way. The highlight was stopping in Reine which was picturesque! We definitely recommend lunch at Anita'sd Seafood. Best fish soup ever! Svolvaer where we stayed was also a very walkable charming town. Our two go-to restaurants were Nordis and Bacalao. Great selections of quality food! Afterwards, a couple of Norwegian beers at the Telegrafen Pub were enjoyable while we chatted with locals and tourists. During the day, we did a couple of easy hikes outside of town, taking in the beautiful countryside, and ending the day doing the floating sauna and jumping into the harbor to cool off! The final day in Svolvaer was spent in a zodiak-style boat jetting around the fjords and enjoying the sights while the captain threw fish to the eagles that flew aroud us! A great experience!

We then flew to Alta where we spent the next three nights. We stayed in a cabin at the Flatmoen Natur Lodge where we had a glass ceiling to watch the Northern Lights from our bed! We visited the Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel (great for taking photos at, but too cold to sleep there -- glad we were at Flatmoen!). In addition to a side excursion one day to go cross-country skiing (which was a lot of fun!), the highlights in Alta were doing an evening dog-sledding excursion from the Trasti & Trine lodge (where we had delicious elk stew for dinner) and then a reindeer sledding excursion and Sami experience at the Sami Siida Restaurant where we enjoyed the local delicious salmon!

All along the way, the NORD DMC team were readily available to address all our logistical questions (it took some coordination to make sure we made the flight connections with the small planes between cities). As with our prior trips through Kimkim, my wife and I were very comfortable that we were always in good hands!

Norway is a beautiful country for both its scenery and its people! We really enjoyed experiencing it and the many outdoor adventures in the wintertime. My wife and I both agreed that we will be back another time during the summer to experience it once again in warmer weather!

We had a very good time in Norway. Ethel and Jacob worked with us and delivered a very well planned vacation. We had no issues with any of the reservations.

Our trip was very well planned by our KimKim team! We hit all the high points and they did a great job of mixing both mine and my husband's interests. Their guidance with trains and excursions was very comforting to have!

Activity Review

Summer Kayaking Excursion

Norway

I can't remember our guides name but she is from Argentina and did an AMAZING job at engaging with us and also enjoying the history and nature of it all! She was fantastic and so what this activity!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our family of 4 (parents and 2 boys ages 9 and 7) had a terrific week in Norway. We covered a lot of ground and saw many sights. Starting our trip with the floating sauna in the Oslo harbor was a great first day activity when we were fighting jet lag. My husband and I both jumped right into the frigid water from the diving board. Woke us right up! The next day we really enjoyed seeing the colorful summer cottages and hiking through the harbor islands with Astrid.
Then the Norway in a Nutshell tour was breathtaking in terms of the Flam railway through the mountains and fjord cruise.
I was also particularly intrigued when the train stopped in Finse, a polar wonderland for skiing and expedition training not accessible by road. I’ll have to come back to Finse and get off the train the next time. So unique.
We enjoyed learning about the city of Bergen with Chao and then taking the funicular to the top to take in the views. The next day, the helicopter ride was just incredible. Our pilot was Jan Gunnar. Flying over the tops of the mountain peaks, seeing the remote cabins above the treeline, and viewing a glacier was just spectacular and so special.
We then spent a few days in Tromsø, which we loved. The dogsled ride and the Sami reindeer experience were really fun and full of learning. I have a son who has a fear of dogs but the dogsled was organized well and he managed to warm up to the dogs enough to pet a few of them, which was a real breakthrough. We also enjoyed Polaria, the aquarium, where we saw the seal feeding, and the troll museum, which highly entertaining for young boys. The city itself is stunningly beautiful and we felt like we were in a winter wonderland in late April. One day we got 4 inches of snow. Our hotel, the Scandic Ishavshotel, was right on the harbor and we spent hours watching boats go by. We would have loved to do some ski touring or snowmobiling outside the city in the surrounding mountains, but we ran out of time. We all agreed we need to come back!

We all loved many things about our trip and wished we had more than just a week in Norway. Everything was so delightful - the people, the culture, the food, the experiences. We came home changed and enlightened by the experience, with many new ideas to pursue. Our first night home we cooked Norwegian fish soup!

Traveling in Norway with kids this age was no problem at all. We had virtually zero language barriers because English is so widely spoken, and Norwegians are particularly friendly to children. We even got invited into the old fire station in Bergen so our kids could see them preparing the antique first engines for National Day coming up. So cool! We would highly recommend this trip.

Ethyl, Fenne and Julia from Kimkim team were amazing from planning the trip to real time assistance when on the trip. Our family had a fantastic Norway trip. They planned all the must do experiences and attractions in detail so most of the trip was fun and relaxing even with 2 kids:)

I would have given 5 stars but we felt the execution ( booking confirmation as planned) as well as matching the needs with the logistics involved could have been much better. It kind of didn’t justify the money premium paid instead of self planning.

Thank you for a memorable trip overall!!

Hotel Reviews

Malangen Resort

Skutvik, Meistervik

Excellent location, service. Note: ALL the activities/experiences over the 3 day trip were canceled with no backup. This resort is 1.5 hours drive from tromso so you are kind of stuck with no activities. All activities were on schedule in tromso so not a good idea if you’re choosing this resort for activities. Better stay in tromso where you have plenty of options .

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Byparken

Bergen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Flåmsbrygga Hotel

Flåm

One of the Best views in the world!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thon Hotel Terminus

Oslo

Excellent service and breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Central

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Northern Lights Watch (Malangen Resort guests)

Mestervik

Was cancelled for all 3 nights with no backup. We ended up staying in tromso and still were able to view northern lights. The resort is far from tromso with no backup. The resort itself is excellent!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Reindeer Sledding & Sámi Overnight Experience

Tromsø

Excellent!! Must do with kids

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dogsledding Adventure (Malangen Resort Guests)

Mestervik

Was pre cancelled before arrival. No backup or near by options . Far from tromso where activities were on schedule with many options

Quality of Experience

I

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Past & Present City Walk

Bergen

Excellent tour guide!! Beautiful city with very interesting history

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fløibanen Funicular Experience (tickets included)

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ægir Viking Meal Experience

Norway

Very delicious, very unique!

Quality of Experience

Ko

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sauna Experience

Oslo

A must do !!! Excellent location, facilities.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Norway was outstanding, thanks in part to Kimkim. The itinerary they put together for us was great. We had no issues with any of the transportation. We loved traveling on the trains and ferries. The hotels were perfect for our family - the kids loved the bunk beds! Not something you find in American hotels. My favorite part of the trip was our stay in Dragsvik/Balestrand. The views were breathtaking. The kids loved kayaking in a fjord in Bergen. Our guide Johan was wonderful. Kimkim made it so easy for us. We would definitely use them again.

Hotel Reviews

Grand Hotel Terminus

Bergen

Our ferry arrived a while before check-in but they were able to accommodate us when we got there. It's a bit of a walk from the ferry terminal but nothing too bad. We had backpacks which made it easy - you probably could take a taxi if you had a lot of luggage. Overall location was great though. We were able to walk everywhere we wanted to go.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Byporten

Oslo

Great location. The lobby is so cute. It's attached to an indoor mall which was nice because it was raining when we were there. The included breakfast was wonderful. The kids loved the bunkbeds!

Authenticity & Character

Super cute lobby - with a barber shop.

Location

Right next to train and bus stations.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dragsvik Fjordhotell

Balestrand

The hotel was our favorite of the trip. The views are spectacular. The food is delicious. The staff couldn't have been more gracious and helpful. We had two rooms for four of us. They are minimal, with no tvs, but the gathering areas in the lobbies and outside were perfect for enjoying each other's company. They even had a shuttle you could use to get into Balestrand since it is a drive around a fjord to get there.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The setting is beautiful. Everywhere inside is a gorgeous view. It's about 12 minutes from "town" but there is a local bus and the hotel has a van.

Staff

Family run, they were lovely and very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Oslofjord Evening Cruise with Prawn Buffet

Oslo

This was a fun activity for us after walking around the city all day in the rain. It was raining on the trip too, but they have a tarp that keeps you dry and you can still see everything. The staff was very friendly and informative. When they say all you can eat shrimp, they mean it! We unfortunately didn't get to see a sunset due to the rain, but the lights in Oslo harbor were lovely.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip was amazing that Ethel put together She extremely patient with my many changes to our travel plans. It would have taken me months to pull a trip like we experienced together. I really appreciated how she listened what we were interested in dining on our trip.

Hotel Reviews

Scandic Bergen City

Bergen

We had a nice sized room compared to others we stayed at. Staff was helpful in providing guidance in the city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to many attractions

Staff

Provided excellent directions

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kviknes Hotel

Balestrand

Best breakfast! Rooms were standard European rooms. Staff was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heimly Pensjonat

Flåm

Best view of the fjord from our room. The evening meal was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Has a boutique feeling

Location

Close to everything

Staff

Answered all of our questions

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean

Scandic Byporten

Oslo

Really liked the close proximity to everything. The staff was extremely friendly and breakfast was great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to museums shopping and public transportation

Staff

Helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

European rooms are always a bit small

Activity Reviews

Day trip to Fjærland

Norway

Beautiful fjord and glacier!

Quality of Experience

The views

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent explanation of the area

Transport

Summer Kayaking Excursion

Norway

Sunny day, calm waters, waterfalls what more can one ask for.

Quality of Experience

It was informative and the scenery was amazing

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was knowledgeable.

Ægir Brew Pub Beer Tasting

Flåm

Really enjoyed learning about how they got started and how the beer is made

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Manager was knowledgeable.

Transport

Fjord Cruise & Seafood Dining Experience

Bergen

I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. The owner was very sexist and the food was bland and the worst meal we had In Norway. We would have preferred to stay in Bergen that night instead of spending 5 hours on this trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat cruise Bergen - Rosendal (round-trip) on The Hardangerfjord Express

Bergen

Thankfully the weather was good otherwise I am not sure it was worth the 2 hour ferry ride

Quality of Experience

Transport

Food and Culture walk in Bergen

Bergen

Loved learning about the food and culture of the area with someone who grew up there.

Quality of Experience

Good food

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Local!