France By Locals

I recently returned from a trip to France. Our local specialist, Sebastian, was quite helpful and understanding in planning our trip. He was sensitive to our interests and helped to maximize our days given what we wanted to see and do. His hotel recommendations were all centrally located providing easy access to walking and public transportation within the cities. The small group tours he chose were great and the local guides in each case were knowledgeable and made the experience that much better. This was the second time I have used KimKim and will definitely use them again.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in France. Each of the excursions arranged by kimkim was excellent. I not only enjoyed them but felt I learned a great deal from each of the local guides who were knowledgeable and quick to answer questions pertaining to the tour but to also recommend further activities in the area. (This was especially true of Emma our guide for the Normandy Beaches excursion).
All of the drivers were also courteous, timely and accommodating.
I was very pleased with the location of our hotel(Hotel Lorette-Astotel) in Paris. Its proximity to several metro lines made it very convenient for reaching desired locations.

Sebastian/kimkim did a great job and we had a great trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel Lorette - Astotel

Paris

Excellent location and friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to several metro lines which facilitated travel within Paris.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Maison Rabelais

Amboise

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Beaufort

Saint-Malo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Bayeux

Bayeux

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Needs to be updated.

Hotel le Dauphin Les Loges

Honfleur

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Best Western Plus Hotel Litteraire Gustave Flaubert

Rouen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jangle Courtyard by Marriott Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport

Le Mesnil-Amelot

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Monet's Giverny House & Gardens Small-Group Half Day Trip From Paris

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Paris: Illuminations Seine River Cruise

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Tourraine Wine tour

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chenonceau & Chambord : A Low-Season Loire Getaway

Amboise

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-day Tour of D-Day Sites

Bayeux

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided visit of Rouen

Rouen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The trip to the Côte d’Azur planned by Sebastian was wonderful. The hotels, excursions and guides were all exceptional and well beyond what I had expected. Highly recommend .

Our anniversary trip to France was fantastic and we had a very positive experience planning everything with Sebastian. The whole process starting with the website and filling out preferences was simple and straightforward. We worked through a couple different itineraries before landing on the one we chose. All of the transportation arranged went perfectly (trains, private transfers) and the hotels chosen by Sebastian were perfect! All of the guides that we had for our tours were excellent, but there were a few who truly stood out. Emma who was our guide for a D-Day Tour in Normandy, she was wonderful. And Sophie who was our guide for a WWII tour in Paris..she was outstanding!! We will be requesting her if possible for future trips to Paris. The trip exceeded our expectations and we really fell in love with France. Thank you for making it happen!

Hotel Reviews

Disney's Newport Bay Club

Coupvray

Great location, lovely decor, friendly and helpful staff. The room was super cute and clean. The main bar was awesome and breakfast was delicious!! Lots of options! Our only complaint was the bathroom..it needed a refresh and the shower and sink would not drain properly.

Authenticity & Character

Everything was cohesive and worked withe the theme.

Location

Easy walk to the parks!

Staff

Very friendly and eager to help if you had questions.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Truly no complaints about cleanliness, but the drainage in the sink and shower were awful.

Villa Lara Hôtel

Bayeux

Perfect location in Bayeux..the staff were exceptional and helpful in every way. Breakfast was simple and delicious. The room was perfect..clean, comfortable with every amenity you could want..and if you still need something the staff will make it happen. We would absolutely stay at this property again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hôtel des Thermes

Saint-Malo

Beautiful hotel with a very friendly, helpful staff. The spa amenities are pretty amazing and we can see why it's a popular destination. Food was excellent and the room was spacious, clean, and comfortable. We would return for sure.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A little bit a walk to get into the center of Saint Malo, but we didn't mind at all.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Jardin de Cluny

Paris

Loved the vibe and decor of this property. Small rooms, but has everything you need and the layout is functional and comfortable. Breakfast options were perfect and the staff were so friendly and helpful. The location was excellent..you could walk everywhere! Would definitely stay again!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full-day Tour of D-Day Sites

Bayeux

Emma our guide was excellent!! It was a thorough, perfectly timed day and we visited all the sites listed in the itinerary. To see history come to life in front of us, and see the sites that you learn about from school, movies and TV was amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discovery of the Parisian catacombs

Paris

Quality of Experience

Normandy Gourmet Food Tour - Private countryside Day Trip From Bayeux

France

It was a great day and our guide Bastian was awesome. We were slightly disappointed with the cheese factory visit..the tasting following the tour didn't match up with the description we were provided with. Other than that, no complaints at all!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Paris Occupied, Paris Liberated: Private WWII Walking Tour

Paris

Outstanding!! Can not say enough about our guide Sophie!! She not only shared so much incredible history surrounding WWII, but also so much about Paris itself as we had never been before. She went above and beyond and she was so much fun to spend time with!! It was the highlight of our entire trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Paris - Seine Dinner Cruise

Paris

The experience was lovely, a nice way to spend the evening. I think it's a must do for someone visiting Paris for the first time, but not something I would repeat. Great atmosphere, and the young performer singing was impressive! The food itself was just ok, but again still glad we did it.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

In September 2025 we took a family trip to France with our two adult children. We started planning the trip in January and began working with Emma at KimKim shortly thereafter. After gathering everyone’s suggestions and ideas I forwarded them to Emma and she began sketching out our trip. Over the next few months our plans came together and excitement built. Before our departure date, Emma was transferred to another country but her replacement, Amandine, never missed a beat. From our arrival in Paris to our departure 15 days later everything just fell into place. Information and instructions provided were clear and accurate. Even when things didn’t quite go as planned, Amandine was always available to assist.

We were most impressed when we heard that there might be a “day of action” on our last travel day back into Paris. Before we could even think about what it might mean for us, there was a note from Amandine indicating that she had proactively reserved a rental car for us as an alternative.

Since our return, Amandine has continued to be available to resolve a few minor hotel transactions that needed to be resolved.

We are impressed and have already started talking about another family trip with KimKim. We highly recommend this company!

Hotel Reviews

Chateau St Roux

Le Cannet-des-Maures

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Villa Nice Promenade

Nice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Résidence du Vieux Port

Marseille

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel d’Europe

Avignon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fourvière Hôtel Lyon

Lyon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Local Bouchon Lyonnais Diner

Lyon

Lovely location. Quaint atmosphere. Great staff!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Skip-the-line: louvre museum greatest masterpieces private guided tour

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Discovery of the Parisian catacombs

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marais Pastry and Chocolate Tour

Paris

Excellent tour. So much fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Notre-Dame Cathedrale and Saint Chapelle Visit

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Paris: Illuminations Seine River Cruise

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner at Le Plongeoir

France

Wonderful spot. Fantastic food. Great service.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Enjoy the Chateau Saint-Roux

France

Lovely spot for dinner. Enjoyed the family room.

Quality of Experience

Make your own Baguette Baking workshop at Chateau Saint-Roux

France

This activity didn’t happen because of scheduling problem.

Quality of Experience

Half-Day Cruise to Calanques National Park - private group

Marseille

This activity didn’t happen because of weather.

Quality of Experience

Private Transfer from Paris hotel to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I had a fantastic time. Sebastian did a great job putting together the itinerary and details of the trip. My tour guide, Julian, for the tour of the Paris Notre Dame Cathedral was wonderful. He was very informative and knowledgeable about the cathedral and its rebuilding after the fire. Notre Dame holds a special place in the world's heart. The fire was devastating and it was nice to see, that the cathedral looks better than ever.

I loved Reims. It is a beautiful city. The history of the place is awesome. Loved touring the city with Christine as she told the story of the city under Roman rule, to the birth of the France, the devastation of WWI and the rebuilding of the city.

Strasbourg is just so charming. It is an old city with buildings that date back to 1500's and beyond. The cathedral is so impressive. Loved the Alsace village tour with Penelope. She was fun and knowledgeable about all things Alsace.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Bristol Reims

Reims

The Hotel Bristol is in a prime location, near many eating establishments. Loved the room, loved the shower (these things are important when traveling, the hotel staff were great and the breakfast, which was included, was great. It was within easy walking distance from the train station.

Authenticity & Character

Loved the room and the look of the hotel.

Location

It was near restaurants in a charming area of the city and close to the train station

Staff

Staff was very nice and helpful. The breakfast service was great.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Loved the shower. The bed was comfortable and the pillows were good. The room was clean and well maintained.

Hôtel Beaucour

67000

Beautiful hotel. The entrance courtyard was exceptional. It looked like you were stepping into a fairy world. The room was a good size and clean and comfortable. The hotel is in a good location within walking distance of important city sites and public transportation hubs.

Authenticity & Character

Charming setting, tucked back a litte ways from the street.

Location

Close to the cathedral and near restaurants.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jangle Courtyard by Marriott Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport

Le Mesnil-Amelot

The hotel was clean and comfortable. It had a good restaurant and was near the airport, which was good for my early morning flight.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le 9Hotel Opera

Paris

The hotel was functional and located near metro stations.

Activity Reviews

Champagne Morning Family growers Wine tour

France

Wonderful tour of family champagne producers. We were instructed in the process of making champagne and had a detailed tour of the process. We visited the vineyards and of course had champagne tasting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour of Reims and its cathedral

Reims

My city/cathedral tour with Christine was superb. We started with the building where the WWII surrender was signed and then onto the Mars gate, winding our way to the cathedral. Notre Dame in Reims was fantastic. I know that it was the place were virtually every French king was crowned. So much history, as Clovis was the bridge from the Roman Empire to a recognized French empire. It was nice to see that Reims Cathedral did not suffer the indignities of the French Revolution, that had to wait for WWI. Glad there were American philanthropists that decided Reims was worth rebuilding.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Half-Day tour in the Alsatian villages from Strasbourg

Strasbourg

My guide, Penelope, was great. She drove us around to three different villages, making stops along the way. We walked around one of them, (not sure which one, they kind of looked alike). Penelope was entertaining and informative. She told us about local foods to try, restaurants to go to, and places to visit. She explained the local dilect as a mixture of French and German words. It was very charming. I would recommend the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Paris: Illuminations Seine River Cruise

Paris

Wonderful relaxing introduction to the city. It was just what I needed after an overnight 10 hour flight.

Bonjour Sebastian!
Our trip was exceptional! Thank you for all the planning. We loved everything! The wine tour to Beaune with Stefan was spectacular- beautiful countryside tour and 2 winery visits/tastings. Highlight to the trip was the cooking class in Beaune with Adaline. She was amazing and the four course meal we cooked and ate was above and beyond. Loved our hotel in Dijon - The Grand Hotel La Cloche. Great location, lovely lobby lounge & restaurant. The room was spacious with a big bathroom and French balcony.
The e-bike with Vincent in Aix-En-Provence was spectacular as well as the Vintage side car tour with Eric. Great tour guides. Our hotel in Aix wasn’t great (I chose it because it had a lift.) The lift was out of order, so 4 flights up was a lot of work! The suite was just ok. Very dark with black walls, black tile and not much lighting. No balcony. The location was great if you want to be in the hustle and bustle of things. I went to the hotels Nuxe spa for a massage and relaxation, which was fantastic and exceeded my expectations.
We will certainly reach out to you for our next visit to France.
Vive la France! 🇫🇷 Love this country ❤️
Aurevoir!

Hotel Reviews

Grand Hotel La Cloche Dijon MGallery

Dijon

Great location! Staff is lovely, everyone speaks English, which was helpful. Beautiful lounge for cocktails and light menu. Lovely restaurant. Spacious suite with double vanity, big shower, French balcony with great view.

Authenticity & Character

French balconies, great lounge

Location

Walking distance to train, restaurants and shops

Staff

Very kind, attentive and English speaking

Cleanliness & Comfort

Negrecoste Hotel and Spa

Aix en Provence

I chose this hotel because it had a lift. The lift was out of order. Our suite was on the 2nd floor, but it’s 4 flights up. This was tough on my knee and my ankle. Hotel staff was kind enough to hold our luggage and deliver it to our room for an early check in. But upon departure at 7am, we had to take our 4 large heavy pieces of luggage down the stairs ourselves.

Authenticity & Character

We had the suite - very modern and dark. Black tile everywhere, black glass dividing walls made the room very dark. Shower with no door makes for a wet experience. No good lighting over vanity. The make up mirrors didn’t work - they had a usb port but couldn’t make it work. Hair dryer was tough to use as you have to press the handle with your palm to make it work. Not easy for long, thick hair. 2 windows let in some light, but overall very dark & modern. There is a step up to the vanity shower area. I almost slipped on the wet floor from the shower.

Location

Literally in the hustle and bustle of things. Lots of restaurants & shops. Walked every and really enjoyed the town on foot.

Staff

Everyone spoke English. Very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lobby restrooms were always dirty. Tiled floors on stairs chipped.

Activity Reviews

Restaurant | Food & Wine Pairing in Aix en Provence (4 dauphins menu)

Aix-en-Provence

Restaurant is lovely, staff lovely and English speaking. It’s not. Food and wine pairing - you get a credit toward your check at the end. Pay the difference if you went over.

Quality of Experience

Food

Steak was delicious

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Burgundy Wine Tasting Tour : from Côte de Beaune to Côtes de Nuits

France

Great day with Stefan. He really knew about wine and gave us a great countryside tour with stops at 2 wineries.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Stefan was very knowledgeable

Transport

Nice big clean van

Cook and Taste Burgundian Cuisine

Beaune

Highlight of our trip! Adaline was amaze along with Cals her sound chef. We cooked, tasted wine and ate in a beautiful setting!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Easy train ride from Dijon.

Guided Walking Tour of Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence

Learned about Aix en Provence on this walking tour

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

E-MountainBike tour of Sainte Victoire Mountain

Aix-en-Provence

Great adventure. Vincent made me feel very comfortable and took a lot of time to explain how to use the pedal assist going up the hills. Beautiful scenery and he explained a lot about the area. The ride was a combination of roads, trails, some rocky terrain, but all very easy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vintage Side car Wine tour in the Luberon

Aix-en-Provence

Great day with Eric! Fun adventure. Visited a cute town, Loumarin. Charming village & a big market. 2 stops at beautiful wineries.

Quality of Experience

Scenic drive, charming villages

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Eric a great guide

Transport

It was fun!

We had a great time in Paris - so much so that we cannot wait to go back. Sebastian found just the right neighborhood for us (Marais) to enjoy the wonderful cuisine. We spent days walking Paris, and enjoyed every moment. As for Amsterdam, our transition via train (arranged by Sebastian) was seamless, and hotel selection was perfect. We've used Kim Kim before and we will again in the future.