Southern France 7-Day Trips & Itineraries

This review is a bit overdue..my first time using KimKim, but the experience and service was over the top. I would highly recommend them and would use their services again for future travel.
I decided two weeks prior to dperature that I wanted to have a summer vacation with my kids; something that blended history, culture, and experience they will cherish. Liz was able to share her insights, relate to traveling with children and give her recommendations on what worked and didn't work.
We started off 5 days in Paris and concluded with 4 days in Nice. Certainly not enough time in either place. The itinerary was very structured; guides were very friendly, fluent in English, and provided the same level of service KimKim had assured.
Our trip started with a climb up the Eiffel tower, we also had a nice four hour guided tour of the city that was catered to children's interests. We were able to experience a cooking class in a local Parisian's home; had an art class with a professional painter, had the opportunity to bike and picnic through Versailles, saw the local home of the recent Football champions - PSG. The team then organized a seamless flight transfer from Paris to Nice, which was amazing and everything you would think of the French Riviera. We were guided through the local towns and then spent a couple beach days exploring the local towns and enjoying the Mediterranean sun.
Travel is an opportunity to see the world, meet people and connect with ones self. As a single dad, this was a trip that my children and I will remember, and I hope to have another KimKim experience next year!

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel du Couvent, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nice

Nice

This place is awesome...its an old convent that took ten years to build. The grounds are immaculate. The private compound sits atop a hill. It houses its own bakery, own fresh gardens from where all fruits and produce come from. The restaruants on site are very different but exceptional. The view from the pool / spa area are amazing. The hotel is situated in Old town - very walkable. but if you don't want that, the hotel provides golf carts to transport you around the old town vicinity. A very different hotel experience that I would visit again!

Authenticity & Character

Preserved the convent feel with a modern take on luxury

Location

Situated within Old town - walking to plenty of restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel de Suede Saint Germain

Paris

Very quaint, comfortable and clean hotel. The staff was very friendly. This was my first time in Paris. The location was excellent and room accommodations were very nice for our family of three.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private French Riviera Sunset Electric Cruise (with private transfer)

Nice

This was a nice realzxing boat ride through along the coast of the Mediterranean. We took a picnic basket from our hotel and had dinner on board. The boat is more like a pontoon boat. The guide was very friendly and willing to take us whyever we wanted to venture to. We did catch the sunset which was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monaco, Monte Carlo & Eze Morning Excursion

Nice

Our guide was super - she was a local from Nice, and was extremely knowledgeable on the whole region. She was very patient and was able to make the tour relatable to kids. We started in Nice, and headed east towards Ville Franche, Eze, Monaco and back to Nice...the four hours went by very fast.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Saint Germain Stadium Tour

Paris

Home of the Football Champions! This was a highlight for my son. The tour was very thorough and showed us everything from the grounds, the locker rooms, the press conference theaters. It walked through the trophy room and gave a nice history of the stadium

Quality of Experience

Learn about the History of Impressionism with a Private Musee d’Orsay Tour

Paris

I'm glad to chose this tour versus doing the Louvre...this was far more manageable and with the allotted time, this was perfect. The guide had a background in history and art and was able to relate to the children and keep them engaged for the full tour. She brought along art samples and relative lessons that piqued our interests.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Art activity for kids and family in Paris

Paris

This was one of my children's favorite activities. We found a spot outside across the river, overseeing the Eiffel Tower. The art class entailed us to sketch, paint what we saw. The class was guided by a professional artist who was extremely talented, but also very patient in teaching and helping the children. This was a very nice keepsake souvenir for the children and myself

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Versailles Bike Tour

Paris

Amazing experience to bike, picnic and explore one of the largest castles in the world. We biked over 8 miles voering the Versailles grounds. The tour started with a train ride from Paris to Versailles. We stopped by a local market to pick up food for our picnic. Then we headed to pick up our bikes. The guide was very nonweldable and the tour around the grounds were very thorough.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

French Dessert Cooking Class

Paris

We did a dessert making class - I was not expecting this to be in a local Parisians home. The instructor was a professional chef. The area was extremely clean, professional and very enjoyable. We were paired with two other families - which was very pleasant experience as well.

Quality of Experience

Private Discovery Tour of Paris Highlights

Paris

Our guide was a retired history teacher and also a grandfather. His experiences was able to hold children's attention for over 3.5 hours. The tour was very comprehensive and gave a nice lay of the land prior to venturing out around town. There are so many aspects of Paris that its impossible to cover on your own; it was very helpful to have this tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eiffel Tower Stair Climb with Optional Summit Access

Paris

We climbed to the summit of the Eiffel Tower - the views are spectacular and quite an experience to go to the top.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

very knowledgeable and was able to relate to kids

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

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

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

Activity Reviews

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

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

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.

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

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

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

I came across this website during internet search. I knew our family wanted to go to France for graduation trip and I knew this would include Paris but I wasn't exactly sure where else we should go, since this was our first trip. I took the initial survey which was very easy to navigate and then gained a better idea of the trip could look like. On the same day, Eva called me and we talked through the survey and she offered valuable insights and then later that day she emailed me a preliminary itinerary. I decided on 3 days in Paris (including Versailles), then train to south France for 3 days in Aix-en-Provence then train to Nice (including Monaco). It was actually quite fun and exciting viewing the more detailed itinerary which featured specifics and her special comments, and I could press Like, or Dislike, or add a question or comment. Within 24 hours, any comments or questions were addressed, we made some additional adjustments, and then Eva called to speak with myself, my wife and 2 daughters. This got them even more excited for the upcoming trip. Eva had a very detailed knowledge and wealth of experience to offer, so we knew we were in good hands.
As the trip got closer, the plans were reviewed again. The itinerary could be accessed by email link to website, and even easier with kimkim app on phone.
All contact numbers were listed and indeed were accurate, for the location transfers, local tour guides, hotels. Train tickets and tour vouchers were all very clearly highlighted on the app. Meeting points were generally clear and included links to Apple or Google Maps. Transfers to/from hotels were mostly provided, and when not pre-booked they were quickly reimbursed when we got back. We interacted with various local tour guides at each destination, and all were on time, very pleasant, each was clearly experienced and passionate in their respective venues. We enjoyed every tour.
Highlights were the dinner cruise on Seine seeing Paris all lit up at night; palace and gardens of Versailles were breathtaking; tours of Lavender fields and Aix-en-Provence were so beautiful; day trip to Cassis, Calanques boat ride and Provence wine tasting were so fun and relaxing; Nice was absolutely breathtaking including day trip to Monaco; perfume workshop was entertaining and informative.
We did have to contact a local tour guide to clarify exact meeting location and they answered immediately and actually the confusion ended up being more on our end, and everything worked out fine.
The hotels were generally very good. Paris hotel rooms were smaller than what we're used to but that's how it is there.
Provence hotel was bigger and nicer but was a bit farther out from city center so there were multiple $20-30 euro rides needed. Nice hotel was excellent with great location.
In summary, we had a fantastic trip with a generally smooth transition between 3 separate locations in France.
I would recommend kimkim to anyone contemplating a Europe trip as they are experts and provided excellent service before, during and after. I plan to use them again in the future.