Leaving Ston with its extraordinary medieval salt walls still in your peripheral vision, you settle into a rhythm on a peninsula that feels genuinely unhurried. The road from Ston to Orebić hugs the Adriatic for long stretches before pushing inland through Dingač and Postup wine country, where the Plavac Mali grape grows on slopes steep enough to make you respect the local farmers before you've even touched the climbs.
Expect around 1,200 metres of cumulative elevation over the full distance — nothing savage, but a couple of short, sharp ramps between Potomje and the coast will have you shifting down and breathing hard.
Most riders do the route over two easy days, overnighting somewhere around Orebić, though a fast loaded-tourer can push through in one long day. The surface is generally good sealed asphalt, occasionally narrowing to a single lane with passing places on the coastal road. Traffic is light outside July and August, but that summer window brings motorhomes and campervans that crowd the verge.
You share the road throughout — there is no separated path — so some traffic awareness is needed, particularly on the main D414 corridor.
The cultural draw is genuinely striking: you can detour off the bike to slurp oysters straight from net bags at Mali Ston, then pause at a Pelješac winery tasting room an hour later. Small guesthouses and agritourism stays dot the route, making accommodation planning fairly straightforward, and a few rental shops in Dubrovnik can sort a decent hire bike if you fly in without your own.
Ride west to east if you want the prevailing Maestral wind at your back; early June or September keeps crowds and temperatures manageable, and a neck gaiter blocks the salt breeze on exposed headland sections.