Exploring The BEST Things To Do In BANJA LUKA!!

Today w'ere exploring the best things to do in BANJA LUKA!!!

I'll be the first to admit that I knew absolutely nothing about Banja Luka before we arrived. We booked our flight without having any idea what we'd see or do when we arrived, but that's the beautiful thing about travel. You jump into the unknown & come out better for it. Come with us as we explore the things to do in Banja Luka!

We kicked off with some Fabricka Coffee and I don’t believe this coffee shop was specifically local, but it was the only one that I could find that was open today and not a cafe LOL.

One of the first things you’ll see when you google Banja Luka is a picture of Christ The Savior Orthodox Cathedral. It’s the most famous structure in the city and serves as the center of town. It was originally built in 1929 but was partially destroyed in 1941 by bombings during WW2. The present cathedral is architecturally identical to the original and was completed in 2004.

While you’re nearby also be sure to take a peak at the President of the Republic of Srpska’s House. It’s right across from the cathedral and is pretty clearly an important building based on the security presence.

Right in the center of town is Gospodska Street. It’s the oldest and busiest street in Banja Luka & has a host of clothing, jewelry, and other various shops. Gospodska translates to Gentleman’s which has been around since 1878, but the actual name of the street is Veselin Maslesa Street.

For lunch we picked Banjalučki Splav, or Banja Luka Raft, for lunch because you can’t beat this location. It’s right on the Vrbas River and looks so cool from the City Bridge so we figured we’d come down here to try and get some Ćevapi. Ćevapi is the national dish of both Bosnia & Herzegovina as well as Serbia, and the Bosnian version is made of two different types of minced beef meat.

Back across the Vrbas River is a place called Gradska Tržnica, which translates to City Market. This place is MASSIVE and reminds me of what I would imagine a mall would’ve felt like before the modern version of malls existed. You can basically get anything you could ever need here from fruits & veggies, to hand-made trinkets, to full-on wardrobes.

Right between the Banja Luka Raft & City Market is the Kastel Fortress. It’s medieval but it’s situated on the site of previous fortifications that go back to Roman and even pre-Roman times, making it the oldest historical monument in the city. The Kastel Fortress is widely considered the most important symbol and the stone heart of the city of Banja Luka.

One really interesting detail about Bosnia is it’s a melting pot of cultures. We’ve already seen a Serbian Orthodox cathedral, and now we’re stopping over at the Ferhat Pasha Mosque. This classic Ottoman mosque was built back in 1579 and stood for almost 400 years before being destroyed during the Bosnian War between 1992 and 1995.

Dinner was at a restaurant called Kod Brke which translates to At The Mustache. It’s one of the more popular restaurants in town, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to break the bank eating here for a night. The prices for food are very reasonable and they’ve got a great mix of local, as well as Italian dishes to choose from.

We’re ended the day at a place called Master Craft Brewery. The menu has a great selection of local beers, which includes IPAs which are our favorites!!

We hope you enjoyed our vlog of Banja Luka and hopefully we gave you some ideas for when you visit!! Please subscribe to follow along and if you enjoyed the video then hit the like button as it greatly helps us!! Thanks and see you in a few days!!

**CAMERA GEAR** Used for this video & all others (Affiliate Links):

00:00 WELCOME TO BANJA LUKA!
00:21 STOP 1: COFFEE AT FABRIKA COFFEE
01:05 STOP 2: CHRIST THE SAVIOR ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL
01:29 STOP 3: PALACE OF REPUBLIC
01:59 STOP 4: GOSPODSKA STREET
02:25 STOP 5: FERHAT PASHA MOSQUE
03:27 STOP 6: LUNCH AT BANJA LUKA RAFT
04:47 STOP 7: KASTEL FORTRESS
05:16 STOP 8: BANJA LUKA CITY MARKET
05:52 STOP 9: DINNER AT KOD BRKE
07:06 STOP 10: THE MASTER CRAFT BREWERY
08:03 BLOOPERS!

[danielecalabrese]

i'm Italian but my wife is from Banja Luka. It's one of the most beautiful and relaxing place in the world. I really love this city! I come back whenever I can!!!

[balkatinos]

AAHH! How great that you guys visited this amazing city! it's my home for two years now and I love it here. I am glad you put Bosnia & Herzegovina on your list! Enjoy your trip!

[srdjangojkovic]

I'm so proud of my city after watchin this video and hearing all those compliments that you said. You can literally come again here just to eat and drink, and then catch a flight back to Brussels for just 18 euros.

[psudcu]

I almost cried when you passed on Serbian food in favor of "Pizza". There are so many fantastic Serbian foods that will blow your mind that I hope the next time you have a chance to eat these foods - do it.

[oljam]

Greetings from Banja Luka! I'm happy to see that you had a good time! 🥰

[mikybiki]

Even if I was born in Banja Luka I watched this video because I love when someone from another country or continet come here and say how it is a stunning city.I hope that you come back to Banja Luka.And how we say: "Puno pozdrava iz Banja Luke❤️"

[janminor]

Oh wow, as you said earlier, this video did not disappoint! Beautiful.... and so clean! The food looked wonderful and the architecture is amazing! Happy to see that Hannah is getting around much better. Love your blooper reels! 😊

[TheEddyrose]

So glad to see you guys hopping around like before, Hannah is already doing much better. This is another place I have never visited and it looks beautiful! Now after seeing all that delicious food, I am hungry, what is so nice is that while sitting comfortably in my recliner, I can travel along and visit all these fantastic places!

[ericwardlaw]

Great video! I'm glad your doing better Hannah! Im excited to see more of this area.

[JustinBrehm]

Great video, so many interesting things with a rich history behind it

[gtaprodukcija]

Beautiful Banja Luka😍 glad you enjoyed it. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[COMEINTOMYWORLD]

Great video. How did you book your accomodation in Banja Luka? Am interested in a visit (along with BRNO in Czech.)

[mgary]

Yay! Glad to see Hannah is feeling better!

[EstadoNaturalViajero]

A great place to explore im showing some curious thins that i found there, regards guys.

[kobym]

Awesome 😎 loving all the videos! Enjoy!

[guilhermereis]

Nice video, thanks to share ur experience!!! Watching from Brazil

[dines]

I'm so glad you enjoyed visiting my hometown. 😊👌

[ironlionzion]

Great video guys, love your stuff! I want to get back to the Balkans now 🙏🏻

[Jamie_afc_]

This is the best city ever nice vlog :) 🇧🇦🇧🇦

[nicholasrickfordpavlovic-g]

Great vid. Hope to visit BL someday in the not too distant future. It looks great. I've been to Sarajevo, Travnik, Mostar, Neum, Hutovo, Stolac, and Trebinje (oh...and the Tjentište war memorial), but Banja Luka and Jajce remind on my list! Thanks for posting. Btw, cevapi varies a bit from city to city. Banja Luka has its own style, for example, as does Travnik. Keep trying it wherever you go! :)