Ston

Ston sits on the narrow neck of the peninsula, where Pelješac begins. Unlike the other places on this list, Ston is not a coastal village but a small town with history, walls and salt pans, and that gives it a wholly different character.

The walls, the salt and the oysters

The Ston walls are among the longest surviving defensive systems in Europe, built from the 14th century to protect the salt pans. The salt works still operate, in the same way and in the same place they have for centuries. Mali Ston, on the northern side of the neck, is known for the oysters and shellfish farmed in the bay.

The consequence for a buyer: Ston has visitors all year, but mostly day trippers. They come for the walls and the restaurants rather than the beach, and rarely stay the night. That is a material difference from Orebić or Viganj if you are thinking about letting.

What comes up for sale here

The market is narrow. Inside the core there are stone houses within a protected historic area, where the conservation department approves any renovation and the roof, openings and joinery are not a free choice. Outside the walls there are newer houses and some land, but Ston is not a place of villas with pools by the sea. Anyone after that looks further west.

Access

The best on the peninsula, because Ston is the first point after the Pelješac Bridge. The motorway and Dubrovnik are closer from here than from anywhere else on the peninsula. There are shops, a pharmacy and a doctor, and a school.

The season and winter

Ston lives all year, though more quietly than the visitor numbers would suggest, because most people stay a few hours. Winter is quiet but not empty.

What to watch for specifically here

• The protected area: before buying a house in the core, check what may be altered.
• On old houses, the state of probate and the number of co-owners.
• If you plan to let, expect shorter stays and a different guest from the west of the peninsula.

Property in Ston

We do not currently have a property in Ston. If you are looking here specifically, tell us: the town is small and we follow what happens in it.

Getting here

Ston is the first place after the Pelješac Bridge, which makes it the easiest point on the whole peninsula to reach from the mainland. The A1 motorway is about half an hour away, Dubrovnik about an hour, the airport a little more.

Within the town you walk. Mali Ston is a few minutes’ drive to the other side of the neck, and the two are separate settlements even though they are usually mentioned together.

Who the village suits, and who it does not

Ston suits a buyer who values history, a small town with services, and the best link to the mainland. It also suits someone who wants to be on Pelješac while travelling often towards Dubrovnik or beyond.

It does not suit someone after a house with a pool above open sea and a beach at the door. That is the western end of the peninsula. Nor someone counting on longer lets, because guests here mostly pass through.