Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dubrovnik (around 20 kn, 20-30 minutes). Any long-distance northbound bus can drop you
in Trsteno—ask about the next bus at the main station. Alternatively, the slower local buses
#12 and #15 also reach Trsteno. Coming back from Trsteno to Dubrovnik is trickier: Wait
at the bus stop with the glass canopy by the park entrance and wave down any Dubrovnik-
bound bus that passes (at least hourly).
Pelješac Peninsula
North of Trsteno, the skinny, 55-mile-long Pelješac (PEHL-yeh-shahts) Penin-
sula—practically an honorary island—splits off from the Croatian coastline as if about to
drift away to Italy. (The far tip of Pelješac comes within a stone's throw of Kor č ula island.)
This sparsely populated peninsula, famous for its rugged terrain—and the grapes that thrive
here—is worth a detour for wine lovers. But its heavily fortified town of Ston, just a short
side-trip from the main coastal road, merits a stretch-your-legs visit for anyone. Notice that
if you're connecting from Kor č ula to anywhere else in Croatia by car, you'll probably be
taking the ferry to the Pelješac Peninsula anyway; consider slowing down to sample a few
wines, to scramble up the walls at Ston, or to have a meal at Mali Ston.
Getting There: Buses between Dubrovnik and Kor č ula traverse the Pelješac Peninsula,
but drivers have the option of stopping where they like (such as at Ston or a winery). Some
public buses also stop at Ston.
Ston
The town of Ston, at the base of the peninsula, is the gateway to Pelješac. This “Great Wall
of Croatia” town is famous for the impressive wall that climbs up the mountain behind it
(about a half-mile encloses the town itself, while another three miles clamber up the hill-
sides). The unassuming town was heavily fortified (starting in 1333) for two reasons: to
defend its strategic location, where mountains and bays create a bottleneck along the road
from Dubrovnik to Pelješac, near the Republic of Dubrovnik's northern boundary; and to
protect its impressive salt pans, which still produce the mineral. Filling a low-lying plain
that sprawls in front of Ston's doorstep, these pans provided Dubrovnik with much of its
wealth, back in the days when salt was worth more than its weight in gold. The pans would
befloodedwithsaltwater,thensealedandlefttoevaporate—leavingthesalteasytoharvest.
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