Zuljana

Žuljana sits roughly halfway down the western side of the Pelješac peninsula, in a bay shaped like a rough triangle that opens toward the south and west — which is also why boats tuck into the west side of it for shelter, anchoring in about 6 meters of water. It's a genuinely small place: just over 200 permanent residents, most of them working mussel and oyster beds, fishing, or tending the vineyards this part of Pelješac is known for. The village is first mentioned in records from the 12th century, and its name is generally traced back to the church of St. Julian that once stood here, though a competing theory ties it to an old word for plow, describing the shape of the bay itself.

The setting does a lot of the work. Žuljana is boxed in by a steep valley and tall hills on three sides, which keeps the water inside the bay glassy even when it's rough further out. The beaches spread out from there: Vučine, shaded by pine forest with shallow teal water that's popular with families, plus a set of underwater caves nearby that draw divers; a pebble beach right in the village with the town itself as a backdrop; and Kremena, a smaller cove known for some of the clearest water in the area. Summers run hot — August averages around 31°C (88°F) — and the sailing season here generally runs June through September.

None of this makes Žuljana a headline destination, and that's more or less the point — it's a stop people build into an itinerary precisely because it isn't crowded. Between the anchorage, the beaches, and the wine coming off the surrounding hillsides, Žuljana is worth a visit if you're chartering a gulet from Dubrovnik and cruising the Pelješac coastline.