Ston & Mali Ston 

The 5km-long Ston wall

The under-visited Ston and its neighbour Mali Ston on the Peljesac peninsula are a great escape from the standard southern Dalmatia tourist route. About 59km northwest of Dubrovnik, there are no big resorts or luxury hotels in Ston but there is great eating, great scenery, old stone houses and the longest fortifications in Europe. It's not the place for a beach holiday (for a sandy beach head to the nearby Prapatna cove) but there's plenty to see and the small-town atmosphere is enchanting.

Mali Ston

 On the northern end of the Ston isthmus, Mali Ston was founded in 1335 as part of the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik). It was essentially a defensive town, meant to protect powerful Ragusa, with an impressive arrangement of walls and towers. The most outstanding feature is the fortress of Koruna, rising over the village and visible from quite a distance. The port of Mali Ston was completed in 1490 and clearly resembles the port of Dubrovnik with three arsenals, a round tower and a fortified port gate with a Romanesque statue of St Blaise over it.
The port of Mali Ston

Ston

Only one kilometre southwest of Mali Ston is the slightly larger village of Ston and connecting the two is an amazing wall of more than five kilometres. Circling Ston, the walls climb up to the hilltop Pozvizd Fortress and follow the line of the isthmus to meet up with the walls of Mali Ston. Fortified with ten round and thirty rectangular towers, these walls are a sight to behold.

Ston was walled at about the same time as Mali Ston but had been settled as early as prehistoric times. The Romans named Ston Turris Stagni and it became an essential part of the Ragusa Republic (now Dubrovnik). Later it became a centre for salt mining, an industry that continues to this day. In addition to admiring the medieval architecture, take a look at the Veliki Kastio (Big Citadel) a large quadrangular fortress on the southeastern corner of town.

Dining and Accommodation in Ston and Mali Ston

It's not against the law to leave the "Stons" without sampling the seafood but it's certainly inadvisable! Both of the following hotels in Mali Ston have excellent restaurants:

Villa Koruna
Hotel Ostrea

Or try Kapetanova Kuca restaurant near the Hotel Ostrea or Bella Vista on a cliff overlooking Prapratno Bay.

Getting to Ston and Mali Ston

Lying on the main route between Dubrovnik and Korcula the villages are an easy drive from either place. All bus services between Dubrovnik and Korcula stop at Ston and Mali Ston. See the bus schedules from Dubrovnik.

Tourist Information for Ston and Mali Ston

The Ston tourist office (tel 020 754 452) is in the town centre at Peljeski put 1.

Ston Travel News

Ston Walls. Renovation now complete. More.

Related Pages

Peljesac Peninsula

Dubrovnik

Korcula Island

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