Mixed Media Art Workshop in Portugal
Join Mary Beth Shaw for a week of creativity inspired by touring Portugal's beautiful coastline, back roads, and bairros.
Dates: Sep 13-19, 2026 SOLD OUT (waiting list available)
Duration: 7 days / 6 nights
Start: Setúbal, Portugal
End: Setúbal, Portugal
Visit: Setúbal, Lisbon, Azeitão
Cost: from $3495 based on double occupancy
Single Supplement: from $595
All prices in US dollars, land only. Solo traveler roomshares available.
Mixed Media Art Workshop in Portugal
Discover Portugal through color, texture, and creative play with artist Mary Beth Shaw. This relaxed mixed media workshop blends gentle walks with hands‑on art sessions using paint, collage, stencils, and found materials gathered along the way. From coastal Setúbal to historic cities and vibrant markets, each day offers fresh inspiration. Enjoy meaningful cultural experiences, supportive instruction, and a joyful week of creating in community.
I love Mary Beth’s teaching style! She invites, informs, and inspires. I loved that she worked right along with us. Mary Beth helped us see the world and respond to it in new ways. It was wonderful how our projects all reflected each person’s individual experience. Show and Share night was amazing.
What to Expect
Mixed Media Art Workshop
On this 6-night mixed media art workshop in Portugal you will be immersed in equal parts travel and art program.
Expect to hunt, gather and preserve experiences that stimulate all your senses. Students will work with Mary Beth to process their daily experiences into personal artistic expressions. These form the basis of your unique, handmade journal. Each page is created from personal experience and infused with memories of your mixed media art workshop in Portugal. Your travel journal is an irreplaceable souvenir of your journey.
What to Expect
Travel and Touring
The city of Setúbal is located just 30 minutes south of Lisbon airport. Here, you will discover the warmth, beauty, and charm that has made Portugal one of Europe’s top destinations. Our art workshop vacations feature slow travel and soft adventure. During the walks, we will take in our surroundings and stop often for photos. A combination of local trains, buses, and private vans will shuttle our small group to each day’s walk. Our select, boutique hotel in the historic center will welcome you home after a day of discovery. Our designated art studio provides the space to immerse yourself during daily art classes.
What are the Walks Like?
Our Art Walk Portugal art workshop vacations features a variety of routes. Daily, we will enjoy trail walks along rustic gravel or dirt paths and urban strolls along paved sidewalks and cobbled streets.
Typical days average between 1-2 hours of walking including stops and breaks. To best enjoy our walks you should feel comfortable walking at least 2 miles in an hour. While Setubal’s center is wonderfully flat, most of the region is hilly. Be prepared for stairs and lots of them.
Moreover, walking on the coastal paths and strolling through beach-side promenades is a great way to enjoy leisurely conversations, rub elbows with local residents, and just appreciate being in the moment.
What You’ll Love
Mixed Media Art Workshop in Portugal
1. Small classes
With no more than 14 students, you can expect quality time with Mary Beth and your fellow traveling artists
2. Immersive experiences
Step away from your everyday life and fully experience the landscape, culture, and warmth of Portugal
3. Planning with Care
We take care of the details. You enjoy your vacation!
What’s Included
Mixed Media Art Workshop in Portugal
- Daily art class with Mary Beth Shaw
- Six nights at our centrally located hotel in Setúbal, Portugal minutes to the beach and the historic center
- Dedicated art studio class space
- Full buffet breakfast daily
- Welcome and Farewell Dinner
- Gelato! and Pastel de Nata
- Visit Lisbon, Azeitão, and Évora
- Shop the famous Mercado de Santa Clara flea market in Lisbon
- Walk Lisbon’s Alfama and Graça neighborhoods
- Fado show
- Private cruise along the Arrábida coast and Sado Estuary
- Guided walks along coastal paths and through rolling countryside
- Guided walk through a centuries old cork forest
- Guided tour of Palácio da Bacalhôa
- Local wine and food tasting
- Visit a ceramic studio to learn about and paint azulejos tiles
- All transfers per the intinerary
- Daily customized itineraries
- Your English speaking guide
- Fully hosted and escorted
- All hotel taxes and service fees
Example Itinerary
Mixed Media Art Workshop in Portugal
Actual daily schedules may differ.
Day 1
Start our mixed media art workshop at our centrally located hotel in colorful Setúbal, Portugal. It’s in the historic center and only blocks away from the Sado riverfront. After a meet-and-greet and program overview, we will set out for an orientation walk along the calçada portuguesa, Portugal’s intricate mosaic pavement. Mixed media art workshop in Portugal
Day 2
Begin the day with a walk along the Arrábida Natural Park coastline. There, you’ll view some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe while walking fragrant trails surrounded by wild rosemary, thyme, and cedar. After a beachside lunch you’ll gather for class with Mary Beth. Then in the evening we will gather for a delicious welcome dinner of local specialties.
Day 3
After breakfast Mary Beth will teach class and get you prepared for the day. Then, we will travel to Lisbon by private vans. After treasure hunting at Mercado de Santa Clara flea market, we will gather for a stroll through the Baixia (downtown). Then in the evening we will explore the Alfama neighborhood and experience the beautiful melancholy of Fado, Portugal’s famous traditional music.
Day 4
In the morning enjoy a guided walk through a family‑owned cork forest, led by the land’s owner. Then our private cars will bring us to the heart of Évora, a beautifully preserved medieval city. After time to explore, return for a class with Mary Beth inspired by the textures, colors, and history of the day. l
Day 5
We begin our day in Azeitão with a guided tour of the elegant Palácio da Bacalhôa, exploring its gardens, art collections, and the rich history behind this remarkable estate. From there, we’ll visit a traditional tile workshop to see how Portugal’s iconic azulejos are crafted—each one shaped, painted, and glazed entirely by hand. After returning to Setúbal, enjoy lunch followed by an afternoon art session with Mary Beth.
Day 6
In the morning a private cruise along the Arrábida coast will reveal hidden coves and beaches and the chance to see our local pod of dolfins. Afterwards, Mary Beth Shaw will teach a final mixed media art workshop class. Then, in the evening, we will gather for a festive travel journal sharing and farewell dinner to celebrate the adventures created together.
Day 7
Finally it is time to say adeus to your art workshop friends. Breakfast is included on this day, but there are no group activities planned. You may depart at any time. The hotel will hold your bags if you plan to depart after checkout time.
Inspired Art Classes, Unique Locations, and Authentic Experiences
Where in the World?
Located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal is bordered by Spain to the north and east and by the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west. The city of Setúbal, where our walking vacation is based, is in central Portugal near the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the Sado River. Lisbon, the country’s capital, is 30-60 minutes north of Setúbal depending upon traffic.
Setubal is connected to Lisbon by excellent public transport which includes express buses and regular train service and will be less than 10€ and takes about an hour. An Uber or private driver will be about 50-60€. The drive is about 35 minutes if there is not traffic.
Airport
There is one international airport in Lisbon, the Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS). It is located about 5 miles north of the city center. LIS has two terminal buildings, situated a 1 km distance from each other. In general terms, terminal 1 is the major terminal of the airport, housing the vast majority of services and amenities and handling the bulk of flights. T2 supports low-cost european air carriers, such as Ryanair and EasyJet. If you’re flying from the US, even if you’ve passed through customs in another European airport, you’ll likely be landing in Terminal 1.
The other major airports in Portugal are the Faro International Airport (FAO) in the south and Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO) in the north.
(For information on how to get from the Lisbon Airport to the Lisbon City Center, please refer to the Lisbon International Airport website.)
Important Notes
Walking Vacation in Portugal
Deposits
Your place on a tour is secured once we have received and confirmed your deposit payment. Before the final payment date, a non-refundable deposit of $500 for walking vacations and $750 for art vacation workshops is required. After the final payment date, the entire tour amount must be received to hold a space on a program.
You may cancel for any reason up to 90 days prior to departure and your non-refundable deposit may be forwarded to a future tour. Any balance on your account will be returned. For complete details please see our Terms and Conditions.
Solo travelers and single supplements
For our guests who are traveling solo... for your comfort we offer private rooms. Whenever possible singles will be placed in the same room category as our double or twin rooms.
Twin / Double Rooms
Please be aware twin beds in Europe may have very little or no space between beds. Also, for double beds, instead of a king or queen mattress, double beds are often two adjoining twin mattresses secured together and made with double bedding.
Fitness
Walking is a part of this program. It is both a means of visiting locations and a way to immerse yourself in a place. Our scheduled walks are usually 1-2 hours long at a casual pace. Participants should be able to comfortably walk 2 miles in an hour. We provide a general description of our walks here. It is your responsibility to know your own physical and medical condition with respect to the advisability of participating in a chosen trip. Please be realistic about your physical abilities when booking an active walking vacation. We suggest you prepare by doing at least 1 hour of walking several times per week, and a longer walk at least once per week. Ideally, include walks with elevation change and stairs. (There are always stairs.) If you have compromised knees, hips, back this tour will be challenging and perhaps not appropriate.
As with any exercise program, we recommend you consult with your physician prior to your arrival regarding the suitability of a walking tour.
Some of our guests find trekking poles helpful on steep or uneven terrain. In Europe they are quite common. Before using them on a vacation, please practice at home. We strongly advise you get comfortable using trekking poles on familiar paths first.
For additional information on these topics and more, please see our FAQ page.
Choose Your Walking or Art Vacation
Walking Tours
Are you looking for a leisurely European walking vacation or a travel journal-based art vacation? To learn more, select your destination country or program type below. We will take you there!
To learn more about The Blue Walk difference please read our About The Blue Walk page.
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