Sketchbook Art Workshop on the French Riviera, France with Koosje Koene
Sketchbook Art Workshop in France with Koosje Koene
Book This Tour
Overview
Join us for a six-night sketchbook journey along the French Riviera, based in the fortified coastal town of Antibes. Mornings usually mean a short train or bus ride out. One day it’s the flower market in Nice. On another, it’s the honey-colored streets of Villefranche-sur-Mer, or the lemon-lined lanes of Menton. Teaching artist Koosje Koene sketches alongside you the whole way.
Class happens wherever the group is — on-location sketching sessions folded right into the day’s outing, or a gathering back in town once the walking is done. Evenings are yours: a coastal walk, a wander through a nearby town, or a sketchbook apéro with fellow travelers. Koosje’s approach is built on presence and looking closely, not perfection. A page that doesn’t turn out the way you hoped is still a page worth keeping. By the end of the week, your sketchbook holds the whole coast in ink and watercolor, one honest page at a time.
The Creative Experience
This is a sketchbook program: pen, watercolor, and paper, worked on-site wherever the day leads — a market square, a shaded corner of town, a garden bench. Sessions run about ninety minutes to two hours, with informal drawing time throughout the week. By the end, your sketchbook holds a living record of the Riviera in color and line.
This Vacation Includes
- Art Workshop Program: Daily art class with Koosje Koene
- Blue Walk Tour Program: Daily walks and excursions
- Hotel Accommodations: 6 nights at our 4 star hotel in Antibes , France
- Daily Breakfast: Full buffet breakfast daily
- Welcome Dinner
- Farewell Dinner
- Transfers: Regional Transportation Pass for all transfers per itinerary
- Gelato!
What's Not Included
- Airfare
- Porterage of luggage
- Tips and gratuities
- Meals not mentioned
- Airport transfer
- Travel insurance
- Art Supplies
About YourArtist-Teacher
Koosje Koene
Koosje trained first in graphic design, then photography, spending about a decade as an award-winning professional photographer before drawing pulled her back in. For her, drawing is a form of meditation, a way of being fully present that captures a place more completely than any photograph.
She has been sharing free drawing tips through her weekly YouTube series Draw Tip Tuesday since 2013. Through her Patreon she offers even more guidance and inspiration. Koosje also co-founded Sketchbook Skool in 2014, an online art school with a global community of sketchbook keepers and creative habit builders. Her daily Instagram posts show how drawing can be fun, meditative, and genuinely life-changing.
Day by DayYour Itinerary
Programs are subject to change. Actual daily schedule may differ.
Day 1 · Arrivals
Gather at the hotel in historic Antibes, just blocks from the sea, for a meet-and-greet and program overview, followed by an orientation walk of the neighborhood.
Day 2 · Nice
A short train ride to Nice’s Old Town and the Cours Saleya market, where Koosje leads a class inspired by what we find there. A walk to Castle Hill follows for some of the Riviera’s most iconic views, then free time in the Old Town before a welcome dinner.
Day 3 · Villefranche-sur-Mer
A short train ride to Villefranche-sur-Mer for a sketching session among its honey-colored houses and marine-blue views. The afternoon is free — an optional visit to the hilltop village of Èze, or a coastal walk around Cap Ferrat.
Day 4 · Menton
A morning in Menton, wandering lemon-lined lanes into the historic center for a relaxed sketching session in a shaded square. The rest of the day is free — the Old Town, a crossing into nearby Italy, Monaco, or a coastal walk along the Cap Martin sentier to Roquebrune.
Day 5 · Île Saint-Honorat
A morning at Cannes’s Marché Forville for picnic supplies, then a short ferry to the island of Île Saint-Honorat for lunch on its quiet coast and a sketching session in the shade of the oaks. A gentle walk through vineyards and olive groves leads back to the ferry.
Day 6 · Antibes
A day spent in Antibes, starting with a walk along the ancient ramparts for sweeping views of the sea and old town. Koosje leads an on-location sketching session in the narrow streets of the historic center, and the week closes with a farewell dinner at a favorite bistro.
Day 7 · Departures
Breakfast, then depart at your leisure. The hotel will hold bags for later departures.
A Note on Pace
View MapWhere in the World?
The trip is based in Antibes, France.
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Traveled, Created, Loved It
“Spain was our second walking vacation with The Blue Walk, and it was delightful. Suzy and Jeannette are very organized, knowledgeable and friendly. They guided us for an overview of old Barcelona, and then onto Callela de Pallafrugel, the most beautiful fishing village. We walked along the coast and through farming areas to two medieval towns. Suzy and Jeannette are excellent tour guides, and we will join the Blue Walk again soon.”
Jackie and Mark Curley“They are INCREDIBLE!!! I’ve loved everything we’ve done together! An art journal workshop and a private tour with friends I met on the Art Walk & everything has been better and more fun than I ever dreamed! 5 Stars is only a beginning of how great they are!”
Sue Cogins“What a great way to get exercise and see the most incredible coast of the French Riviera with guides that cater to every personality and whim! My husband and I will definitely be on another walking tour in the near future. Thank you for an amazing experience!”
Chris & Julie Sochin“I love traveling with The Blue Walk. Our time is so special, and I’ve made wonderful friends. And your art teachers are the best! Thank you for the care you put into every aspect of our time. I can’t wait until my next trip.”
Norina Morris