Tom Christer Larsen

First of all, we had an absolutely amazing time in Norway. Everything went so smoothly because of the way the trip was designed by Tom Christer.
My wife has a chronic, debilatating condition, and we had debated back and forth whether we should even go on this trip. I started researching everything on my own but realized that I was out of my league. Years ago, when we went to Germany, I used an American travel agent who, we found out much later, had no idea what she was doing. When we got into trouble over there, she never picked up the phone.
So, I decided to find a Norwegian travel consultant online. I read the reviews. Basically, people were saying that kimkim was highly regarded but that a person could do the trip more cheaply by booking everything themselves. That did not make any sense to me, because how can a person really know what to see and how to book the travel arrangements correctly, if they had never been to the country.
My wife and I agreed that, if we had tried to arrange everything on our own, our trip would have been a disaster. As it happened, our experience was just the opposite. Tom planned the trip so that our daily excursions would not be so strenuous for my wife, yet we were able to see so many things. The hotels and the views from the hotels that Tom selected were amazing as well as the breakfasts. I had a few questions along the way, and the team at kimkim always picked up the phone to steer me in the right direction. We had one small problem that Tom's colleague, Mathia, fixed for us immediately. What we really appreciated was that Tom, Mathia, and even Christina were always sending us emails to check up on us to make sure everything was going smoothly.
So, this excursion ended up being the trip of a lifetime for us! Norge er så vakker--Norway is so beautiful. Not only did we get to experience the amazing fjords and the small country towns, but we were able go to the wonderful city of Bergen and the very active, modern-day capital of Oslo. It was the perfect balance for someone like us who had never been to the country before. We would highly recommend kimkim and especially Tom Christer.

Hotel Reviews

Scandic Byporten

Oslo

The rooms in this hotel were tiny and stuffy. However, breakfasts were fabulous, and the view of downtown Oslo was without compare!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

We were at this hotel for three days and booked a day for our room to be cleaned and supplies re-stocked. The cleaning people never showed up.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vangsgaarden Gjestgiveri

Aurland

This was a cottage right on the water. Awesome views!! The proprietor, she treated us like family and gave us a big hug when we left. Amazing experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kviknes Hotel

Balestrand

Hotel was drop-dead gorgeous. Amazing breakfasts. Views were amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Terminus

Bergen

Close to everything, amazing breakfast, beautiful hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Fjordcruise on UNESCO Nærøyfjord

Norway

The views, the cliffs, the waterfalls. We felt like we were in a living postcard. My wife has some disabilities, and the staff were very helpful in getting on the boat safely.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tom worked miracles for us on our Norway self- driving trip .
My husband and I decided to add a Norway excursion on the back of a Faroe Islands trip on a whim .I was having difficulty navigating the logistics of driving times , lodging and certain activities that were slightly out of season
With about two weeks notice, Tom put together a phenomenal trip for us . We were stunned at the amazing lodgings he was able to procure last minute ., all within our budget . Tom booked everything from accommodations to excursions to our rental car. Tom and Mathia were incredibly supportive, touching base with us daily to be sure things were running smoothly and giving us suggesting a for things to do , places to eat, possible road delays, weather updates etc. Mathia even met us briefly at the ferry to say hello ; unfortunately we were out of time so no coffee date !
It was quite obvious that our adventure was planned by someone who lives locally and knows the area well and cares about the experience their client is having .

I cannot recommend this agency highly enough , I hope to be able to work with them in the future .

Our Norway trip was a magical adventure. KimKim and Tom Christer specifically made sure that every question was answered and every detail meticulously attended to. I recommend this trip highly!

Tom planned an amazing trip for our family. We enjoyed a combination of guided walking tours as well as boat and train rides both solo and with a guide at times. We had time to explore on our own as well. Tom was very responsive and attentive to any questions or concerns. Thank you!

Tom was amazing, we had a family trip with 14 members from age 14 to 90. Tom helped us through all the challenges in planning the trip; Was there any time day or night to solve our various requests. Did an outstanding job planning the trip agenda including time in Oslo, Stavanger, Bergen and the Hurtigruten. I highly recommend Tom for trip to Norway.

We had an epic trip. Really enjoyed the local guides.

Hotel Reviews

Scandic Kirkenes

Kirkenes

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to center of town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson Blu Airport Hotel, Oslo Gardemoen

Gardemoen

Convenient location adjacent to airport

Authenticity & Character

We watched the Norway 🇳🇴 World Cup in their lounge watch party

Location

Easy walk to airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Breakfast was good

MS Richard With

Tromsø

The Hurtigruten was really nice. The food was excellent

Authenticity & Character

The hurtigruten has a storied history

Location

We saw almost the entire coast of Norway

Staff

Expedition Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bedding was really nice

Heimen Hotel

Bergen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Stavanger City

Stavanger

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thon Hotel Opera

Oslo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Fantastic Location across the street from the library voted best in the world

Staff

Everyone was helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bergen Walking Tour With a Local Guide

Bergen

All our guides were excellent and helpful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nina helped us book dinner for 17 at To Kuchs.

Transport

Norway in a Nutshell and the Flamm railroad

Flor & Fjære Garden Cruise

Stavanger

Unbelievable achievement. Inspiring.

Quality of Experience

Food

Unexpectedly brilliant

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat ride was scenic

Oslofjord Sightseeing Cruise by Traditional Boat

Oslo

Would definitely recommend this cruise to get a fuller picture of Oslo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private City Walk

Oslo

Our guide was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Train went straight from airport to our hotel

All the trips and all the guides worked out too perfection. Tom did a fantastic job of arranging everything on this journey.

Kim Kim Coordinator Tom Christer helped us put together and organize a nearly perfect 2 week trip in Norway. The accommodations were as advertised. They were comfortable, friendly, and always well located. The various elements of the trip such as train arrangements, city walking tours ( Guide John in Bergen was particularly good!), ferries, car rental, and taxi pick up were flawless. We especially loved the flower garden island and boat trip from Stavanger. Highly recommend without question! The driving route suggestions including hiking trail recommendations were perfect for our needs. We enjoyed Flam with the train ride and kayaking tour. A great day!
Tom was available to meet with us through Zoom several times prior to our departure from the US. His consideration and friendly personality were quite reassuring and he and other members of the Kim Kim team on the ground, were available and immediately responsive, the few times we had questions or sought information.
Norway is a stunningly, beautiful, easy to be in country of friendly seemingly happy people. It is a gem and we recommend, as we did, traveling there exclusively so it can be fully appreciated and explored.
Please consider for future reference, providing more specific directions, on arrival at Oslo Central Station to hotel accommodations. It is a bit overwhelming to arrive at a large station with seemingly dozens of exits. Also, since there are many Thon hotels the need for more specific directions would be helpful.
When we arrived in Bergen by ferry, we decided to walk from the dock to our hotel. This proved to be an interesting but arduous walk up and over steep cobblestone streets. We would recommend the short taxi ride.
While our all electric rental car ran beautifully, the need to secure charging, and paying for the charge was somewhat stressful at the time, but ultimately worked out well.
We’re not sure what happened with our first class train ride from Oslo to Stavanger, but halfway there we were required to de-train and complete the second half of the trip on what was a more local, less comfortable conveyance.
We particularly loved the hotel Ulansvagen. Awesome scenery, accommodation, history and food.
We also greatly enjoyed our stay at Bestabakken. The setting was gorgeous, the accommodation excellent. The owner – hosts were very nice and the guests who shared the family style dinners were interesting and fun.
The dining experience was beautifully presented and the food was good. Breakfast not great. I think potential guests for this place should be informed that the pre booked dinner with wine is quite expensive. Two nights’ dinners, for two people, was close to $600. It would be helpful prior to dinner for the host to inform guests that wine is extra. We fully enjoyed the experience, and/but the Bill was a bit salty.
In short, we could not be happier with all aspects of our trip. We look forward to future travel opportunities with Kim Kim. Shout out to Tom.
Joel B
Barb C

Both of our city guides were knowledgable and enjoyable. They gave us interesting information and took us to places that we would not have explored on our own.

The Thon Hotel Opera was comfortable, well located and very satisfactory. They also provided an excellent breakfast.

The Flam Railroad was a disappointment, a bit of a tourist trap, actually. We were packed on the train with too many other people and had only glimpses out the windows. When there was a view it quickly disappeared because of the tunnels and snow/avalanche protections. We would not recommend this for future guests. Afterwards we were left in Flam for much too long, along with the passengers from 2 cruise ships, where there was little shade and nothing but tourist shops. We could have easily walked to Aurland during the time we waited there. The cab driver, Luca, took us to the wrong hotel in Aurland and gave us bad advice with regard to restaurants. The hotel in Aurland was okay.

The bus that we were told to take the next morning to Voss never arrived after a long wait. We finally texted Tom who sent the cab driver, Luca, to take us to Voss to get the bus to Ullensvang. Luca, a large man who drives such a small car, he has to push his seat back into the leg space of the back seat passenger area. In addition, Luca, who is Polish, speaks English with a heavy accent that is hard to understand. In Voss, we were able to get our bus, which proved to be an interesting ride.

The Hotel Ullensvang was a relief, and very nice. We enjoyed the hike through the orchards to the waterfalls and, in addition, we hiked to the cider brewery which was most enjoyable. Unfortunately we weren't prepared for the hotel's lovely spa facilities, but did enjoy the lovely setting.

The Heimen Hotel in Bergen was marginal, at best. The darkly painted room had inadequate lighting and they do not have sufficient space for breakfast for all of their guests -- 3 bus loads! Although they offer a laundry facility for guests it was not well maintained.

The Hurtigruten was a pleasant surprise. One of our most enjoyable meals was in their fine dining area where we could watch the coast as the sun set. Viewing the coast from deck 7 was most enjoyable.

The Hotel Brosundet in Aleslund was excellent. It is very well located and they pay outstanding attention to detail. The hike from town up to the view point was enjoyable.

From Aleslund we had to bus rather than train from Andalesnes to Trondheim. We were never warned that during the autumn months, the train transportation in Norway can be unpredictable because of annual maintenance.

The Scandic Nidelven Hotel in Trondheim is very good. They serve an exceptionally good breakfast buffet. We cannot understand why we were not offered the opportunity to fly from Trondheim to Oslo. The 8 hour bus ride was very uncomfortable, compared to the train. I suspect the bus was much cheaper than the train, so you saved some money. We would have gladly paid the extra cost to fly.

The Amerikenji hotel, which Tom booked for us as a change to our itinerary to accommodate our dinner plans, was very good.

Overall, we enjoyed our time in Norway and the people we met, but were very disappointed that we didn't receive the benefit of local knowledge, in regard to the interruption of train service, when the trip was planned.

We booked a trip to Norway. We visited Oslo Bergen and flam. Tom helped us with the booking. He was very prompt in replying to emails. We did not like the accommodations in Flam as much. The room was very small. Of course it had a great view and breakfast and dinner were excellent But I think if Tom had communicated the options a little more I would’ve been able to make a better decision also there was not much to doing Flam and I feel like two nights were excessive. We could probably have spent two nights in Bergen.
We had a slight issue with our hotel in Bergen, but the problem was resolved very quickly, and we appreciated the prompt resolution of our reservation
Overall, I was happy with the service provided and would consider booking with Kim Kim team again