Spring Art holiday 3 April - 7 April 2025.
Autumn Art holiday 29 September - 3 October 2025.
Get in touch with us at: [email protected] for information about our art workshops and bespoke art holidays.
Join our creative holiday on the Greek island of Nisyros.
Our art holiday is deeply inspired by nature and the positive energy of the the beautiful island of Nisyros.
Together with the artists behind the book Nature Journal, you will learn new skills and explore creative techniques inspired by the land and the seasons.
Nisyros is a small volcanic island in the middle of the Dodecanese complex. The island is renowned for being a truly authentic place, warm and welcoming, steeped in ancient heritage.
The workshops have been honed and developed to be accessible for absolute beginners to seasoned artists looking to reenergise.
In your spare time you can choose to visit the volcano, mountain villages, go to the beach, swim or relax in therapeutic waters, walk, bike and explore this unqiue environment.
Every day we lunch or dinner together in various delicious tavernas and there will be opportunities to enjoy local island festivities.
Your own Nature Journal will be a record of your special days on Nisyros. Welcome to join us.
You’ll engage with many creative processes, including:
- making cyanotypes on paper and fabric, an early form of photography
- exploring colour with natural dyes and inks, using locally foraged botanicals
- drawing, painting, developing motifs and patterns
- stitching with natural dyed thread and fabrics of your own making
- creating hapazome and eco prints
All materials included.
Prices:
The art holiday costs £600 per person and consists of 5 workshops (3 full days and 2 half days) including materials, two museums visits and a copy of the book Nature Journal. To secure a space please email us on: [email protected]
Flights, accommodation and food are not included. Booking flights and accommodation early is recommended for the best options.
We can tailor creative holidays and workshops for groups of friends, families and businesses.
Here are the basic guidelines:
-Fly to and from Kos Airport, (if you are travelling from London check out: easyjet.com, jet2.com, britishairways.com, ageanairlines.com, skyexpress.com and Ryanair.
- In Nisyros we recommend you stay in the main village called Mandraki. See information on accommodation in Nisyros under.
- Travel from Kos island to Nisyros and from Nisyros to Kos island in spring: Most likely the first boat to Nisyros after your arrival on Kos island will set off from Kos town. If so, take a taxi or the bus from the airport to Kos town (around 50 euro with taxi and 4 euro by bus). It takes around 50 minutes on the bus depending on traffic and around 30 min with taxi. From Kos town you can take the boat to Nisyros (approx 1-2 hours depending on the speed of the boat). Here are the boat time tables from Kos town to Nisyros. They change every week and is updated every Sunday afternoon: www.visitnisyros.gr/en/plane-and-boat-tickets/ferry-tickets-timetables.
- Still Kos island has three ports so you can wait with booking a hotel in Kos until a week before you arrive in case the first boat that combine with your arrival time is setting off from the port of Kardamena or Kefalos (Both villages are close to the airport). Some of the local boat and ferry schedules are very often not published until a week before departure. Closer to your arrival Marianne can help you with finding the right port for your easiest journey to Nisyros. She can also help with finding accommodation in Kos if needed. This might sound complicated but it is really easy!
- Here are the boat time tables from Kos town and Kefalos to Nisyros. They change every week and is updated every Sunday afternoon: .www.visitnisyros.gr/en/plane-and-boat-tickets/ferry-tickets-timetables
The local bus time table between the airport and any other villages included Kos town, Kefalos and Kardamena is here: - www.kos4all.com/9712/kos-airport-bus-schedules/
- Accommodation spring: In Nisyros we recommend you stay in the main village called Mandraki. In April the Three Brothers Hotel www.nisyros3brothers.com at the port is opening up especially for us. You can also rent a place via Airbnb.com
- Any questions call Marianne on: 0044 7547119506
- Travel from Kos island to Nisyros and from Nisyros to Kos island in autumn :
From Kos airport there is two routes to get to Nisyros. The quickest and cheapest route is to take a taxi or the bus from the airport to the village of Kardamena. By taxi it takes about 10-15 min and cost around 20 euro. By bus it takes around 20 min and costs around 3 euro. Book a room for the night in Kardamena at www.booking.com. The boat leave from the port of Kardamena at 9.30 am the next morning. You can get your ticket here https://www.enetikontravelnisyros.gr/to_book/ticket-kos-to-nisyros/ or you can buy the ticket on the boat. The boat costs 10 euro and takes about one hour to get across to Nisyros. There is boats returning to Kardamena every day leaving Nisyros at 15.30 arriving in Kardamena at 16.30.
The other route is to take a taxi or the bus from the airport to Kos town (around 50 euro with taxi and 4 euro by bus). It takes around 50 minutes on the bus depending on traffic and around 30 min with taxi. From Kos town you can take the boat to Nisyros (approx 1-2 hours depending on the speed of the boat). Here are the boat time tables from Kos town to Nisyros. They change every week and is updated every Sunday afternoon: www.visitnisyros.gr/en/plane-and-boat-tickets/ferry-tickets-timetables. - Accommodation autumn: In Nisyros we recommend you to stay at the main village called Mandraki. Porfyris hotel www.porfyrishotel.gr is located in the village close to our work space, while Three brothers Hotel www.nisyros3brothers.com , Romantzo, Guest House Polyvotis or Haritos are all located by the port (15 min walk away from where we meet every morning) (www.booking.com). You you can also rent a place via Airbnb.com
- The local bus time table between the airport and Kardamena and the airport and Kos town is here: www.kos4all.com/9712/kos-airport-bus-schedules/
You can also contact the local travel agency Diakomihalis for assistance with accommodation, flights, ferries and boat
times. www.visitnisyros.gr/en/
What our participants says:
-Not having done anything like this before, I was a little nervous. I imagined being with arty workshop veterans and feeling very much out of my depth. The good news is that I loved every minute of it and the bit that I was most anxious about, the sketching, has been my game changer! We hiked up to a 300 BC castle, sat on rocks and drew. I really enjoyed it and plan to make a quick little drawing part of my daily routine from now on. Every day of this nature & art course gave us something beautiful and something tangible to take away with us. I highly recommend it. Just do it for yourself! Sally Gordon, former make up artist for feature films. (2024)
-Marianne and Zoë have created a truly wonderful experience with their Art Holiday in Nisyros. The course is essentially a set of workshops that each teach a different technique, cleverly connected and woven through a series of mini projects. The emphasis is on experimentation, often collaboratively, encouraging creativity and fun. All the techniques are wholly connected to nature, using traditional skills and ancient wisdoms, the teachings each day felt like we were being given precious treasures. I came as a solo traveller and felt wonderfully safe and welcome on the island of Nisyros. Everyday, I swam, ate delicious food, made many new friends and fell a little bit in love with this magical place. The supportive and positive energy from the art group, teachers and wonderful locals was a really special experience. Rebecca Lea Williams, Artist & Illustrator. (2023)
-Lively and fun arts and crafts holiday with Marianne and Zoë on beautiful Nisyros, such a lovely unspoilt island. Travel wise, as a solo female traveller: I was apprehensive but actually it was easy to get from Kos airport (group taxis organised by drivers) to Kardamena for overnight stay, then similarly easy to ferry next day to Nisyros (at least 2 boats leaving each morning). Both Kardamena and Nisyros felt very safe and friendly. Hotel Argiri (Kardamena) could not be more helpful and Hotel Porfyris (Nisyros) likewise, very comfortable and super friendly.
We spent most days trying natural dyes or craft techniques in the comfort of a sunny terrace, topped off with group lunch in one of the gorgeous sea view tavernas. You come away with some inspiring new techniques and items, thanks to the expert tuition and learning from each other. Lots of fun and laughs with everybody, and time to explore the island. If you are into eco techniques I can't recommend this holiday highly enough. Thanks Marianne and Zoë and to the group, for a great holiday.
Pat Smith, Psychologist (2022)
-Thanks everyone for making the Nisyros art holiday so memorable! It was a big pleasure to meet such talented makers and artistic souls. A special thanks to Marianne and Zoë for organising the workshop in a truly authentic Greek Island and introducing us to ancient culture, flora and fauna....
Sasha Belavokya, weaver, natural dyer, graphic designer and photographer. Founder of Loom and Bloom, London. (2022)
-A packed and wonderful week. Thank you!
Sonia Rollo, artist. (2022)
-Thank you everyone for making our art week on Nisyros so very special, for creating memories and new friends.
Lizzie Sturm, artist and yoga teacher. (2022)
-THANK YOU! It really was the most wonderful week - I am completely in love with Nisyros - and your workshops were so great - each day brought new and unexpected delights!
One of the most unexpected positives of the course was how effortless you made the creative process - without any previous skill or knowledge, by the end of the first morning, these gorgeous cyanotypes, which I had created, magically materialised in front of me with such little effort or stress….
Thank you for your generosity and spirit and for introducing me to new ideas and allowing me to start a process of expression…
I was deeply inspired by the beauty of the nature around us but also by your collaboration and creativity. Everything you created together had beauty in it!
Isabella Radcliffe, Opera singer coach (2019)
-What has brilliant course!! We learned so much and had great fun doing it. Thank you for everything.
Melissa, head of spirit collections, Kew Gardens and Julia, librarian, Kew Library (2019)
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© Marianne Wie, Sasha Belavokya, Ania Grom Yoncali, Zoë Burt and Sophia Karagianni