Banja Luka

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.

Understand
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. On the whole, the city has a pleasing aesthetic with leafy pedestrian streets, a location on the Vrbas River with verdant hills in the background, and a university, and a continental climate with four seasons.

Banja Luka has a long history going all the way back to ancient Rome, as in Illyria and Dalmatia and other polities of that old world power. And since then, it has transcended medieval, Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian states and the trials of modern warfare. On a bad day in WWII, the Bishop of Banja Luka was killed and thrown into the Vrbas River, and Serbs and Jews during the whole period met their demise in camps nearby.

The city was battered by the Bosnian War in the 1990s, during which Bosniaks and Croats were expelled and mosques were demolished. Serbs moved in, established the Republika Srpska, and made Banja Luka the de facto capital. Thus, the city almost has two identities, yet today the municipality seems to make it work.

Climate
Banja Luka has a continental climate, with harsh winters and warm summers. The warmest month of the year is July, with an average temperature of 21.3 °C (70 °F). The coldest month of the year is January, when temperatures average near freezing at 0.8 °C (33 °F). Annual precipitation for Banja Luka is about 988mm. Banja Luka has an average of 143 rainy days a year. Due to the city's high latitude, it snows in Banja Luka almost every year as well. Strong winds come from the north and north-east.

Talk
In Banja Luka most locals call their language Serbian, although there are plenty who refer to it as Bosnian, BHS, or as 'Naš' (our [language]). The languages are virtually the same. Sometimes you'll find (road) signs written in Cyrillic. The younger generation usually speaks English, and maybe even other languages such as Russian, Spanish or German.

By bus
The bus station is approximately 3 km to the northeast of the centre. There are taxis at the exit of the bus which for ~10 marks (KM) can drive you to the centre. The city bus leaves from next to the train station, 200 m away, and a fare to the centre is less than 2 km.



There are direct bus connections from the main bus station to


 * Bosnia: Sarajevo, Šipovo, Prijedor, Bosansko Gradiška, Bosansko Grahovo, Trebinje, Prijedor, Teslić, Banja Vrućica, Novi Grad, Gornji Graci, Višegrad, Bihać, ...
 * Austria: Vienna, Linz and Salzburg http://www.boro-bus.com/
 * Croatia: Zagreb, Makarska, Pula, Split, Zadar (http://www.cazmatrans.hr/zd-bih.html), Rijeka
 * Denmark: Copenhagen
 * France: Paris, Lyon, ... see Eurolines.
 * Germany: Cologne, Dortmund, Duisburg, Dusseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt am Main, Ingolstadt, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Munich, Nuremberg, Pforzheim, Stuttgart and Ulm
 * Montenegro: Igalo, Podgorica
 * Serbia: Belgrade, Novi Sad (http://www.smiljic.com/index.php?id=55), Kragujevac, Sombor, Zrenjanin, Niš, Subotica
 * Sweden: Stockholm
 * Switzerland: Zürich, Luzern

See http://www.autobusni-kolodvor.com/en/terminal.aspx?k=148&d=070

Several international buses from Western Europe to Bosnia follow the route Zagreb - Brod - Derventa - Doboj - Sarajevo, providing you with a wide detour around Banja Luka

Normally you would get out of those buses at Derventa but if the weather is alright and its not in the middle of the night, you could ask the bus driver to let you already out at the Novska service station (3 km after the Novska exit) on the Zagreb-Bosanski Brod highway, approx 3 hours before Derventa. From the Novska service station its another 15 km hitchhike to Okučani, the highway exit to Banja Luka (the bus won't let you off there, it is off the highway, but it's easy for cars to drop you off there). From Okučani its 3 km (hitch)hike to the Bosnian border. You can then cross the border on foot (or hitching) and continue the last lap of your travel by taking a bus to BL in Bosanska Gradiska (approx 8 KM). This will almost always save you several hours, and widens the spectrum of buses available to travel to Banja Luka.

By plane


Smiljić bus company arranges a minibus/taxi to and from the airport to the old bus station (stara autbuska stanica - old bus station) in the centre of town. Its recommended to make a reservation by email (agencija_smiljic@blic.net), otherwise you have to be quick to get out of the terminal and to the bus first—there are only about 20 places. The charge is 10 KM for the one-way ticket. In general, the buses operated by the aforementioned company run between the front of the airport and the Banja Luka "old" and "new" bus stations (based on the arrivals/departures from the airport). Although the schedules are impossible to find online, I've confirmed and tested that the general modus operandi (as stated by BNX airport) for these buses is as follows: For example, for a flight departing at 8:05 in the morning, there will be a bus departing from the 'old' bus station at 6:00, stopping at the 'new' bus station at 6:10, and then proceeding to the airport. Both the "new" bus station and the transport company itself readily confirmed that, but the information itself is hard to find online. Whole journey might take around 30-40 minutes. In the case of late flights to the airport, it was possible to request a drop-off point along the route. The bus driver asked everyone for their preferred drop-off location. Capacity might vary, but it seems to be sufficient for every scenario, from microbus to large bus. For the late arrival it was possible to pay with both currencies (EUR and BAM) at the bus.

If you're traveling with three or more people, taking a taxi might be just as cost-effective. Alternatively, you can try to walk out to the main road and catch a lift there.

For the return journey to the airport, it was possible and perhaps required to buy a ticket at the bus station. The airport itself is very minimal, they handle just a couple of flights weekly and the services there are minimal - don't count on buying anything there. There is essentially one gate, so there's no need to rush. The airport has only a small café and limited seating for flights departing around the same time.

By train
The train and bus station is about 3 km northeast of the centre. Connections to: Doboj (2hr) and Novi Grad. There are only a few trains passing the station each day, but tickets are a bit cheaper than the bus (around 9 BAM to Doboj), and the train is generally more comfortable.

Closest train station in Croatia with fast connection to Zagreb is Okučani, accessible by car or bus.

Ride-sharing
Ride-sharing to and from Banja Luka is possible using BlaBlaCar web/app or facebook groups like Trazim- nudim prevoz (Searching- offering transport).

By bike
You can have your bike fixed á la minute at the Bike Servis Shop (cyclingshop.bl@gmail.com@undefined), 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.

By bus
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 less than 2KM.

See
There are many historic things to see in the city of Banja Luka.



And contemporary things:



Do
Banja Luka is a city with the rich night life.
 * See for current events the English archive of the email list "foreigners in Banja luka": http://groups.google.com/group/stranci-u-banjaluci and https://www.facebook.com/groups/211524665639643/
 * Rafting: Go rafting on the parcours of the 2009 World Championships of rafting in the Canyon of the Vrbas with Buk,, buk@blic.net, Jesenjinova 1, 50 km per person, or with the much more posh Kanjon Rafting Club in Karanovac.
 * Football: FK Borac Banja Luka play soccer in Premier League BH, the country's top tier. Their home ground is City Stadium, capacity 10,000, 1 km northeast of city centre.
 * See for current events the English archive of the email list "foreigners in Banja luka": http://groups.google.com/group/stranci-u-banjaluci and https://www.facebook.com/groups/211524665639643/
 * Rafting: Go rafting on the parcours of the 2009 World Championships of rafting in the Canyon of the Vrbas with Buk,, buk@blic.net, Jesenjinova 1, 50 km per person, or with the much more posh Kanjon Rafting Club in Karanovac.
 * Football: FK Borac Banja Luka play soccer in Premier League BH, the country's top tier. Their home ground is City Stadium, capacity 10,000, 1 km northeast of city centre.
 * Rafting: Go rafting on the parcours of the 2009 World Championships of rafting in the Canyon of the Vrbas with Buk,, buk@blic.net, Jesenjinova 1, 50 km per person, or with the much more posh Kanjon Rafting Club in Karanovac.
 * Football: FK Borac Banja Luka play soccer in Premier League BH, the country's top tier. Their home ground is City Stadium, capacity 10,000, 1 km northeast of city centre.
 * Rafting: Go rafting on the parcours of the 2009 World Championships of rafting in the Canyon of the Vrbas with Buk,, buk@blic.net, Jesenjinova 1, 50 km per person, or with the much more posh Kanjon Rafting Club in Karanovac.
 * Football: FK Borac Banja Luka play soccer in Premier League BH, the country's top tier. Their home ground is City Stadium, capacity 10,000, 1 km northeast of city centre.

Buy
Many establishments (especially hotels) accept euros (notes only). ATMs are all over the place with MasterCard, Visa and other offshoots being accepted. Credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard and Diners Club are readily accepted by larger establishments all over the country. When changing money, it is best to ask for small bills as shops often are hard-pressed for change. Travelers cheques can be readily changed at Raiffeisen and Zagrebačka Banks.

Tipping
It is not compulsory to tip in Banja Luka, though a reward of about 10% for good service in restaurant or bar is always appreciated.

Souvenirs
You can get local, handicraft souvenirs for example at the shop of association "Duga". All items there are made of natural materials by traditional technologies, and are decorated with ornaments from original traditional clothing from the area of Dinara. Their collection contains: ethno souvenirs, decorative products and clothing. Address: Etnoradionica "Duga", Kralja Petra I Karađorđevića 88 (the same street as the city hall) All of the handicrafts are produced in an ethical manner and by purchasing them you will help Duga to continue providing aid to all of its beneficiaries and support to other local humanitarian projects.

Next to Kastel is also a souvenir shop, look for the big "Suvenir"-sign.

Traditional food
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. Ćevapi usually come in pointer finger size sausages and are offered by five or ten pieces, although the variety commonly found in Banja Luka (banjalučki ćevap) usually consists of quadrangular pieces of meat.
 * Pita - traditional pies, e.g., burek (with meat, which is different than in Serbia!), krompirusa (potato), sirnica (cheese) zeljanica (spinach), tikve (courgette) or with gljive (mushrooms). Normally, krompirusa and tikve are vegan (no animal products). You'd eat your pita with yoghurt (not vegan)
 * Bamija - a dish of meat cooked with okra, a traditional vegetable.
 * Sarma - meat and rice rolled in cabbage or grape leaves.
 * Prasetina - pork grilled over an open fire.
 * Teletina - is veal, usually served in cutlets. Veal in B&H is not produced by locking calves in a cage to ensure softer meat.
 * Janjetina - lamb grilled over an open fire.
 * Musaka - a meat pie made of minced beef, very similar to shepherds pie.
 * Filovane paprike - fried peppers stuffed with minced meat and spices.
 * Pršut - air dried ham, similar to Italian proscuitto.
 * Suho Meso - dried meat, either beef or pork.
 * "Ispod Sača" - similar to Dutch oven. A metal dish is placed on hot coals, the food is placed in the dish and covered by a lid which is then completely covered in hot coals and left to bake.
 * Vlašićki Sir - similar to Travnički cheese. It is a highland cheese from the mountain villages on Vlašić Mountain in central Bosnia.
 * Mladi Sir - Cottage cheese. It has a soft texture and is unsalted. Oftentimes it is served with a cream sauce on top. It is very healthy.
 * Kajmak - is analogous to clotted cream in the UK. The top layer of fat skimmed from milk, it is creamy and extremely tasty. Kajmak and Uštipak (doughnut type roll) is a wonderful appetizer.
 * Iz mjeha - sheep milk poured into a specially sewn sheep skin 'bag'. After a time the dry cheese is taken out of the skin container and the result is a strong, dry cheese that resembles real Parmesan.

Budget
All these are in or near the city centre:



Alcohol
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.

Sleep

 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden
 * Possibility to pitch a tent in their huge back garden



Respect
Banja Luka is the capital of Republika Srpska, one of the two constituent entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is an ongoing dispute between Bosnian unionists and Serb separatists, and in general the underlying conflicts are far from resolved. For these reasons it is best to abstain from discussing politics, unless your conversation partner brings up the topic him/herself and asks for your opinion.

Go next

 * Climbing: 24 km south of Banja Luka and 5 km north of Krupa na Vrbasu is a nice climbing site; the 'stone bridge' (Kameni Most, Камени мост). More information you can for example get at "Extreme Banja Luka " climbing club.
 * Rafting: At Karanovac, 15 km south on the main road from Banja Luka is rafting club "Kanjon" from where you can go rafting in the Vrbas canyon . On the Vrbas, together with the Tara near Foča, the world championships of rafting were held in 2009.
 * Doboj renovated medieval fortress, about 1.5 hours by train.
 * Not far from Karanovac is the canyon of the Svrakava river, a small canyon where it is nice to try to climb through. Its a wild spot, it is not being commercially exploited. You can reach the canyon by going on the road towards Kneževo. After you pass the bridge over the Vrbas to Karanovac, there is a small road going on your left with an indication of Svrakava. That is just before the main road goes uphill into the forest. After that indication there are no others, so you'll have to find it from there on yourself. Its about 3 km further that road.
 * If you really want to go canyoning, ask a local person to take you to Cvrcka canyon (Цврцка). Around 40 km south-east of town, between Kotor Varoš and Kneževo. On hot summer days you can track up to 18 km through the canyon wading through the fresh water of the Cvrcka river. Not very difficult.