DUBROVNIK DIGEST

Ston and Pelješac

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Pelješac is the second largest peninsula in Croatia. It begins in Ston, a town located around 60km from Dubrovnik, towards Split. Its coastline is rugged, with plenty of beaches, bays, reefs and fjords. 

 

If you choose a day trip here, you'll first of all stop in Ston which is in the protected Mali Ston bay. 

 

That calm bay, which never has waves, is most well known for its oysters which are known throughout the world as some of the best and rumoured to be an afrodisiac. Hollywood actors and VIPs are regular guests of Ston's restaurants. It's also possible to consume oysters freshly harvested from the sea. On the road towards Bistrina, below the bridge, you will see little 'boats'that offer the option to try fresh oysters, mussels and other shellfish.

 

When you are in the Mali Ston bay, you  must visit Ston, which has the longest wall in the world after the Great Wall of China. They were built in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries by the Dubrovnik Republic whose control the city was under at the time. They are over 5km in length and you can walk along a good portion of them. They have about 40 forts and are truly unique in the world as they extend over a hill.

 

Ston, which is divided into Veliki and Mali (large and small), has a handful of medieval buildings that are especially interesting for visitors. The palaces of Sorkocevic and Bordić stand out with their beauty. The Rector's Palace houses a museum with prehistorical exhibition specimens (on Peljesac there are several sites from that time), to those from the period of Dubrovnik Republic, until the present day.

 

Ston is also known for its salt works which were also built by the Dubrovnik Republic to help secure a monopoly on salt trade in Europe and it is the oldest working salt works in the world. Everything remains the same as it was in the 14th century when they were built. The salt from these salt pans is some of the cleanest in the world.

 

In the vicinity of Ston there is Prapratno bay with a beautiful sandy beach. It is also where you take the ferry to the island of Mljet.

 

Travelling along the peninsula, we suggest you stop in Potomje, famous for its many wineries. Peljesac is known worldwide as a place where high quality wines are produced such as Plavac mali, Dingač and Postup.

 

Other places where you can taste premium wines are Trstenik, Pijavičino and Podobuče. Around all these places there are wine trails that you can visit.

 

 

Further along the peninsula are areas that are known for olive oil more than wine -Trpanj and Orebic. Not only are they known for gastronomy, but for their beautiful sandy beaches such as Divna bay.

 

The road that leads you down to Orebic offers a fantastic view of Korcula ( you can take the ferry from Orebic to Korcula). However, an even more beautiful view is from Mount Saint Elias above Orebic where you can hike on marked trails .

 

You can also get active on Peljesac – playing tennis, hiking, bike riding and lots more besides. We wuld recommend trying windsurfing or kitesurfing at Viganj, one of the best places in Europe for these sports thanks to its windy conditions. Viganj recently hosted the world championships in windsurfing, proof of it status within the sport as a must visit destination.  

 

If you're a lover of caves, make sure you visit Nakovana. Some of teh artefcats from the cave are kept in the museum within the Rector's Palace in Ston.

 

You can watch a video on Ston here.