diff --git a/docs/plugins/repository-s3.asciidoc b/docs/plugins/repository-s3.asciidoc
index faaa87302ee..cbb06f3e351 100644
--- a/docs/plugins/repository-s3.asciidoc
+++ b/docs/plugins/repository-s3.asciidoc
@@ -235,6 +235,11 @@ The following settings are supported:
     currently supported by the plugin. For more information about the
     different classes, see http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/dev/storage-class-intro.html[AWS Storage Classes Guide]
 
+`path_style_access`::
+
+    Activate path style access for [virtual hosting of buckets](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/dev/VirtualHosting.html).
+    Defaults to `false`.
+
 The S3 repositories use the same credentials as the rest of the AWS services
 provided by this plugin (`discovery`). See <<repository-s3-usage>> for details.
 
diff --git a/plugins/repository-s3/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cloud/aws/AwsS3Service.java b/plugins/repository-s3/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cloud/aws/AwsS3Service.java
index 711b8db9374..4a305f4100a 100644
--- a/plugins/repository-s3/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cloud/aws/AwsS3Service.java
+++ b/plugins/repository-s3/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cloud/aws/AwsS3Service.java
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ public interface AwsS3Service extends LifecycleComponent<AwsS3Service> {
         public static final String STORAGE_CLASS = "repositories.s3.storage_class";
         public static final String CANNED_ACL = "repositories.s3.canned_acl";
         public static final String BASE_PATH = "repositories.s3.base_path";
+        public static final String PATH_STYLE_ACCESS = "repositories.s3.path_style_access";
     }
 
 
@@ -80,5 +81,5 @@ public interface AwsS3Service extends LifecycleComponent<AwsS3Service> {
 
     AmazonS3 client(String endpoint, String protocol, String region, String account, String key);
 
-    AmazonS3 client(String endpoint, String protocol, String region, String account, String key, Integer maxRetries);
+    AmazonS3 client(String endpoint, String protocol, String region, String account, String key, Integer maxRetries, Boolean pathStyleAccess);
 }
diff --git a/plugins/repository-s3/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cloud/aws/InternalAwsS3Service.java b/plugins/repository-s3/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cloud/aws/InternalAwsS3Service.java
index 7d0b72cd63c..37f69a7a26c 100644
--- a/plugins/repository-s3/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cloud/aws/InternalAwsS3Service.java
+++ b/plugins/repository-s3/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cloud/aws/InternalAwsS3Service.java
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import com.amazonaws.http.IdleConnectionReaper;
 import com.amazonaws.internal.StaticCredentialsProvider;
 import com.amazonaws.services.s3.AmazonS3;
 import com.amazonaws.services.s3.AmazonS3Client;
+import com.amazonaws.services.s3.S3ClientOptions;
 import org.elasticsearch.ElasticsearchException;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.collect.Tuple;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.component.AbstractLifecycleComponent;
@@ -65,16 +66,16 @@ public class InternalAwsS3Service extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<AwsS3Servic
         String endpoint = getDefaultEndpoint();
         String account = settings.get(CLOUD_S3.KEY, settings.get(CLOUD_AWS.KEY));
         String key = settings.get(CLOUD_S3.SECRET, settings.get(CLOUD_AWS.SECRET));
-        return getClient(endpoint, null, account, key, null);
+        return getClient(endpoint, null, account, key, null, null);
     }
 
     @Override
     public AmazonS3 client(String endpoint, String protocol, String region, String account, String key) {
-        return client(endpoint, protocol, region, account, key, null);
+        return client(endpoint, protocol, region, account, key, null, null);
     }
 
     @Override
-    public synchronized AmazonS3 client(String endpoint, String protocol, String region, String account, String key, Integer maxRetries) {
+    public synchronized AmazonS3 client(String endpoint, String protocol, String region, String account, String key, Integer maxRetries, Boolean pathStyleAccess) {
         if (region != null && endpoint == null) {
             endpoint = getEndpoint(region);
             logger.debug("using s3 region [{}], with endpoint [{}]", region, endpoint);
@@ -86,11 +87,11 @@ public class InternalAwsS3Service extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<AwsS3Servic
             key = settings.get(CLOUD_S3.SECRET, settings.get(CLOUD_AWS.SECRET));
         }
 
-        return getClient(endpoint, protocol, account, key, maxRetries);
+        return getClient(endpoint, protocol, account, key, maxRetries, pathStyleAccess);
     }
 
 
-    private synchronized AmazonS3 getClient(String endpoint, String protocol, String account, String key, Integer maxRetries) {
+    private synchronized AmazonS3 getClient(String endpoint, String protocol, String account, String key, Integer maxRetries, Boolean pathStyleAccess) {
         Tuple<String, String> clientDescriptor = new Tuple<String, String>(endpoint, account);
         AmazonS3Client client = clients.get(clientDescriptor);
         if (client != null) {
@@ -165,6 +166,11 @@ public class InternalAwsS3Service extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<AwsS3Servic
         if (endpoint != null) {
             client.setEndpoint(endpoint);
         }
+
+        if (pathStyleAccess != null) {
+            client.setS3ClientOptions(new S3ClientOptions().withPathStyleAccess(pathStyleAccess));
+        }
+
         clients.put(clientDescriptor, client);
         return client;
     }
diff --git a/plugins/repository-s3/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/s3/S3Repository.java b/plugins/repository-s3/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/s3/S3Repository.java
index 760968b0bf3..02158184493 100644
--- a/plugins/repository-s3/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/s3/S3Repository.java
+++ b/plugins/repository-s3/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/s3/S3Repository.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 
 package org.elasticsearch.repositories.s3;
 
+import com.amazonaws.services.s3.AmazonS3;
 import org.elasticsearch.cloud.aws.AwsS3Service;
 import org.elasticsearch.cloud.aws.AwsS3Service.CLOUD_AWS;
 import org.elasticsearch.cloud.aws.AwsS3Service.REPOSITORY_S3;
@@ -123,12 +124,14 @@ public class S3Repository extends BlobStoreRepository {
         // Parse and validate the user's S3 Storage Class setting
         String storageClass = repositorySettings.settings().get("storage_class", settings.get(REPOSITORY_S3.STORAGE_CLASS, null));
         String cannedACL = repositorySettings.settings().get("canned_acl", settings.get(REPOSITORY_S3.CANNED_ACL, null));
+        Boolean pathStyleAccess = repositorySettings.settings().getAsBoolean("path_style_access", settings.getAsBoolean(REPOSITORY_S3.PATH_STYLE_ACCESS, null));
 
-        logger.debug("using bucket [{}], region [{}], endpoint [{}], protocol [{}], chunk_size [{}], server_side_encryption [{}], buffer_size [{}], max_retries [{}], cannedACL [{}], storageClass [{}]",
-                bucket, region, endpoint, protocol, chunkSize, serverSideEncryption, bufferSize, maxRetries, cannedACL, storageClass);
+            logger.debug("using bucket [{}], region [{}], endpoint [{}], protocol [{}], chunk_size [{}], server_side_encryption [{}], buffer_size [{}], max_retries [{}], canned_acl [{}], storage_class [{}], path_style_access [{}]",
+                bucket, region, endpoint, protocol, chunkSize, serverSideEncryption, bufferSize, maxRetries, cannedACL, storageClass, pathStyleAccess);
 
-        blobStore = new S3BlobStore(settings, s3Service.client(endpoint, protocol, region, repositorySettings.settings().get("access_key"), repositorySettings.settings().get("secret_key"), maxRetries),
-                bucket, region, serverSideEncryption, bufferSize, maxRetries, cannedACL, storageClass);
+        AmazonS3 client = s3Service.client(endpoint, protocol, region, repositorySettings.settings().get("access_key"),
+                repositorySettings.settings().get("secret_key"), maxRetries, pathStyleAccess);
+        blobStore = new S3BlobStore(settings, client, bucket, region, serverSideEncryption, bufferSize, maxRetries, cannedACL, storageClass);
 
         String basePath = repositorySettings.settings().get("base_path", settings.get(REPOSITORY_S3.BASE_PATH));
         if (Strings.hasLength(basePath)) {
diff --git a/plugins/repository-s3/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cloud/aws/TestAwsS3Service.java b/plugins/repository-s3/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cloud/aws/TestAwsS3Service.java
index 959b03e2375..8c6867dbb9f 100644
--- a/plugins/repository-s3/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cloud/aws/TestAwsS3Service.java
+++ b/plugins/repository-s3/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cloud/aws/TestAwsS3Service.java
@@ -61,8 +61,8 @@ public class TestAwsS3Service extends InternalAwsS3Service {
     }
 
     @Override
-    public synchronized AmazonS3 client(String endpoint, String protocol, String region, String account, String key, Integer maxRetries) {
-        return cachedWrapper(super.client(endpoint, protocol, region, account, key, maxRetries));
+    public synchronized AmazonS3 client(String endpoint, String protocol, String region, String account, String key, Integer maxRetries, Boolean pathStyleAccess) {
+        return cachedWrapper(super.client(endpoint, protocol, region, account, key, maxRetries, pathStyleAccess));
     }
 
     private AmazonS3 cachedWrapper(AmazonS3 client) {