Lucie Rousseau

The pleasures of Provence are legendary, and the Kimkim team was instrumental in helping us to delight in them. Our guides were interesting people in their own right, affable, informed, humorous, efficient and invariably reliable. I’m quite old and I have my share of infirmities—but the guides, Adie and Greg, were alert to these and truly helpful in accommodating my needs. To Lucie we owe the wonderful idea of cooking a meal in a chef’s kitchen, for me the high point of the trip, including as it did a trip to the market for the ingredients of our meal. (Special praise is due to the chef, who said, after our trip to the market, “For this afternoon, my kitchen is your home.”) Lucie also accommodated us when we needed to make changes in our arrangements and was, from the first, always accessible. The drivers from and to the airport in Nice were on time and very helpful, though there was some confusion about the dropoff in Nice, which I attribute to the hotel. I couldn’t have made this trip without the Kimkim team.

Hotel Review

Grand Hôtel Roi René Aix-en-Provence Centre – MGallery

Aix-en-Provence

Entirely comfortable and adequate, though the open shower was a bit hard to manage. Breakfasts were quite ample and quite good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A bit distant from the center of activity in Aix, but not a problem for a good walker.

Staff

Very pleasant and helpful, but could do better in helping us to change large Euros

Cleanliness & Comfort

very clean, beds very comfortable, shower a bit hard to manage

Activity Reviews

Private Provençale Cooking Class & Lunch

Aix-en-Provence

I have commented on this in my written review. It was, for me, the high point of the trip, and Emma, the chef, was wonderful: I’ll never forget her welcome to her kitchen and the pleasure of shopping for, cooking and eating a meal with her.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of the Bastide du Jas de Bouffan

Aix-en-Provence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

ignore—we had no Kimkim driver or fuide for this event

Transport

ignore—we furnished our own transport

Lucie and Slimane from Kim Kim planned a fantastic trip for our family to Aix-En-Provence. The companies that they connected us to were all top-notch. The guides from A la Francais couldn't have been better. We spent 4 days with Adrien and 1 day with Greg. They were passionate about the experiences they provided to us, were well versed in history and regional information and were kind and accommodating throughout.

Our cooking class with Emmy who runs La Cuisine De Leki was magical. Her intent is not to have a technical cooking class, but to let you experience what it's like to be invited to a French home for a home cooked meal with friends or family, and she certainly succeeded.

Lucie and Slimane made this happen over months of planning with my Mom, with frequent changes and updates, but their patience and knowledge certainly turned this into a memorable trip.

We had an absolutely wonderful trip to France, beautifully organized by Lucie. She was incredibly helpful, always reachable, and very knowledgeable. Every detail was thoughtfully arranged, and all our transportation was seamless, making the entire experience smooth and stress-free.
In Paris, we enjoyed a magical Seine River cruise and a fabulous vintage car tour (2cv Paris Authentic) with John, who was not only knowledgeable but also helped us capture stunning photos at iconic Paris landmarks. Our stay at Hotel Jeanne D’Arc Le Marais was delightful – the hotel was clean, charming, and staffed by friendly, welcoming people.
In Aix-en-Provence, we had an amazing time wine tasting and exploring the Luberon villages with Greg – truly the best tour guide! He was incredibly knowledgeable about the region’s history, culture, and hidden gems. The views were absolutely breathtaking, and every moment felt special.
We loved every part of this trip – from the vibrant city life in Paris to the serene beauty of Provence. Huge thanks to Lucie, John, and Greg for making it so memorable!

We had a great trip to Paris for adults and kids. The vintage car ride around Paris was great for the adults, the kids didn't find that as exciting. The Lourve and Eiffel tower were great and tickets were easy to use. Versailles tickets were great as well. We had to Uber there as the train was shut down that day so be sure to have a backup plan. My kids especially loved the Evolution museum and zoo. Overall, great trip and planning.

Our trip to Paris was absolutely incredible, and all of the arrangements that kimkim made for us were seamless. That said, we definitely felt the schedule was overly jam-packed toward the end, and if we could do it over we would *not* have tried to do The Louvre and the Jardin de Plantes (which included the Managerie *and* the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution) in the same day. It was an incredible amount of walking, crowding, and stimulation for the kids all in one day. As a result, we decided to skip all of the scheduled activities on the last day so that we could instead enjoy the day at our own pace. All in all, however, it was the trip of a lifetime, and all of the activities we did do were spectacular. The only additional note I'll make is that we tried for nearly an hour to find access to the RER C (which would have taken us from Paris to Versailles) only to find out some or all of it is currently closed for maintenance. Had we known, we would have just taken an Uber straight from the hotel, which is what we ended up doing in the end. As it was my first time taking my girls overseas, a lot of travel lessons were learned, but overall it was a genuinely wonderful vacation and an experience they will never forget.

Hotel Review

Hotel Jeanne D'Arc Le Marais

Paris

The Hotel Jeanne D'Arc Le Marais was really nice, with its best feature being its location. The Marais district is absolutely to die for and was centrally located for access to most of our activities. All of the staff were amazing and accommodating. I acknowledge it's a three-star hotel because of my tight budget, but the breakfast, "bar," and lack of central air took some getting used to. But otherwise, we really enjoyed it. We even found the beds to be unbelievably comfortable. If you do stay here, I recommend staying on the 2nd floor or above (which in France is the 1st floor or above) so that you can open the windows; the rooms on the bottom floor (Floor 0) have a large protective barrier over the window, so opening it doesn't help much.

Authenticity & Character

Because of its location, you can enjoy all of the rich, authentic charm and culture of Paris.

Location

Le Marais is where to be in Paris! It was my favorite part!

Staff

Amine!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds really were unbelievably comfortable (at least in room 15).

Activity Reviews

Discovery tour of Paris by vintage 2CV car

Paris

This was one of my personal favorite activities and was a great orientation/introduction to Paris on our first day, but others in my group had varying experiences.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit of the Eiffel Tower with access to the summit

Paris

We loved it! We also appreciated going in the evening so we could see the light show.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We took an Uber to and from.

Visit the Royal castle of Versailles

France

Quality of Experience

Unveiling Masterpieces at the Louvre Museum

Paris

Quality of Experience

French macaron bakery class for families

Paris

If I'm honest, the best part of this experience was its location inside the Galeries Lafayette, which we spent *hours* shopping in after the baking class was over. The chef was about twenty minutes late getting started, after we had arrived about 15 minutes early, so we ended up sitting on the 3rd floor near the Concierge for more than 30 minutes. That said, the kids really enjoyed the class, and the parents were all relieved it was straightforward and not terribly involved.

Quality of Experience

Visit of the Menagerie, the zoo of the Jardin des Plantes & and the Great Gallery of Evolution

Paris

Quality of Experience

Our AMAZING family trip to France was impeccably planned by Lucie. She was exemplary in her help and dedication to provide a beautiful and unique trip for us. We had the best time...and still wish we were in France. Family memories for a lifetime.
Let me get one tiny negative experience out of the way ..the Chocolate Museum -workshop in Paris... it is a **tourist trap and only for little kids (5 year olds) & has horrible chocolate. AVOID!
We have now erased that from our memory. On to the highlights...and SO SO many.
Our guided tour (by Afsaneh) ) of the Louvre was arranged last minute by the amazing Lucie...our tour guide was absolutely the very BEST. Afsaneh is a teacher and a true lover of the arts. She brought the Louvre to life for us and expertly maneuvered us around the extensive crowds. Our experience would have been very very poor without her. A HIGHLIGHT of our entire trip. We requested this add on at the last minute....and Lucie was a miracle worker to arrange it.
We probably should have requested a tour guide for Versailles.
Our La Marais pastry tour was also a huge highlight. My kids and I absolutely loved our tour guide....she was chic, fun, upbeat, outgoing, and engaged my kids (13 and 17 yrs of age). Rachelle. Request her! The pastries we tasted were mouth watering and uniquely delicious.
Our walking food tour of Nice was also a huge highlight. Our guide, Nadia, was so kind, friendly, knowledgeable, and gave us a great overview of Nice and SO SO SO MUCH delicious food. Do not eat breakfast before this tour. She gave us helpful hints to see Castle Hill, take the train up and walk down for beautiful views. We did that the next day.
We loved the fresh market in Nice, that Nadia showed us, and we even went back the next day. The chocolate shop we visited, again, on the tour with Nadia, is a beautiful shop with chandeliers that started in 1820 and the chocolate we tasted (and purchased there) was exceptional, mouth watering, and superior in every way. It puts our chocolate in the United States to shame.
Our hotel in Paris...Le Basile....beautiful. Delicious breakfast every morning. SUPER Friendly and helpful front desk available 24/7. Highly recommend.
I could go on and on but I touched on the major highlights. I hope they are helpful to other fellow travelers.
Traveling with my family, making lifetime core memories with my children is incalculable. Merci Beaucoup to Lucie and Kimkim travel.

Hotel Reviews

Le Basile Hôtel

Paris

Delicious breakfast every day. Beautiful room. Not overcrowded. Front desk person available 24/7

Authenticity & Character

Location

Little far from some activities

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

AC Hotel by Marriott

Nice

Clean spacious rooms. The shower is very bad. Restaurant on the roof is beautiful and delicious. A little far from the market and most of the activities in Nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Morning food and wine tour

Nice

Nadia was absolutely wonderful. She showed us all around Nice. We ate and ate and ate. Do not eat breakfast before this tour. BRING WATER! This tour was a highlight of our trip. We loved it.

Quality of Experience

Food

The huge variety of tastings was wonderful.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit of the chocolate museum and chocolate workshop!

Paris

This was the worst activity of our trip. A tourist trap.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Seine river dinner cruise

Paris

Review the menu before booking to be sure you like the offerings. It was a bit touristy, and had a lounge type singer for entertainment. I thought it would be a more informational tour. But still a nice introduction to Paris and from the unique vantage point of the Seine River. We did enjoy the activity. After the cruise, we walked to the Eiffel Tower and it was beautifully lit up at night.

Quality of Experience

Food

Showing the menu to the guests before booking.

Pastry Tour of Le Marais

Paris

Rachelle was fun, chic, hip, and gave us insight into French life and fed us the most amazing delicious pastries. A favorite tour of our trip. We wish we had more tours with Rachelle.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Adventure aboard an authentic sidecar to uncover Paris

Paris

This was a really fun unique activity. They took us to Montmartre, which was lovely to see. A bunch of streets were closed due to it being very close to Bastille Day. Driving around in the open air to get up close to things was a lot of fun. They picked us up from the hotel, and offered to drop us off wherever we liked at the end of the tour. A really fun tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Giverny and Versailles Visits with Private Transfers

Paris

This was a highlight of our trip. Having a driver for the day, was very very helpful. We LOVED Monet's garden. Absolutely beautiful. Definitely worth seeing, especially if you love gardens, flowers, and art. We wish we had a tour guide for Versailles. Having had a tour guide for the Louvre, we saw how much of a difference it made for our experience. With that being said, Versailles is a must to visit.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I used KimKim to plan a trip to Paris with my sister and cousin, and thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Our trip coordinator with KimKim, Lucie, was wonderful to work with, and the pacing of our time in Paris was just right. We were able to see so many wonderful sites in France, including La Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre, La Cathedrale de Notre-Dame de Paris, Le Palais de Versailles, and Le Panthéon, yet our schedule was open enough for spontaneous activities such as a musical concert at L'Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis. We went on a lovely tour of Montmartre as well, and our tour guide, Aloïs, was excellent and extremely knowledgable about the area. The hotel we stayed at while in Paris was extremely comfortable and suited our needs well, and I would gladly stay there again. The only hiccups we experienced were out of KimKim's control, which were several strikes that resulted in the temporary closure of L'Arc de Triomphe and Les Catacombes de Paris. I loved my time in France and look forward to traveling there again someday.

Hotel Review

Hôtel Korner Opéra

Paris

The Hôtel Korner Opéra was a lovely place to stay while I was in Paris. It was extremely close to the Paris Métro and several lovely restaurants and cafés. The staff members were kind and helpful. The hotel itself was clean and comfortable, and I would gladly stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Adventure aboard an authentic sidecar to uncover Paris

Paris

I enjoyed this sidecar tour quite a bit. My guide was friendly and very knowledgable of Paris and its history, and I learned quite a bit about the city during the tour. The drive itself was quite lovely, and we were able to see many of the city's landmarks fairly close-up. The tour itself taking place in a vintage motorbike was also exciting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring the Panthéon: a Journey through French History and Architecture

Paris

The Panthéon is such a unique place, and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring this landmark and discovering its history. The building itself was pretty quiet and peaceful while simultaneously housing many people like myself, and the representations of the building's history (including the tapestries, monuments, and modern art pieces) are incredible to behold.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the Royal castle of Versailles

France

The Palais de Versailles is a gorgeous place filled with so much history and art, and I loved exploring the different wings of the palace and learning their history. The palace itself and its artifacts have been very well maintained throughout the years, and I did not have much trouble navigating the rooms.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Beautiful Montmartre

Paris

Montmartre is such a unique area of Paris, and I thoroughly enjoyed the tour experience. My guide, Aloïs, was absolutely wonderful and knowledgable about the Montmartre area. The history of Montmartre and its unique characteristics make it a lovely place to explore.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Aloïs was absolutely wonderful and knew quite a bit about the Montmartre area.

Transport

Unveiling Masterpieces at the Louvre Museum

Paris

As a history enthusiast, the Louvre Museum was a treat to visit. There are so many different pieces of art and relics from throughout history that it is impossible to see everything in one visit. From the remnants of the original fortress to the paintings on the top floor, there is something for just about everyone at the Louvre.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

What a wonderful trip to Paris! Lucie listened to what we wanted and provided a perfect itinerary. It started with our excellent driver picking us up from the Eurostar train station and taking us to our boutique 3* hotel, which was in a wonderful location and overall very comfortable. Lucie also arranged for a driver to take us to the airport when we left. We chose to travel from our hotel by the Paris metro to our daily events. I am a 73 year old, who traveled with twin 17 year olds girls. One of our favorite activities was the sidecar motorbike tour of Paris when we first arrived. The drivers told us fun facts about the sites as we rode around Paris. The highlights of our 5 day stay included the summit of the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre and Sacre Coeur, the amazing treasures of the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, beautiful Versailles, and the Pantheon. We asked Lucie to give us time to choose some of our own activities and were able to attend a baroque orchestral performance, view the Victor Hugo museum, and eat at numerous local restaurants of our choice. Our private tour guide, Aloïs, was outstanding and knowledgeable for our walking tour in Montmartre. The only negative we encountered had nothing to do with kimkim or Lucie. Workers in France went on strike, and we were unable to go up into the Arc de Triomphe. The other cancelation due to the strike was at the Paris catacombs. Although disappointing, my young travelers said, "I guess we will have to come back." Thanks Lucie and kimkim!

Hotel Review

Hôtel Korner Opéra

Paris

This hotel was perfectly located for our Paris visit. We needed beds for 3 and stayed in a room at the top of the hotel. The room was very clean and had everything needed for our 5 day stay. One twin bed was located under a low ceiling and I kept bumping my head. The room had an air conditioner, but we never got it to work, However, we didn't ask for help. We used a fan in the room instead, and we opened the windows which made it comfortable. Only problem with the open windows was sometimes there was noise outside. The staff was nice and friendly. The breakfasts were continental and perfect for us. We would happily stay in this hotel again.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel had a local feel and not so touristy.

Location

Close to the Paris metro and restaurants

Staff

Always friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was clean and overall comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Visit of the Eiffel Tower with access to the summit

Paris

I'm so glad we got tickets to the summit. The views were great!

Quality of Experience

The Eiffel Tower was our first Paris landmark to visit and it did not disappoint. We had no trouble arriving on our own. Our tickets were arranged by kimkim.

Adventure aboard an authentic sidecar to uncover Paris

Paris

The sidecar tour was one of our favorite tours. The drivers were knowledgeable, friendly, and provided a fun tour. They were also courteous and helpful in dropping us off so we could safely get to our next event.

Quality of Experience

It was a fun way to be introduced to Paris.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We couldn't ask for better drivers, who were also our guides. Their enthusiasm made us love Paris.

Transport

Besides the sidecars being fun, the ride was safe and comfortable.

Visit of Arc de Triomphe

Paris

After hearing about the Arc de Triomphe my whole life, I stood under the Arc in awe. We observed the tomb of the unknown soldier. We were sad that we couldn't go up into the Arc due to a workers strike.

Exploring the Panthéon: a Journey through French History and Architecture

Paris

We enjoyed learning more French history and observed the names of people who made a difference in French history.

Visit the Royal castle of Versailles

France

Versailles was amazing. You could feel the once decadent era when Louis XIV and those that followed lived there. If you love French history, there is much to learn and enjoy. We wish we could have spent a little more time there.