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Ston: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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In 1333 the Republic of Dubrovnik bought the Pelješac peninsula, and at once began to fence its neck with walls. What they protected was salt, the most valuable thing the Republic produced, harvested in the shallow pans at Ston. The walls climb the hill from Ston and come down on the far side at Mali Ston, a pair of small towns built to a plan. This walk takes two to three hours with the walls; the walls have no shade, so go in the early morning, and finish with oysters at Mali Ston.

Ston

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A short history of Ston

Ston lies on the narrow neck that joins the Pelješac peninsula to the mainland, and its wealth came from salt. In 1333 the Republic of Dubrovnik bought the peninsula, and within a few decades it built a wall here more than five kilometres long, one of the longest in Europe, to protect the salt pans. The pans have been worked continuously for centuries and are considered the oldest in Europe still producing salt. Within the wall two planned towns were built, Ston and Mali Ston, which remained in Dubrovnik's hands until the republic was abolished in 1808. In 1996 a severe earthquake damaged the town, and many of its houses have been restored since. The bay of Mali Ston is known for oyster farming.

The ten best sights in Ston

  1. Veliki Kaštio
    1
    Veliki Kaštio

    The great fortress on the shore at the foot of the walls, beside the salt pans

  2. Walls of Ston
    2
    Walls of Ston

    Walk the walls up the hill and over to Mali Ston; ticket at the entrances; go early, there is no shade

  3. Pozvizd fortress
    3
    Pozvizd fortress

    The fort at the top of the hill, the highest point of the walls

  4. Koruna fortress
    4
    Koruna fortress

    Tower fort guarding the little harbour of Mali Ston

  5. St. Michael's church
    5
    St. Michael's church

    Tiny early-medieval church on a hill above town, with rare frescoes; ask in town about access

  6. Franciscan monastery of St. Nicholas
    6
    Franciscan monastery of St. Nicholas

    Gothic cloister by the western walls

  7. Ston salt pans
    7
    Ston salt pans

    Salt pans still worked by hand, with a short visitor path

  8. Mali Ston
    8
    Mali Ston

    The little harbour where the oysters are eaten; 1 km by road or over the walls

  9. Prapratno
    9
    Prapratno

    Sandy-pebble bay 3 km south-west, with the ferry to Mljet

  10. Pelješac Bridge
    10
    Pelješac Bridge

    The new bridge to the mainland north of Ston; best seen from the Brijesta side

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Tours in Ston →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Ston:

Salt behind walls

Free walking tours in Ston

Salt behind walls

In 1333 the Republic of Dubrovnik bought the Pelješac peninsula, and at once began to fence its neck with walls. What they protected was salt, the most valuable thing the Republic produced, harvested in the shallow pans at Ston. The walls climb the hill from Ston and come down on the far side at Mali Ston, a pair of small towns built to a plan. This walk takes two to three hours with the walls; the walls have no shade, so go in the early morning, and finish with oysters at Mali Ston.

  1. St. Michael's church · The little church on Gorica hill holds 11th-century frescoes, among them the figure of a ruler offering a model of the church. He is thought to be Mihailo, king of Duklja, and it is one of the oldest portraits of a medieval king on the Adriatic.
  2. Salt pans · Sea water is let into a chain of shallow pools and left to the sun and the wind, and in late summer the salt is raked up by hand, as it has been for centuries. Salt was the Republic's great monopoly, and these pans paid for much of Dubrovnik's wealth.
  3. Veliki Kaštio · The big fortress was built on the shore right by the pans, so that the salt stores were inside the strongest part of the defences. Behind it the town was laid out in a regular grid, rare in a medieval Dalmatian town.
  4. Pozvizd · The walls of Ston were about 7 km long when complete, with some 40 towers and several forts, and about 5.5 km survive, among the longest fortifications in Europe. Pozvizd, at the top, watched both seas: the channel to the south and the bay to the north.
  5. Koruna · The tower fort guards the harbour of Mali Ston, the second town built inside the walls as a port and a base for the workers of the pans. The two towns were planned together, with the wall over the hill joining them.
  6. Mali Ston · The bay of Mali Ston is fed by fresh springs as well as the sea, and the mix suits the European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis. Oysters have been raised here for centuries, and the Republic itself protected the beds.

The wine peninsula

West of Ston, Pelješac runs 65 km out into the sea, a long mountain ridge with steep southern slopes where the best red wine of Croatia grows. This drive crosses towards the new bridge, then follows the spine of the peninsula to the vineyard villages and on to Orebić, the town of sea captains. About 120 km there and back on a winding road; taste wine only if someone else is driving.

  1. Neum · The 20 km of coast at Neum belong to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dubrovnik handed this strip to the Ottomans in 1699, at the Treaty of Karlowitz, so that Turkish land would stand between it and its rival Venice; that old buffer is why Croatia's coast is cut in two.
  2. Pelješac Bridge · Opened in July 2022, the bridge runs about 2.4 km from the mainland to Pelješac, so that drivers to Dubrovnik no longer have to cross the Bosnian strip at Neum with two border checks.
  3. Potomje · The grape of these slopes is Plavac Mali. DNA tests showed it is a child of Crljenak Kaštelanski, the grape the Americans call Zinfandel, and of the local Dobričić.
  4. Dingač tunnel · Until the 1970s the vineyards on the sea side of the ridge could be reached only over the hill, with the grapes carried out on donkeys. In 1973 the growers dug this tunnel, about 400 m long, through the mountain themselves.
  5. Dingač · In 1961 Dingač became the first wine name to be legally protected in Yugoslavia. The vines grow on slopes so steep and stony, facing the sea, that the grapes are still picked by hand.
  6. Our Lady of the Angels, Orebić · Sailors leaving Orebić would salute this Franciscan monastery on the hill from their ships, and those who came home safe brought it paintings of their ships as thanks. The town grew rich in the 19th century as a home of ship-owners and captains.

The Republic's capital

Ston was the outer fortress of a city that lived by its wits for five centuries: Dubrovnik, a merchant republic that paid tribute to the Ottomans and kept its freedom until Napoleon. This route starts at Ston's own bay, then drives the coast road south past a Renaissance garden into the walled city itself. About 110 km there and back; Dubrovnik is crowded at midday and parking is hard, so use the park-and-ride or come in the late afternoon.

  1. Prapratno ferry · Ferries leave this bay for Sobra on Mljet, the long green island opposite. Its western end became a national park in 1960, with two salt-water lakes and a monastery on an islet in the larger one.
  2. Trsteno Arboretum · The Gučetić family laid out this garden at their summer villa at the end of the 15th century. By the village square stand two giant oriental plane trees, each about 500 years old.
  3. Pile Gate · The outer gate dates from 1537, and above it stands St. Blaise, the patron of the city. In the Republic's time a wooden drawbridge here was raised every night and the keys handed to the rector.
  4. Stradun · The main street was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1667, which destroyed much of the city, and its houses were given the same plain stone fronts. The paving has been polished by feet until it shines like marble.
  5. Dubrovnik synagogue · In the narrow Žudioska street, "Jews' street", is one of the oldest synagogues in Europe still in use, dating at least from the 15th century. Jews expelled from Spain in 1492 found a home in Dubrovnik, and the community's Torah scrolls and treasures are shown upstairs.
  6. Fort Lovrijenac · Over the gate of the fort on its sea rock is carved "Non bene pro toto libertas venditur auro": freedom is not sold for all the gold in the world. It was the motto of the Republic.
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Getting to Ston and getting around

  • Ston bus stop · Buses to Dubrovnik and along Pelješac to Orebić stop by the walls
  • Dubrovnik Airport · The nearest airport, about an hour's drive south-east

Cheap eats in Ston

Ston eats from its two seas. Mali Ston is the oyster capital of Croatia, and its mussels are as good and cost less; the salt pans season everything. Around them comes the plain Dalmatian kitchen: grilled fish, black squid-ink risotto, and a glass of Plavac Mali from the peninsula. Croatia uses the euro, and prices here are lower than in Dubrovnik.

  • Bota Šare · Oyster bar on the Mali Ston harbour; oysters about €2-4 each
  • Placa · Café on the little square of Ston; coffee about €2-3
  • Liberty 93 · Bakery in the main street; burek and pastries about €2-4
  • Kod Baće · Simple konoba; grilled fish or squid about €12-18
  • Konoba Bakus · Local grill and seafood in Ston; mussels about €10-14
  • Solana Ston shop · Ston salt from about €3 a bag

Museums in Ston

  • Lapidarium Ston · Carved stones from Ston's churches and walls
  • Orebić Maritime Museum · Ship portraits, models and captains' things
  • Dubrovnik Maritime Museum · The Republic's ships and trade, in the St. John fortress

Nature and day trips near Ston

  • Prapratno beach · Sheltered bay with a beach, the nearest swim to Ston
  • Žuljana · Bays of clear water and a village beach
  • Hodilje · Village on Mali Ston Bay among the oyster beds
  • Mljet National Park · Salt lakes, pine forest and an island monastery; ferry from Prapratno
  • Trsteno Arboretum · Old garden with giant plane trees over the sea

Holy places in Ston

  • St. Michael's, Gorica · Early-medieval church with 11th-century frescoes
  • St. Nicholas monastery · Franciscan church and cloister
  • Our Lady of the Angels · Franciscan monastery above Orebić with sailors' gifts
  • Dubrovnik synagogue · Sephardic synagogue and small museum in Žudioska street
  • St. Blaise over Pile Gate · The city's patron saint greets you at the gate

Where to eat in Ston

  • Stagnum · Seafood and local dishes in Ston
  • Sorgo Palace · Restaurant in an old palace by the walls
  • Kapetanova Kuća · The captain's house on the Mali Ston harbour; oysters and fish
  • Villa Koruna · Seafood restaurant on the water in Mali Ston
  • Maestral · Konoba in Ston; grilled fish and black risotto
  • Wines Ledinić · Wine shop for Pelješac reds and whites
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Frequently asked questions about Ston

What is there to see in Ston?

The top sights in Ston are Veliki Kaštio, Walls of Ston and Pozvizd fortress. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Ston?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Ston without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Ston?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Ston, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Salt behind walls.

How do you get to Ston and get around?

The main ways are Ston bus stop and Dubrovnik Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Ston, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Ston that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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