Banja Luka (also written Banjaluka or Бања Лука) is a picturesque city in the western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the administrative capital and the largest city of Republika Srpska, and the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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Banja Luka is in essence the hub of northwestern Bosnia, an area called Bosanska Krajina that is quite forested. It has important bus, air, and motorist connections and is also a notable financial sector with its own stock exchange, but aside from that it is distinguished for its sporting affairs like tennis, handball, rafting, and, of course, football.
You can have your bike fixed á la minute at the Bike Servis Shop (cyclingshop.bl@gmail.com), in the Ul. Gundulićeva 104 - next to the football stadion. Tel. 051/301-470. Another bike shop is 5 doors down in the row of buildings. The tourist office owns 15 rental bicycles, which are maintained by the above bike shop. Rental: 1 KM/hour, or 15 KM/day. There's a bike sharing network (nextbike) with few stations scattered across town; but none at the station. Banja Luka has dozens of city- and suburban buses. There are frequent busses to/from the bus/train station. From the main square (opposite Park Petar Kočić) take lines 6 or 10 for 2,30 KM.
There are many historic things to see in the city of Banja Luka. 1 Kastel Fortress. Fortress on the bank of the Vrbas river with history up to Roman ages. (updated Apr 2023) 2 Ferhat-Pasha Mosque (Ferhat-pašina džamija). This example of Islamic 16th century architecture was built during the time of the Ottoman rule. Built in 1579 it has a central fountain called Shaderwan, stone and iron fence. It is built in the classical Ottoman style. Ferhadija was listed as a cultural heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1950. Later it was protected by UNESCO until destroyed in 1993.
Banja Luka is a city with the rich night life. 1 Boom Boom Room, Veselina Maslese 15-17 (Gospodska ulica), ☏ +387 66 610 000. In a town where folk music is a general trend, Boom Boom Room is the first club in Banja Luka offering unique, world-like atmosphere, playing exclusively DJ electronic music. Located in the very heart of the city, open W-Sa. (updated Apr 2023) 2 Demofest klub (DFK), Patre 5 (entrance across the street from Kastel). Offers a colourful programme with diverse music, live gigs from various bands, all genres of music except folk, decent after-parties and average drink prices. (updated Apr 2023) 3 Market, Knjasa Milosa (Right next to the busstation). 08:00-14:00.
If you like meat, you'll love Banja Luka. Meat is a standard for any meal. However, there is still lots of interesting meals you can make do if you are a vegetarian. Here is a list of the most popular traditional dishes: Ćevapi - small meat sausages of pork, lamb and beef mix. They are usually served with fresh onions and pita bread (lepinja) on the side.
Rakia or Rakija is considered to be a national drink. Its alcohol content is normally 40%, but home-produced rakia can be a tongue burner, typically 50 to 60%! Frequently used as a common drink at all celebrations, birthdays, holy holidays, slava (Orthodox Christian custom of honoring a patron saint) and even funerals. Common flavors are slivovitz, traditionally made from plums and lozova, which is made from grapes. But, you can also distill from pears, peaches, apricots, apples, figs and cherries. Plum and grape rakia are sometimes mixed with other ingredients, such as herbs, honey, sour cherries and walnuts after distillation. Nektar pivo is the local beer, brewed in Banja Luka.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Banja Luka typically sees ~29°C daytime highs and 8 rainy days.
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