Taylor Hook

Deedie and Anne did all of the trip planning with KimKim so I will let them speak about that.

The trip was beautiful and interesting and energetic. Norway is a series of engineering marvels with tunnels and hydropower and hairpin turns leading to glacial grandeur.
The Scandic Torget hotel in Bergen was average but the location was excellent. We did a hike from Ulriken, the top of the gondola, to Mt Floyen, the top of the funicular, along the ridge top which was spectacular (13 km on the Vidden trail). We ate dinner one night at the Daily Pot which was delicious, casual and inexpensive.

The other 3 hotels were great. All 4 of the hotels had excellent breakfasts and we made sandwiches for lunch (not encouraged by the staff).

The hike in the Aurlandsdalen was amazing and long, 19 km. We took a bus up to Osterbo and then were picked up in Vassbygdi. The hotel helped us with the bus tickets and details. The ride on the Flamsbana was beautiful and the walk down was wet, again beautiful, and interesting, stopped at an old church in Flam along the way.

Took the snow road to Geiranger, a must! Ride in the RIB was great, could have been longer. Hiked up above the Storsaeterfossen into the meadows which was glorious. Had a delicious dinner at the Westeras Farm, a short walk from the hotel.

Took the Trollstigen to Alesund, a must! Hiked the Storhornet on Godoya island, more remote than Sukertoppen and no people but much more difficult. We felt like explorers standing on the edge of the sea.

Hotel Review

Scandic Torget

Bergen

Small clean rooms, very small lobby, excellent breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hike up to Sukkertoppen

Ålesund

We decided to do a different hike. In retrospect, with 2 cruise ships in port, Sukkertoppen would have had a lot of people on it and Storhornet was a treat ( start from the Alnes lighthouse side)

Food & Culture Walk

Bergen

Self-Guided Waterfall Walk

Geiranger

If a cruise ship is in Geiranger, should start hike from hotel up to Storsaeterfossen and on up into meadows (trail continues) where there will be less people and an amazing view. We did not do the lower part of the hike as it is pretty "manufactured".

Geraingerfjord Safari by RIB

Geiranger

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike in Aurlandsdalen Valley

Aurland

Hike was amazing,

Quality of Experience

Canyons are deep with raging river

I can't praise the work enough that KimKim did in putting together an amazing trip for my husband and me to Norway. From the private car pick up service when we landed in Oslo, to the early morning pick up in Bergen to get us on time to our flight at the end of our trip, all the details were taken care. The KimKim app that contains the daily itinerary, tickets, information on the region (including recommendations of other things to do/sites to see) and maps was incredible. Taylor, Marie and Nick responded to questions within minutes. When we had an issue with train seats from Oslo to Flam, Chinh responded quickly and all was well with our journey. Flam was magical, and I would not have included this location if I had planned the trip myself. I will definitely work with KimKim again in the future on another trip. Already thinking of where we will go next.

Hotel Reviews

Home Hotel Bryggen

Bergen

No room service for the time we were there. I guess you need to ask for it.

Authenticity & Character

Daily, breakfast, snack and dinner were served and included in the price of the room.

Location

So close to the harbor and the UNESCO World Heritage Site Bryggen, yet very quiet and away from all the harbor traffic.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Flåm Marina

Flåm

A modest hotel with the best location in the town. Our room was very spacious, and the view from our room's deck down the fjord was indescribably beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Very simple accommodations but quite roomy, great location and an amazing view down the fjord.

Location

Staff

Kind and helpful staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very comfortable bed

Karl Johan Hotel

Oslo

Great location and comfortable room although quite small.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the center of or close to the sites we wanted to see.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Fjord Cruise & Seafood Dining Experience

Bergen

While I did not need one more ferry ride through a fjord (we had done several over a week's time), the five course dinner was delicious. I think the chef did a great job of making unique and very flavorful dishes. The wait staff was great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Food & Beer Walk

Oslo

The food was satisfactory and only one brewery was included. I had hoped to visit a couple different restaurants for food tastings and breweries/bars for local beer tastings.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Self-Guided Bergen Exploration

Bergen

Bryggen was very interesting in its history and wooden buildings. Loved the shops down the alleys. The fishmarket was a fun experience and the fish soup is delicious.

Quality of Experience

Self-Guided Flåm Exploration

Flåm

So many activities: fjord tour, hiking to a waterfall, biking to Myrdal, walking through the farmland, looking for goats and sheep. This is one of my favorite locations on our Scandinavian tour of Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

Quality of Experience

Self-Guided Oslo Exploration

Oslo

Several sites to visit were suggested. Also suggest the floating saunas and the Vigeland Sculpture Park.

Quality of Experience

Fjord Cruise to Rosendal

Bergen

A nice town with lots of hiking.

Quality of Experience

Hike Up, Ride Down: Mt. Fløyen

Bergen

Loved the walk through the forested mountain. It was rainy that day and very cloudy. I wish we would have had better weather to explore more hiking on the mountain.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Edvard Munch Museum in Oslo

Oslo

Great museum that is well laid out on several floors that are well marked with what you will find in each gallery.

Quality of Experience

Fjord Safari by RIB

Flåm

Best view of the fjords we had during our entire Norway trip, and we were on a lot of ferries in a lot of fjords. The guide was fantastic with great stories told with humor.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The entire team was very helpful and provided activity and hotel recommendations that were a good match for me. The instructions and information in the app were intuitive and helpful. I also appreciated the quick responses on a couple of logistic items while we were on vacation. We really enjoyed the boat tour in Oslo, partly because the weather was perfect and our tour guide in Oslo was wonderful as well. I liked the Oslo hotel and its history. The hotel in Flam had a great view and reasonably appointed but the shower in room 12 was atrociously small. I am not a large person but it was small for me and there was nowhere to put any of your shower items. The other rooms may have a better layout but the shower was so bad that I was grateful that it was a one night stay. It would be helpful to have a general but better understanding of what food and drinks are included in the food and culture tour in Bergen. For example, we'll try a two local drinks, a few small tastings and finished off with a lunch. Thank you all for helping us have a wonderful trip in Norway.

Hotel Review

Flåm Marina

Flåm

The hotel in Flam had a great view and reasonably appointed but the shower in room 12 was atrociously small. I am not a large person but it was small for me and there was nowhere to put any of your shower items. The other rooms may have a better layout but the shower was so bad that I was grateful that it was a one night stay.

Activity Review

Food & Culture Walk

Bergen

It would be helpful to have a general but better understanding of what food and drinks are included in the food and culture tour in Bergen.

Here is a brief and honest opinion of our Norway sojourn with Kimkim. Oslo and Bergen, although nice, were not special. However, we did get to hear the Oslo Philharmonic. My husband and I were especially impressed with the Lofoten area of Norway. Seeing those gorgeous snow-capped mountains and the surrounding landscape was indeed amazing. The apartment (Nordis Suite) in Svolvaer was spectacular! The view from those floor to ceiling windows of the harbor and the mountains was simply magical. Unfortunately, my biggest yearning was not fulfilled: the weather was not cooperative and we missed seeing the Aurora. We were booked for a photographer's hunt for the Aurora in Svolvaer which never happened. But our snowmobiling north of Tromso was really exciting. We enjoyed most of the local guides who helped make the towns and cities come alive with history. We stayed at the Oslo Grand Hotel, which was a nice 5-star hotel, but the rooms were certainly not "grand." The concierge service was wonderful, however. They went out of their way to try to respond to our needs. The Bergen Bors hotel, a so-called 4-star hotel, was not as good. Word of caution: Do not make a reservation for the Loft Suite. The low beams are hazardous. The bathroom is downstairs but the loft-like bedroom is up a long flight of stairs. Using the bathroom at night would have been challenging so we changed our room. In general, the hotel rooms were rather small compared to those in the US. The AERA Lodge near Tromso was quite "rustic" and is only for those who enjoy roughing it a bit. Kimkim was excellent in helping us plan our trip and was there every step of the way. Our local specialist at Kimkim, Taylor, went above and beyond. We couldn't have done it without her careful and expert guidance. I highly recommend Kimkim as a travel agency that really cares about its clients.

Taylor worked with me to plan our trip to Norway. She was always available and was more than knowledgeable about the not only our wish list but other equally intriguing side trips.
I never waited more than 24 hours to get a response to any questions I had. Her recommendations rounded out our incredible itinerary.. while we were able to give her a sizable budget, she never deliberately exceeded or sought out activities and housing at the very top of the budget.
Overall, I enjoyed working with Taylor and have no suggestions for her performance.
My only recommendation relative to KimKim and this trip is to provide a less congested program for gathering and delivering information. This is relative to easier/clearer information regarding venues and for obtaining traveler information. Everything became clear once we could access the app. By the way, wonderful app!
We will use your agency again and will look forward to interacting with Taylor again.

Hotel Reviews

Scandic Ishavshotel

Tromsø

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz

Bergen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Northern Lights Hunt by Boat

Tromsø

Quality of Experience

Reindeer Feeding & Sámi Culture Experience

Tromsø

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lyngen Alps Snowmobile Excursion

Tromsø

Staff was extremely helpful. Scenery exceptional.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Dinner Cruise

Tromsø

Dinner was ok, not special but ample. Once the aurora showed up, we were outside. They offered a couple of related lectures inside that were interesting. Overall, well worth the price.

Quality of Experience

Kvaløya Husky Sledding Excursion

Tromsø

Staff know what they’re doing and will make you comfortable doing it. They assisted me in getting from the bus to the dog sled. Made my experience much easier. Our trip was 10 kilometers and the scenery was gorgeous.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Norway in a Nutshell Day Trip

Bergen

The highlight of our Bergen visit! Seamless transfer between bus, train and boat. The only way to see all the wonders of Norway! We had a bit of trepidation about not having a guide to assist in transfers. Totally not needed! Bring a camera.

Quality of Experience

Fløibanen Funicular Ticket

Bergen

Cultural Walk with a Local

Bergen

Guide was an excellent historian.

Self-Guided Bergen Exploration

Bergen

Amazing Norway trip! Would definitely use KimKim again. They (Taylor, Nick, and Maria) helped us plan with excellent recommendations, executed the bookings to perfection, provided a detailed itinerary on an easy-to-use app, checked in with us frequently to ensure our satisfaction, and issued a refund promptly when a tour had to cancel because of the weather. Both the Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz in Bergen and the Scandic Ishavshotel in Tromso were clean, centrally located, and offered excellent breakfast buffets. Our Bergen highlight was the "Norway in a Nutshell Day Trip" operated by Fjord Tours. A wonderful way to see the varied Norway scenery; the cruise thru the Naeroyfjord was jaw-dropping. Our time in Tromso was jam-packed with dogsledding, Northern Lights cruising, reindeer feeding, and Lyngen Alps snowmobiling. The weather cooperated one day; we saw a beautiful Northern Lights display. While we would do all of these activities again, two of the vendors (Tromso Villmarkssenter-Kvaleya Husky Sledding Excursion and Best Arctic-Snowmobile Excursion) really went above and beyond to meet the mobility issues within our group.

Our family trip to Norway was an adventure filled trip of a lifetime. We visited Alta, Briggen and Tromso. Each unique and with its own charm. We enjoyed activities such as dog sledding, reindeer sledding/ feeding with Sami cultural experience, whale watching and of course saw many auroras. The Kim Kim team arranged everything flawlessly and were very flexible, even managing to cancel one of our tours due to last minute change in plans. We take many memorable moments with us. Thank you!!