Less than an hour from Dubrovnik, on the Peljesac Peninsula, lay the blissfully un-crowded Ston and Mali-Ston (more two pieces of a village connected to each other than two separate towns..), connected by a medieval wall and stone stairs that visitors can use to trek from one to the other.
Known by locals for its spectacular seafood (particularly Ston oysters which the towns are renowned for), Ston and Mali Ston escape the notice of many Dubrovnik tourists. But the history of the region surrounding the little villages and their impressive walls and fortress system (the longest in Europe) would intrigue any curious traveler. Therefore, Ston and Mali Ston are the perfect places to head out on a Dubrovnik day trip.
Dubrovnik to Ston and Mali Ston
It’s an approximately sixty-kilometer drive from Dubrovnik to Ston and/or Mali Ston. You can easily visit both Ston and Mali Ston and still have time to continue on toward the island of Korcula, to make a full day’s outing.
Suggested itinerary:
Drive over in the morning to hike from village to village and arrange to spend a long and leisurely lunch enjoying seafood plucked straight out of the water before it arrives at your table. Afterward, take the time to stop at a local vineyard or two or head to Korcula and soak up some sun on one of the secluded beaches there.
The summer light lingers late into the evening in this part of Europe so there’s plenty of time to fit in everything you want to do before dark…
Dubrovnik Day Trip: The History of Ston’s Walls
The walls were constructed when the Republic of Dubrovnik purchased Ston in 1333, and set to work building a defense system to protect the salt fields/pans that provided the area with so much of its wealth. At that time salt was as valuable or more valuable than gold! In total, seven kilometers of walls were built along with three fortresses, forty-one towers, bastions, and a system of moats.
The distance between Ston and Mali-Ston along the walls is approximately three kilometers. Taking this journey involves climbing quite a few stairs but also offers some lovely vista points.
Dubrovnik Day Trip: Where to Eat
We were led to this unassuming ‘restaurant’ (though it was really just a house with a small kitchen that had some tables out back near the water…) by a local Dubrovnik restaurant owner who knew we were looking for great oysters and offered to drive ahead of us to Ston to point out the spot he recommended.
The experience at this restaurant was fantastic (even if very slow). They had one small stove and were pulling each course out of the sea and then shelling, cleaning, and cooking it just for us, as we were the only guests (due to it being late June). The black squid ink risotto took them two hours to make so all in all our six-course seafood lunch took us four hours and most of that was waiting between courses. But we didn’t mind as it was the best meal we’d had on the Dalmatian Coast (especially after the overpriced and bland food we’d experienced in Dubrovnik) during our trip.
The owners (who were doing the cooking and the fishing and the serving) served our meal to us. In between courses we dipped our toes in the water and enjoyed the peaceful location.
Our entire meal at Seosko domacinstvo Ficovic cost about $40/person (six courses each). While that would be really expensive by Balkan standards it was very inexpensive compared to what we would have gotten in Dubrovnik-not to mention ten times better and it came with a peaceful waterside table and great views.
What to Eat
Oysters, mussels, fish, clams and squid.. it’s all fantastic. But the king shellfish here is the oyster. Having sampled all of the fruits that the Ston sea had to offer, during my time there, I can wholeheartedly recommend trying a bit of everything.
What we ate:
Butter, herb & fish stew
Fresh Clams
Fresh Mussels (which we saw dredged out of the water for us just before our meal)
Fresh Oysters (which we also saw taken out of the water and cleaned/shucked for us)
Squid
Black Squid Ink Risotto
All were phenomenally fresh and absolutely delicious. Simple fare, fresh out of the sea. No fancy sauces or side dishes or even much fuss about presentation. This isn’t fine dining. It’s casual Mediterranean fare meant to be enjoyed in the fresh air and without pretense.