About forty minutes after leaving Dubrovnik we reached the town of Ston. We pulled into a large car park just across the road from the town itself. Tour coaches pull in here and their loads are tipped out for a whistle stop visit before regrouping…Read More

About forty minutes after leaving Dubrovnik we reached the town of Ston. We pulled into a large car park just across the road from the town itself. Tour coaches pull in here and their loads are tipped out for a whistle stop visit before regrouping and heading onto the next stop.

At the end of the car park is a row of what look like portacabins. One of these is the information office and while it doesn’t look much from the outside, the lady who greeted us inside provided us with a useful map of the area and some cursory information.

We crossed the road and wandered around the centre of the town. Ston was a major fort of the Ragusan Republic and a large reminder of its role as a defensive outpost exists in the form of the stone wall that surrounds it. Ston’s wall has been compared to The Great Wall of China and while it doesn’t quite measure up to its Asian counterpart, the walls are a great feat of medieval architecture. The outer wall measures over 5km and extends to Mali Ston (‘Little Ston’) just over the hill to the north. This huge line of defense helped prevent unwanted visitors from moving from the peninsula to the mainland and protected the precious salt pans, which are still in operation today and were integral source of income to Dubrovnik’s economy.

It is possible to tour the walls of Ston for only 30 Kuna, less than half the entry price to the Dubrovnik city wall. While we were tempted to explore, we wanted to leave enough time to visit the wineries so decided to forego the tour. We did stop in the small plaza in the centre of the town for a coffee. There are two cafes on either side of the square. We tried both, as we stopped in Ston on the way back to Dubrovnik too. The first, Café Bar Placa did an ok cappuccino but the other – Caffe Bar Kantun – did an excellent cappuccino and it was cheaper.

Walking around Ston doesn’t take much time. There are only one or two main streets and a handful of gift shops selling overpriced magnets, lavender, wine, soap and locally cultivated sea salt.

Next to Placa is a tiny bakery where you can pick up a wedge of strudel. On the far side of the square and across a road is a small, windowless grocery shop where we picked up some soft drinks before returning to the car.    Close

We had enquired at the Argosy Hotel reception about hiring a car and they confidently told us that this could be arranged by them with one days notice. All we had to do was decide which class of car we wanted to hire and specify…Read More

We had enquired at the Argosy Hotel reception about hiring a car and they confidently told us that this could be arranged by them with one days notice. All we had to do was decide which class of car we wanted to hire and specify the delivery time. The hire company delivered the car to the hotel and we met the representative from the hire company in the hotel lobby shortly after breakfast. The registration process was quick and painless but we did have to pay for the hire in cash. Fortunately it only amounted to about 50 euros although we paid in Croatian Kuna. This only gets you a Chevy Spark but for the return trip to the peninsula, it did the job.

It take just under an hour to reach Ston, which is the gateway town to the Peljesac Peninsula. In Ston we stopped at the tourist information office and picked a map, which shows roughly where the wineries are located although most are well signposted along the road. We had heard that the roads on the peninsula were in poor condition but found most routes to be well maintained and easy to drive. We focused on the south edge of the peninsula and some of the roads leading down to the harbour villages have a few narrow switchbacks but as long as you slow down and keep to the speed limit you should be fine.

We found that Croatian drivers have little patience for those adhering to the speed limit on the main road between Dubrovnik and Ston. Given that much of this coastal route runs parallel to a cliff face it’s probably wise to keep to the speed limit and resist the temptation to match the locals. We also saw two police speed traps on the way there and the way back.

When we got back to Dubrovnik we had to fill the tank up, which only cost about £10. We didn’t see any petrol stations as we drove back to Babin Kuk so had to return to our hotel and ask them where they are. There are two petrol stations close to the new harbour but otherwise we didn’t see any along the main road.

We returned the car keys to the hotel reception and the car was collected by the hire company the following morning. All in all it was a fairly painless process and if you feel comfortable driving abroad, I would highly recommend it. The roads are fairly quiet and there was a good map in the hire car to help us along the way.    Close