If you are only in Cracow for a few nights, it will be impossible see everything, and it is likely that Tyniec will slip through the net. Certainly, there are plenty of churches in town to keep you going if you are on a short visit, and Wieliczka and Auschwitz are the natural choices for a trip outside of the city. However, at certain times of the year, the Abbey is well worth bearing in mind.
One thing is that Tyniec provides a magnificent venue for organ concerts. It is famed throughout Poland for this reason, and not just because of the calibre of the organ and its acoustics, but also due to the rather romantic setting of the old Benedictine abbey.
The second is that in summer months Tyniec is a great base to head for on a cycling trip. (If you're not cycling, there are regular buses from the Rynek Debnicki, and the journey takes under twenty minutes). If you cycle west along the river from Wawel there are many landmarks to capture the imagination, including castles, monasteries and of course the Vistula itself.
A natural place to begin is at the foot of Wawel castle. From there the Vistula winds away like a ribbon through undulating hills. Before leaving Cracow behind, you will pass on your right the picturesque baroque church of St. Augustine. It is part of a convent that has stood here since 1162, rebuilt many times throughout the ages.
Once into the countryside you will soon pass by the hilltop castle of Przegorzaly (again on your right). On a stormy day it cuts a somewhat sinister prospect. This is in keeping with the castle's legacy, as it was here that the Nazi Governor Hans Frank held court during the summer months.
A little further on is the magnificent Camaldolite monastery of Bielany (f.1605). It crowns the valley in splendid baroque pomp - a paradigm of the Counter-Reformation if ever there was one. The Camaldolese order is in fact amongst the strictest in the Catholic world. Contact between the monks is minimal, and they live in separate hermitages. Only eight monasteries remain in the world, two of which are in Poland.
Finally, Tyniec itself draws near. An important thing to remember is that if you want to mill around the buildings themselves, make sure you are on the left bank. Your last opportunity to cross the Vistula is at the Koscuiszko bridge, the third after Wawel. Conversely, photographers will find the right bank offers a more sweeping prospect of the Abbey! You should also find some good spots for a picnic.
Tyniec was founded in the eleventh century by King Kazimierz the Restorer. It crowns a bulbous, rocky escarpment above the Vistula, and its strong defensive position elevated it to fortress status during later epochs - it was a key stronghold through much of the Middle Ages. The Church that one finds today was built over the remains of a Romanesque basilica, and it dates from the fifteenth century. Like many churches in Cracow, it was given the baroque treatment in the seventeenth century, and this is the style that has stuck. The whole ensemble remains in a rather pleasing timewarp, and its a pleasant place to potter around.
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