Ston Oysters & Pelješac Wine: Day Trip From Dubrovnik

I'm Sarah, a Canadian who has lived in Croatia for 13 years. With my Croatian husband Ivan, I run Royal Croatian Tours. One of our favourite days in all of Croatia is in Ston and on the Pelješac peninsula: fresh oysters straight from the sea, some of the country's best red wine, and medieval walls that stretch over the hills. Last summer we took our kids, and here's how to plan the same day.

Aerial view of Mali Ston and Ston Bay, Pelješac peninsula, Croatia — Mali Ston and Ston Bay from above

Ston Oysters & Pelješac Wine: Day Trip From Dubrovnik

Ston and Mali Ston: the twin towns

Ston and Mali Ston ("little Ston") sit at the entrance to the Pelješac peninsula, about an hour's drive from Dubrovnik, a world away from its crowds. Ston once marked the border of the Dubrovnik Republic, and the two towns are linked by the Walls of Ston, one of the longest fortification systems in Europe: about 5.5 km of walls and towers climbing over the hill. They were built around the same time as Dubrovnik's walls, to protect something almost as valuable as gold in the Middle Ages: salt.

The Walls of Ston climbing the hill above Ston — The Walls of Ston

The oldest salt pans in Europe

Ston's salt pans are among the oldest in Europe and are still worked by hand today. You'll see them as you drive into town, and you can buy Ston sea salt as a lovely souvenir.

Walk the walls

You can walk along the walls from Ston to Mali Ston in about 40 minutes, with wonderful views over the bay and the salt pans. Go early in the morning or in the late afternoon: in summer it's hot, steep and there's very little shade. Bring water and a hat.

The main square of Ston with its church and fortress — Ston's main square

Oysters straight from the sea

Ston Bay is famous for its oysters, farmed here for centuries. We went out on the boat with Dubravko, a fourth-generation oyster farmer, who showed us how the oysters grow on ropes in the bay, how each young oyster is fixed to the rope by hand, and how hungry gilt-head bream can wipe out a farm overnight. Then he opened them for us, right on the boat, with a squeeze of lemon. His tip: chew them three or four times, don't just swallow. He also cooked us mussels na buzaru, in a sauce of garlic, olive oil, wine and a little tomato, which was unbelievably good.

If you love oysters, come in March: around the feast of St Joseph on 19 March, Ston holds its oyster festival, and locals say oysters are at their best in the cooler months.

Wine tasting on Pelješac

Pelješac is one of Croatia's great wine regions and home to Plavac Mali, the country's most famous red grape. The steep, rocky slopes of Dingač facing the sea produce some of the most prized wines in Croatia: as the old winemakers say, the poorer the soil, the richer the wine. We visited a small family winery, tasted straight from the barrels and finished with a platter of local cheese and olive oil. Small family wineries are always the most memorable, so book ahead.

Wine tasting at a family winery in Croatia — Tasting at a family winery

How to plan your day

A quiet street in the old town of Ston — Ston's old town

From Dubrovnik: Ston is about an hour's drive, an easy day trip.
On the way from Split: Ston makes a perfect stop on the drive to Dubrovnik. Thanks to the Pelješac Bridge you no longer need to cross the border at Neum.
Order: wine tasting in the morning, oysters around lunchtime, then a stroll through Ston and the walls in the late afternoon.
Onward: from Prapratno near Ston, ferries go to Mljet, and the beautiful sandy beach there is worth a swim (see our 10 best sandy beaches).

Or let us organise everything: our private wine and oyster tasting day trip from Dubrovnik includes the oyster boat in Ston Bay and a family winery on Pelješac, with a driver so nobody has to skip the wine.