Workshops and Meetings
Looking for a school that offers you more than just quality Polish lessons? How about workshops, social events, and group trips to the cinema, museums, and art galleries? If you’re looking for more than just the right words — if you want events, new connections, emotions, friendships, and your own new Polish roots — you’ve come to the right place. We’d love to welcome you!
Social meetups — bringing people closer!
Building connections is our priority. Breaking the ice starts the moment you walk through our doors. With a cup of coffee in hand and a freshly learned set of Polish greetings, you’ll spend your breaks chatting with people from all over the world about your experiences in Poland. If you’ve never tried sałatka jarzynowa — the classic Polish vegetable salad loaded with mayonnaise — Varia’s festive Polish breakfasts will be an experience you won’t soon forget. And when it comes to the great “Kielecki or Winiary?” debate over which Polish mayonnaise reigns supreme, you’ll be ready to put your life on the line. But that’s only the beginning.
Can you hear the languages?
It’s not the Tower of Babel or Balice Airport. It’s Varia’s hallway during the break... We believe in building connections over coffee and something sweet. (The local dentist approves!) Breaks aren’t just about giving your brain a little reset — they serve a much more important purpose... We get to know one another in every language.
The friendships we make at Varia don’t stay within the school walls. We take them out onto the streets, onto the sports field, and into restaurants. We walk in the same direction, catch the same tram, and become part of one another’s everyday lives. We understand what it means to be “New in Town.” We bring people together and blend cultures, while celebrating our differences and learning from one another.
Why rush? You’re in Kraków!
After hours, when we close the school and go home... Wait, what? Okay, that must be a different school! Because we catch up with you at Klub Pod Jaszczurami, Camelot, and anywhere else we feel like going. You can continue the break-time chat with your friend from Mexico, ask your teacher about the subtle details of the genitive case, or just go all in "po krakosku". Kraków doesn't sleep, and we don't sleep either.
Now that’s a good cheesecake. Not too sweet...
Are you facing the holidays with a Polish family? Nothing will prepare you better than our Varia holiday breakfasts... After experiencing one, broth served as jelly won't catch you off guard, and you’ll be able to recite the recipe for kutia or makówki by heart. And when you master the fact that you never—and we mean never—say no to Grandma offering a second helping... Well... congratulations. You’ve just earned a black belt in Polish savoir-vivre. You are ready to face a Polish family. Don't mention it, that's what we're here for.
Polish Language Workshops – We Twist Your Tongue Without Anaesthesia
Phonetics, grammar, Polish in a nutshell, slang with no secrets... We’ve got workshops on all of it! And they’re free. They’re included in the course you’ve signed up for. With our world-class teachers. At convenient times. And you don’t even have to leave home — they’re online. Did we mention they’re free?
Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz, at your service!
At our Polish pronunciation workshops, we’ll help you tame the sounds of Polish. Soon, you’ll be able to recite the famous tongue-twister about three bullfinches (trzy trznadle) even in your sleep, and “stół z powyłamywanymi nogami" will stop sounding like an ancient spell for summoning demons. You’ll master exercises that will have even the trickiest Polish words — like “szczęście” and “trzpiotka” — eating out of the palm of your hand. Polish pronunciation: 1. You: 0. Not for long.
Masaż or masarz?
Grammar and spelling matter — not only when you’ve got a sore neck and somehow end up in a place where the only thing you can do is ask for 100 grams of Krakowska podsuszana, the classic Polish smoked sausage. To help you avoid situations like this, we offer workshops on Polish in a nutshell, Polish slang, and much more — all designed to help you find your way around Poland, around Kraków... and, most importantly, around a Polish delicatessen.
And when you’ve had enough of talking...
And when you’ve had enough of talking in Polish... that’s when we start singing. Musical taste? Singing ability Neither is a requirement. Varia’s karaoke workshops are truly one of a kind — if you know, you know. Sometimes we sing songs by Kraków’s legendary singers, sometimes we go for nationwide Polish hits. And if you really were born with two left ears when it comes to music... don’t worry. The sheer volume will drown out any mistakes — whether you miss a note or put a Polish noun in the wrong case!
Cinema, museums, workshops — we go all in on culture!
When you sign up for a language course, you probably picture yourself sitting on a chair that gets uncomfortable after an hour, hunched over a desk and flipping through a textbook. At Varia, that’s not how we do things. We’re incredibly lucky to have our school right in the heart of Kraków. We treat the city as our second classroom — and we make the most of that privilege. Instead of sitting inside four walls, we simply head out into the city and immerse ourselves in the Kraków vibe. Or, as we say here in Kraków: we go “na pole.”
Try saying it three times fast...
“Światowid ze Zbrucza” — and we’ll take you to the Archaeological Museum! From Michałowskiego Street, where our school is located, we can walk to several fantastic museums in just 10 minutes. A Polish lesson at Dom Matejki or Krzysztofory is a completely different experience from sitting behind a desk in a classroom. Looking at a Leonardo da Vinci painting during a Polish lesson? Why not? In Kraków, it’s easy.
And when the lights go out...
No, we’re not going to bed. Darkness means we’re settling into the seats at Paradox, Agrafka, or Kino Pod Baranami, soaking up the Polish language through some of the best Polish films ever made. For our students, visiting an art-house cinema tucked inside a centuries-old tenement building is an experience in itself. And then there’s Wajda, Hoffman, Kieślowski, Bareja... Soon, you won’t even blink when someone asks, “Was I with the dog or without the dog?” or declares, “I sang it — me, Jarząbek!” Welcome to Polish cinema.
On market day at Kleparz...
We love taking our lessons outdoors, and the vendors at Kraków’s Kleparz Market are already starting to recognize our students — shopping for a bunch of radishes or a bunch of grapes while keeping one eye on their notes.
No pointing required. We’re just waiting for the day when they start offering discounts for getting “pietruszka” (parsley) right in every one of its seven grammatical cases! Now that’s a market bargain.
Warsztaty kulturowe czyli instrukcja obsługi świąt
Why does a carp swims in a Polish bathtub before Christmas? How on earth are you supposed to eat 12 different dishes in one sitting without needing a nap halfway through? These and many other Polish holiday mysteries are answered at our Polish culture and traditions workshops. With us, you’ll be ready to belt out “Pierwsza Kadrowa” in Kraków’s Main Square on November 11, master forty different ways to decorate Easter eggs, and learn the golden rule: never, ever say hello across a doorway. And when Christmas Eve comes around, you’ll know exactly what to do: have a heart-to-heart with your hamster — in Polish, naturally. Because in Poland, the holidays come with traditions, unwritten rules, and just a little bit of madness.
Polish? That's just the beginning!
At Varia, we don’t just learn Polish in the classroom. We learn it through interacting with people, exploring places, history, flavors, art, and traditions. By learning the language, you begin to understand the words, but through workshops and gatherings, you also start to grasp the context, the jokes, the customs, and everything else that gives Polish culture and traditions their meaning.You come for the Polish language. You stay for the culture, the people, and everything else. That’s what Varia is all about.
Ready to start?
Choose the Polish course that’s right for you!
Varia — Polish Language School for Foreigners
FALL IN LOVE WITH POLISH, KRAKÓW, AND… VARIA
A school dedicated exclusively to teaching Polish is rare. One with more than 20 years of experience? That’s truly something special.
Varia is a place we’ve poured our hearts into for more than two decades. We welcome people from all over the world and make sure everyone feels at home, makes new friends, and enjoys learning Polish along the way.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or polishing your Polish, you’ll always find a group that’s right for you.
Watch the video and feel the Varia energy!
