Pelješac: Reasons to visit Dalmatia’s largest peninsula this summer

by croatiaweek
May 26, 2021
in Travel

View from Bartolomija over Ston

Dingač or Postup, maybe Plavac from Ponikave or from the area of Drače? Selecting a wine will be your biggest concern on Croatia’s Pelješac peninsula in southern Dalmatia.

It is not just the world famous wine, there are a many reasons why the largest peninsula in Dalmatia will be a hit with tourists this summer. Here are just a few.

Pelješac Cellars Festival

Wine hedonism on the peninsula. From large agricultural cooperatives, famous names in the world of winemaking, to small boutique wineries and family farms, from Ston, Putniković, Janjina to Potomje, Orebić and Trpanj, your vacation will turn into an eno-gastro trip to remember. And if you are planning to go south until June 15, during the first Pelješac Cellars Festival, promotional prices await you in 53 facilities. In wineries, cellars and wine bars there will be 20 percent discount on wine labels, and in restaurants and taverns, two menus, from 120 and 180 kuna, will be on offer.

More details here.

Postup (Photo: Andrea Šain)

(Photo: TZ Orebić)

Vineyards – Orebić (Photo: Ivo Biocina/TZ Orebić)

Edivo Winery – wine aged underwater in Drače

Delicacies

Pelješac is home to a range of delightful and tasty delights you can try.

Ston salt, olive oils, famous Mali Ston oysters, Mediterranean wild herbs, fresh fish, seafood and of course, a glass or two of wine and here is a recipe for Dalmatian longevity. Finally, for the sweet tooth, you can try sugar coated almonds, macaroni cake or hrostule.

More details about Mali Ston oysters here.

Olives in Ponikve (Photo_ TZ Ston)

Sugared almonds

Salt pans in Ston (TZ Ston)

For the active types

Put on your hiking boots and discover the beauty of the Pelješac hills through olive groves and vineyards. If you are in good shape, climb one of the four trails to the highest peak of St. Elijah. From the top there are million-dollar views, all the way to Italy.

On Pelješac you can pedal on Napoleon’s path or one of the many bike trails, jog or run by the sea, learn to scuba dive, and if you are a passionate wind surfer, Viganj near Orebić is certainly the place to go.

(Photo: Andrea Šain/TZ Orebic)

(Photo: Baldo Mirkovic/TZ Trpanj)

(Photo: TZ Orebic)

Culture

Measuring 5.5 kilometres, the Ston Walls are the second longest in the world, behind the Great Wall of China. They were built in the 14th century in order to protect the Ston saltworks, which annually, in the “old-fashioned” way, produces two thousand tons of premium salt.

Ston Walls

On the road from Ston to Orebić and Trpanj, you will pass ambient places in the centre of the peninsula, such as Janjina with the Rector’s Palace, the Gothic church of St. Blaise and the church of St. Stephen. In Orebic, visit the Maritime Museum, take a look from the lookout of the Church of Our Lady of the Angels, which was greeted with sirens by Orebic captains and stop in Trpanj, a place on the north side of the peninsula with several beautiful churches and the remains of an ancient hillfort.