Banja Luka city offers a lot of things to do. From walks in nature, seeing the most beautiful sights, adventurous activities, tasting delicious homemade food and drinks, chillin’ in one of the local coffee shops on a sunny day and similar. We know it’s easy to make plan for exploring and getting to know a new city. Especially when you have a only a few day at your disposal and you want to see and try everything. All the interesting and popular things, everything locals do and all of the things which came up while browsing the internet. When it comes to Banja Luka, we will help to answer your question of things to do in Banja Luka. And one of our recommendations is to visit the grand market on Sundays.
There are a couple of local markets in Banja Luka, and the most famous are Tržnica and the grand market. You’ve probably heard of the popular Tržnica market. It’s located in the city center and it’s one of the main locations for purchasing fruits, vegetables and clothing. Many locals go here for shopping as well as visitors of Banja Luka city. We will get to know Tržnica a little bit better in one of our following posts. Now we would like to tell you about the grand, also known as the cattle (srb. stočna), market.
The grand market used to be the main place to buy and sell cattle. And that is how it got that name. You could buy all sorts of domestic animals like chickens, pigs, sheep, horses, etc. Even today, some locals refer to this market as the cattle market (srb. stočna pijaca). Also it is known as the grand or the main market. You can still purchase some domestic animals here on Tuesdays, but it’s nothing similar to how it used to be. The grand market is open every day but the most popular day to visit is the Sunday.
Sundays are the most visited days because there are seller coming from all over the country to sell their items here. Besides fruits and vegetables, food, homemade teas, cars and clothing you can find old and rare books, various antiques, watches, precious items and a lot of other interesting stuff.
To truly experience the market you need to roll up your sleeves and go through all the piles of pennyworth things and whatnot you can find on the market. You never know what you can discover. A rare watch perhaps. A coin, post stamp or a new decoration for your home. That’s why you don’t need to think about things to do in Banja Luka and go visit the grand market on Sunday morning.
When you get tired of walking and shopping, you can take a break in one of the many cafes and restaurants on the market. Even though the restaurants don’t seem fancy, we believe you will be surprised with the service and food. The service is very fast and you won’t have to wait for a few minutes. And when it comes to food, the only thing that matters is what do you want to eat. Because everything is delicious. Super delicious. From pies, stews, barbecue, chicken and roast meat.
And a couple of tips for you. First tip, if you decide to buy something don’t accept the price immediately. Feel free to bargain. That’s what the shopping on the market is all about. And second one, when you go to eat, have one rakija as aperitif.
Cheers! 🙂
