A two-day guide for visiting Banja Luka, perfect for those passing through Croatia or Bosnia with limited time. 
This is the second-largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and  offers plenty of activities, from culinary delights, outdoor recreation, history to excellent cafes.

Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Banja Luka city break

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in the region and most of Europe, driving is on the right side of the road.

We started our journey from Zagreb to Banja Luka. It takes about 3 hours by car.

Keep in mind that the average wait at the border is about one and half hour, as Bosnia and Herzegovina is not part of the EU.

Make sure to follow the rules, as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the police often control traffic on local roads, while they are rarely present on highways.

The border crossing Bosanska Gradiška is small (there are only two traffic lanes across the bridge on the bosnian side), and the border is practically within the city of Bosanska Gradiška. There are plans to relocate the border crossing along with the construction of a new bridge and a more direct approach to the Gradiška - Banja Luka highway.

The road is mostly a toll highway, except for a section after the border crossing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where you drive on a main road through a settlement with a speed limit of 40-50 km/h, but after a 20-minute drive, you continue on the highway to Banja Luka.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, payments are made in the local currency, the Bosnian Convertible Mark (BAM), although it's sometimes possible to pay in euros. For example, we managed to pay for a coffe in euros, but then you receive change in marks, and you naturally end up losing some cents, as locals round up the amount in such cases.

Cards are accepted almost everywhere in the city (except on market, kiosk or smaller cafes).

In the end, our chose was the Astoryja Hotel due to its position (10min walk from city center) excellent value and service (bed and breakfast cost us €65 for two in August 2023). The hotel also offers a spa center for an additional fee (during our stay, private spa access was €15 for 2 hours).

What's important to highlight is that the hotel is exceptionally clean down to the last detail, probably the cleanest we've experienced in our years of traveling. The staff pays attention to details and is extremely accommodating at any time of the day.

There are other excellent hotels as well, among which Courtyard by Marriott, Hotel Banja Luka, and Integra should definitely be highlighted.

People are mostly kind and warm-hearted, and they appreciate tourists, considering Banja Luka is still a relatively new destination on the tourist map. 

You can feel it at every moment, from buying souvenirs and visiting cafes to the hotel porter who warmly welcomed us and kindly opened the garage for us at 1am.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina,  Latin and Cyrillic scripts are used, and you will notice instances of both scripts in many cases.

We've only just met these people, yet we felt like we've known them for years 😊

Kastel Fortress is a popular venue for outdoor concerts. There was a stage from previous concerts, but it also has an outdoor cinema stage. 

Entrance is free, you can walk along the walls and enjoy the view of the city. The history of Kastel is mostly connected with the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian period when it was an important place.

There is also the Museum of Banja Luka and the famous restaurant "Kazamat".

We decided to have lunch at the Banjalučki splav restaurant because of the Veb view and the atmosphere.

It has 4 towers, the most important of which is the Tower of St. George.

We walked to the Ferhadija Mosque, which is a 5-minute walk from Kastel. It is special for its spacious courtyard surrounded by walls and for the fountain in the middle of the mausoleum.

Since we used the waiting time at the border for a timely "brunch" with sandwiches, arrived around noon and got an early check-in in our hotel, we decided on a later lunch and first a good cup of coffee.

We went to the coffee bar Mattino in the immediate vicinity. From the outside it looks like an ordinary neighborhood cafe, but when you go inside, you notice a pleasant interior full of colors, comfortable chairs and sofas, but the most important thing for us was the choice of coffee and desserts 🙂

We ordered coffe, cheesecake with pistachio cream and brownie cake.

Coffee is quite strong in many places in Bosnia and Herzegovina for my taste (I usually drink filter coffee robusta-arabica combination) and someone who drinks espresso or mocca will be just right. Personally, I could run a half marathon after that coffee 😃

We also talked to the owner because we saw Italian newspapers on the tables - she told us that they are constantly working on improvement and regularly go to Italy for ideas from colleagues (hence the name "Mattino").

The mosque was demolished in May 1993 during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and was reopened to the public in 2016. It represents one of the greatest achievements of 16th century Islamic architecture in Bosnia and Herzegovina and a national monument.

We chose this restaurant because we got a recommendation from a local guide. It has a nice view of the river even by a rainy day. There are also the restaurants "Kod Muje" nearby and "Hedonist" which is also on the river.

In addition to the shopping center "Boska", there is an underground passage on the square where you can find other shops and the Cineplexx cinema (we later decided to go to the other multiplex Cinestar, which is located in another shopping center).

It is officially called Veselin Masleša Street, but the locals call it Gospodska because it was the first craft and merchant street established in the city, where the wealthy lords of the time could shop and use the services of the city's artisans. Today, it is home to some well-known shops and hidden cafes in the basements (e.g. Janković bar, Galerija caffe).

At the end of the street, you will see the city hall on your left, and after that, the beautiful Christ the Savior Orthodox Cathedral will reveal itself.

The only downside was definitely that there was no domestic beer "Nektar" on menu, since it is a local and ubiquitous beer that is produced in Banja Luka. Instead, we had a Tuborg.

At "Banjalučki splav" we tried the chef's ćevapi, which cost 7€ per portion and are specific because they come with fries in addition to the bread. The ćevapi were delicious and the fries were crispy.

Banja Luka city break

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