Art Retreat | Pastel Drawing in Greece
Pastel Drawing & Sketching with Beya Rebaï
Athens + Tinos, Greece | May 17 - 24, 2026
Join us as we venture to Greece with illustrator Beya Rebaï, as we explore and sketch our way around a place where nature, food, and warmth all blend together and everywhere you go, myth and history intertwine.
We begin in Athens, a place where ancient traditions live side-by-side with modern creativity with music, art, and architecture that reflect both cultural roots and contemporary life. No trip to this city is complete without experiencing its incredible food culture. We’ll taste beloved local dishes such as, flaky pies and baked goods, seafood, herbs, and regional dishes shaped by local communities and landscapes. From Athens we slow things down as we cross the Aegean Sea to the Cycladic island of Tinos, known for it’s strong culinary tradition (think cheeses like kopanisti and sun-dried tomatoes), artistic villages and calm authenticity.
As we traverse varied landscapes, Beya will guide you through experiments in wax pastel illustration. You’ll learn various techniques and focus on creating colour palettes, mixing shades + creating custom colours. Drawing studies will be inspired by the beauty and character of Athens and Tinos - from the vibrant street life of Athens and historical Acropolis to the wild coastal beauty of Tinos. You’ll use travel sketchbooks, mini + panoramic artworks, all of which the results of the workshop will take various playful aspects. The workshop days will feature a mix of in-class and on-the-go sketchbook learning sessions.
This Ace Camps Travel trip is open to all skill levels. Trip Itinerary, Details and Important Notes below.
DATES
May 17 - 24, 2026
8 Days + 7 Nights
PRICING
Small Private Room
$5,995 USD
Standard Private Room (with partial sea view)
$6,195 USD
Superior Private Room (with sea view)
$6,495 USD
Deluxe Private Room (with sea view)
$6,795 USD
Full Rooming + Pricing Details Below
BOOKING FOR THIS TRIP STARTS ON
OCTOBER 30, 2025 AT 1:00PM PST
ART RETREAT HIGHLIGHTS
Multi-day Pastel Drawing workshop with Illustrator Beya Rebaï learning to create custom palettes, various pastel drawing and blending techniques, and how to frame and capture landscapes and scenes of life
Guided visit to the historical Acropolis
Guided Contemporary Art Museum tour
Guided Walking Culinary Tour in Athens
Guided Village hopping tour of Tinos
Tinos Boutique Villa Accommodation
Return Ferry Transfer from Athens to Tinos
Transportation during included meals and activities
Dedicated Ace Camps Travel Host, with you throughout your trip
Trip Prep call to meet fellow travelers and talk through schedules, recommendations, and questions
Travel + Learn with Beya Rebaï
Parisian-born Beya Rebaï is a prolific artist, always with a sketchbook and wax pastels in hand. Fascinated by colour and inspired by the artistic current of the Nabis, Beya builds her drawings with a narrow and carefully selected colour range which is central to her work.
Everything is an excuse to draw; a bouquet of flowers, a girl in a cafe, the grace of a mountain. She draws on real life, her imagination and memories to create illustrations that tell a story.
Follow along with her on Instagram.
Day by Day Itinerary
Nota Bene: This is a prospective itinerary. It is subject to modest modifications, dependent on local weather, partner schedules, unexpected opportunities and the desires of the group.
Day 1
Sunday, May 17th
Welcome to Greece!
Today you’ll arrive in Athens and make your own way to our hotel. Have a rest, walk the city, head for a beverage, or explore the neighbourhood.
This evening we’ll gather together for a welcome dinner with Beya and your group.
Meals included: Dinner
Day 2
Monday, May 18th
We begin our week with a full day workshop session with Beya.
Beya will introduce her creative practice, discuss forms of inspiration and explain how to work with different tools and supplies. From here, you’ll dive into Pastel Drawing Techniques. You’ll learn how to combine colours to create custom palettes, light and shadows, blending and textural techniques to incorporate into your practice. Beya will lead you through a variety of exercises to experiment and get familiar with these techniques.
Dinner this evening is free time to explore on your own or with others from the group.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 3
Tuesday, May 19th
Today we’re off to explore the historic neighbourhood of Plaka. Under the shadow of the Acropolis, this is the place that saw the birth of classical Greek and Western civilization. Here, we’ll taste our way through the streets and back alleyways on a culinary walking tour.
We’ll visit Athens’ best pie shop and bakeries, where we will try handmade goods that have been part of the Athenian diet since ancient Greek and Ottoman times. We’ll sample fragrant Greek coffee and hard-to-find seasonal products from across Greece. Enjoy a Greek kebab, made with care by the same family for three generations. We’ll finish on a sweet note with classic desserts based on recipes from the island of Hydra.
Throughout the day we encourage you to take photos that will serve as inspiration for your future drawing sessions. Dinner this evening is free time to explore on your own or with others from the group.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4
Wednesday, May 20th
We begin our morning early today as we visit the infamous Acropolis for a guided tour. The Acropolis represents the birthplace of democracy, philosophy, and classical art.
Built in the 5th century BCE, during the Golden Age of Athens under Pericles, the Parthenon, Erechtheion, Propylaea, and Temple of Athena Nike are masterpieces of ancient architecture that continue to inspire artists, architects and thinkers alike. Throughout the tour you’ll want to take photos that you’ll use as reference and inspiration for your future sketches.
This afternoon we return to our workshop space where Beya will lead you through a series directed prompts you’ll use to continue your sketching and drawing evolution. Using your gathered photo inspiration from your time in Athens you’ll try out different techniques and palettes to bring your pieces to life.
Dinner this evening is free time to explore on your own or with others from the group.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 5
Thursday, May 21st
This morning we begin with some light on-the-go sketching in a park nearby before we head towards a contemporary art museum that showcases a collection of modern and contemporary artworks. Alongside pieces from the likes of European artists including Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Giacometti are works from pioneering Greek painters such as Parthenis, Vasiliou, Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas, Tsarouchis and Moralis. Here we’ll have a guided tour with a particular focus on their collection of works on paper and female artists. Following our tour, you’ll have free time to continue exploring the museum on your own and visit their cafe for lunch.
Early afternoon we’ll reconvene, pick up our luggage and begin our journey by ferry to the island of Tinos. We’ll arrive early evening and settle into our villa before enjoying dinner together.
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6
Friday, May 22nd
Today we’re off to explore the island of Tinos. Lesser known than some of it’s island counterparts, Tinos offers a deeper, more authentic experience — full of spirituality, art, tradition, and wild natural beauty. With over 40 villages, Tinos has an incredible variety of landscapes and communities. The island’s rugged hills, windmills, and dovecotes (pigeon towers) create a uniquely Cycladic landscape. We’ll make our way around the island visiting a few of the most beautiful villages and unique locations, stopping along the way to do some light on-the-go sketching if inspiration strikes.
We return to the villa for a relaxing chef prepared course meal featuring local produce with a view of the Aegean Sea.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7
Saturday May 23rd
This morning we’ll have have a workshop session with Beya at our villa, surrounded by Cycladic landscape views we will be free sketching based on the techniques you’ve learnt throughout the week. There will also be time for each guest to have a one-on-one session with Beya and discuss your work and ask for advice about your future projects.
Mid afternoon, we’ll venture into Tinos town, also known as Chora (Χώρα), here you will have some free time to explore and draw on your own. For those interested, Beya will provide you with a series of prompts for a personal ‘on-the-go’ sketching session where you’ll think about how to incorporate scenes of movement into your drawings.
The town blends Cycladic architecture — whitewashed houses, blue shutters, and marble details — with neoclassical elements influenced by Tinos’s tradition of marble carving.
We’ll enjoy a final group dinner this evening in town before we return to our villa.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8
Sunday, May 24th
This morning you’ll have a final session with Beya with the opportunity to review and share your work and techniques with the rest of the group in a “mini-showcase”.
Late morning we depart our villa and head towards town, we’ll have a casual lunch before we board our ferry and travel back to Athens. Upon arrival in the port city of Rafina, we’ll have a transfer into central Athens before we share our final goodbyes! Thank you for joining us on this incredible and often unexpected journey around the historically rich country of Greece.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Where We’re Staying
ATHENS: Favorably located in the heart of the city center, our small boutique hotel is a great starting point to explore Athens. Within walking distance you’ll find Syntagma Square, Plaka, Monastiraki and the Acropolis Museum. Outside the front doors you’ll find shops, cafes, bars and restaurants, including Ermou, the most famous pedestrian shopping street right around the corner.
TINOS: Built into the gentle hillside, our villas offer Aegean sea and island views. Outdoors you’ll find large pools and terraced lounge areas. Indoors, refreshing simplicity and contemporary design unfold into comfortable living spaces. Framed windows inspire a connection with the Cycladic landscape and are oriented towards the sea and sunset views, with access to the pools and the aromatic garden of the villas.
Rooming Options
Please read below carefully and make your rooming selection on the Booking Request form.
The style and layout of every room is unique and may not be exactly as pictured.
Note: If you are two guests traveling together and would like to share a room, please contact us for details about a shared room option.
Group Size: Minimum 10 guests, Maximum 12 guests.
All prices are in USD.
BOOKING FOR THIS TRIP STARTS ON OCTOBER 30, 2025 AT 1:00PM PST
OPTION 1 - SMALL PRIVATE ROOM IN ATHENS
WITH STANDARD ROOM IN TINOS
with ensuite bathroom
$5,995 per person, paid in two separate installments.
Rooming Details:
For 4 nights in Athens you’ll stay in a small boutique hotel, here you’ll have a Standard Private Room with ensuite bathroom.
For 3 nights in Tinos you’ll stay in a shared villa property. In the villa you will have a standard private room and ensuite bathroom. This room does not have a view.
Initial Payment due immediately: $2,495
Final Payment due December 15, 2025: $3,500
OPTION 2 - STANDARD PRIVATE ROOM IN ATHENS
WITH PARTIAL SEA VIEW ROOM IN TINOS
with ensuite bathroom
$6,195 per person, paid in two separate installments.
Rooming Details:
For 4 nights in Athens you’ll stay in a small boutique hotel, here you’ll have a Standard Private Room with ensuite bathroom.
For 3 nights in Tinos you’ll stay in a shared villa property. In the villa you will have a standard private room and ensuite bathroom. From your window, you’ll have partial Cycladic landscape and sea views.
Initial Payment due immediately: $2,495
Final Payment due December 15, 2025: $3,700
OPTION 3 - SUPERIOR PRIVATE ROOM IN ATHENS
WITH SEA VIEW ROOM IN TINOS
with ensuite bathroom
$6,495 per person, paid in two separate installments.
Rooming Details:
For 4 nights in Athens you’ll stay in a small boutique hotel, here you’ll have a Superior Private Room with ensuite bathroom.
For 3 nights in Tinos you’ll stay in a shared villa property. In the villa you will have a Private room with sea views and ensuite bathroom. Your room will be located on the second floor of our villas, featuring a semi private outdoor terrace and shared living space with one other guest (living room + kitchen).
Initial Payment due immediately: $2,495
Final Payment due December 15, 2025: $4,000
OPTION 4 - DELUXE PRIVATE ROOM IN ATHENS
WITH SEA VIEW SUITE + PRIVATE OUTDOOR JETTED TUB OR PLUNGE POOL IN TINOS
with ensuite bathroom
$6,795 per person, paid in two separate installments.
Rooming Details:
For 4 nights in Athens you’ll stay in a small boutique hotel, here you’ll have a larger Superior Private Room with ensuite bathroom.
For 3 nights in Tinos you’ll stay in a shared villa property. In the villa you will have a Private Suite with sea views. Your Private Suite occupies the entire top floor of our villa, featuring a private outdoor terrace, living space (living room + kitchen) and a private outdoor jetted tub or plunge pool with sea + island views.
Initial Payment due immediately: $2,495
Final Payment due December 15, 2025: $4,300
Important Trip Details
Culinary Notes
Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free and some serious food based allergies on this trip.
This trip is best suited for those open and eager to enjoy and experience a variety of regional ingredients and flavors
If you have any allergies or dietary restrictions, you will need to submit those on your booking request form. We cannot accommodate any allergies or dietary restrictions if you do not advise us when you submit your initial booking request.
Please contact us before booking if you have any questions.
Accessibility
Please note this trip includes several walking tours where the ground may be uneven such as cobblestones, trails, hills, and stairs. You may be on your feet for several of hours at a time and should be comfortable walking 2 - 5kms without stopping. Our villa property has several sets of stairs to access rooms and spaces and no elevator.
During your “on-the-go” sketching sessions you may be standing or sitting on the ground and drawing in a sketchbook in your lap.
Who is this Trip for?
This trip is for the open minded and patient traveler. You should be eager to learn and work hands-on during your workshop session and be curious about regional culture and cuisine.
This is an immersive adventure and best suited for those who enjoy traveling as a part of a small group.
Travel Health
We recommend consulting a doctor, nurse, health care provider, or travel health clinic once we confirm your booking on this Ace Camps Travel trip so you know what may be required based on your individual circumstances and based on the locations you’ll be traveling to. If you have any health concerns, contact your health care provider for advice prior to booking this Ace Camps Travel trip.
Trip Start + End Locations
This trip starts and finishes in Athens, Greece. Athens International Airport, officially known as Eleftherios Venizelos Airport (Airport Code: ATH) is located 20 miles from the city center. The airport is the main international gateway to Greece. From the airport to our city center hotel you can take a taxi, prebook an airport transfer or take the Express Airport bus or metro which drop off 2 blocks from our hotel.
Weather
May is generally a lovely time of year to visit Greece. Days are usually warm with cooler evenings. Entering into the dry season we hope for sunshine and longer days. Day time temperatures average around 72F/ 23C. We recommend packing layered clothes for your stay and a light jacket and umbrella to prepare for the chance of showers.
Included in this Trip
Multi -day Pastel Drawing workshop with Illustrator Beya Rebaï
Guided visit to the Acropolis
Guided Athens Gallery tour
Guided Walking Culinary Tour in Athens
Guided Village hopping tour of Tinos
Tinos Villa Accommodation
Return Ferry Transfer from Athens to Tinos
Transportation during included meals and activities
4 nights accommodation in Athens, Greece
3 nights accommodation in Tinos, Greece
Transport during included meals and activities
7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 4 dinners
Dedicated Ace Camps Travel Host, with you throughout your trip
Trip Prep call to meet fellow travelers and talk through schedules, recommendations, and questions
Ace Camps Travel Host
An Ace Camps Travel Host will be with you through your trip, dedicated to ensuring you have the best possible experience. Your Host is there for any questions or concerns, to look out for the health and safety of the group and to help resolve any issues that might arise. This Host is not a local guide but will work with our local partners to insure the right combination of pace, information, and duration. Our local partners are deeply knowledgable in the culture and customs of the area and will be there to share their knowledge and passion with the group.
Not Included in this Trip
International roundtrip airfare; required Travel Insurance; alcoholic drinks; activities and food and beverages not included in the trip itinerary; hotel incidentals including but not limited to room service, laundry service and hotel bar tabs; and all expenses during free time.
Travel Arrangements
Ace Camps Travel will send you detailed Trip Planning information when it’s time to make your travel arrangements. We usually send this information once we’ve reached the minimum number of guests required to run the trip. We’ll also send you an Ace Camps Travel “Preparing for your Journey” document prior to your trip, which will include arrival and departure information, a suggested packing list, useful country information, and more.
Supplies
Essential supplies for your workshop will be provided. In addition to the supplies we provide, you’ll need to bring a few of your own things. Closer to your departure date, we’ll send more information about supplies you’ll want to bring with you.
Travel Insurance
As stated in our Terms and Conditions, we require all guests to have Travel Insurance that at minimum covers both medical emergencies and trip cancellations. Cancellations 180 days or fewer prior to the trip start date will incur a cancellation fee equal to 100% of the price for the trip. There are no exceptions to this cancellation policy which is one of the many reasons we require all guests to have Travel Insurance.
For full details on our Travel Insurance requirements, visit our FAQ’s and review our Terms and Conditions.
Health + Safety
Our goal is for each of our guests to enjoy the amazing trip we’ve put together. To ensure that happens, we put the health and safety of the group as our top priority. Individual guests are responsible for ensuring they meet all destination and layover country requirements and laws, including any Covid-19 related requirements, providing proof of vaccination, testing before or after entry, masking, etc.
During the trip, if you feel unwell, exhibit signs of, or test positive for an illness, you should be prepared to follow the advice of local health authorities as well as the Ace Camps Travel Host to ensure the health and safety of the entire group. Depending on the severity of your symptoms and/or viral nature of your illness the Ace Camps Travel Host may determine you need to mask, distance, self isolate, or depart the trip early. You are responsible for any expenses incurred from an illness, injury, or early departure including testing, treatment, isolation, accommodation, transportation, etc. and you will not be issued a refund for any unused portion of the trip. This is one of the many reasons we require all guests to have Travel Insurance, as outlined in our Terms and Conditions.
For full details on our Health and Safety Policies, visit our FAQ’s and review our Terms and Conditions.
Cancellation Policy
If you choose to cancel your trip for any reason, you must do so via email to hello@acecampstravel.com. If we receive written notice 181 or more days prior to the Trip start date, we will refund your initial payment, less a $1,000 cancellation fee. If we receive written notice 180 days or fewer prior to the Trip start date you will incur a cancellation fee equal to 100% of the price for the Trip. There are no exceptions to this cancellation policy, including for reasons related to weather, terrorism, civil strife, pandemics, illness, personal, family or medical emergencies, or any other circumstances beyond our control. For this and other reasons, we require you to purchase Travel Insurance.
Be sure to read our Terms and Conditions for full details on Booking and Payment, Cancellation by You and Trip Changes and Cancellations.
Questions + FAQs
If you have any questions about this Ace Camps travel Trip, please feel free to contact us.
You can also read our FAQs here.
Hear from Our Past Guests