The US Virgin Islands (USVI) may be an American territory, but it feels a world away when you find yourself splayed across a pristine beach, bobbing your head to reggae rhythms and tossing back yet another painkiller (the rum-heavy cocktail, not the pills!).
Composed of about 50 islands, you’ll invariably end up on one of the main three: St Thomas, St John and St Croix. St Thomas is the beating heart of the USVI with all the shopping, dining and flashy attractions you’d expect from one of the most popular ports of call in the Caribbean. Nearly two-thirds of neighboring St John, meanwhile, is protected from development, making it a far quieter haven enticing hikers, snorkelers and sun-worshippers in equal measure.
St Croix, marooned 44 miles (70km) to the south, feels less made-for-tourists than the other Virgins with a strong local identity and a thriving culinary scene. Below, we look at some of the best reasons to visit all three.
Find Your Own Secluded Slice of Paradise
Nearly every vacationer to the USVI thinks they need to visit the marquee beaches featured prominently on all the tourist maps – namely Trunk Bay on St John and Magens Bay on St Thomas. Sure, they’re beautiful, but they’re typically heaving with cruise ship crowds. They also cost money to visit when almost every other beach around is free. Skip the crowds and visit nearby spots favored by locals that are equally alluring, including the palm-lined Maho Bay on St John or the surfer hangout Hull Bay on St Thomas.
Plan Your Trip Around Carnival
The shimmering sounds of steel pans, the competing clatter of food trucks, and the technicolor feathers of masquerade outfits are all telltale signs that the month-long Carnival season has arrived in the USVI. Each island celebrates at a different time of year, with St Thomas kicking things off in April with the territory’s biggest fete, followed by St John in June and St Croix in December. Timing your trip around one of these festivals will give you the best appreciation of the local West Indian culture as the streets burst to life with calypso music, jumbie dancing, and extravagant parades.
Explore Historic Forts in Christiansted and Charlotte Amalie
The Virgin Islands traded hands so often during the colonial era that various nations planted flags before the US purchased them from Denmark in 1917 for $25 million in gold. The legacy of this colonization is most prevalent in the Danish fortifications that remain, including the red-brick Fort Christian in the harbor of Charlotte Amalie, dating to 1672, and the dandelion-yellow Fort Christiansvaern in the harbor of Christiansted, dating to 1738. Both now hold museums that tell the history of the enslaved Africans who built them and the European armies they housed.
Explore the Ruins at Leinster Bay
The Annaberg Plantation in St John’s Leinster Bay holds the most intact sugar plantation ruins in the Virgin Islands, which once held over 600 enslaved people captive. Now part of the national park, it includes information panels that describe the complex history of the island, from the violent displacement of Indigenous people to European settlement and the trafficking of enslaved African people during the sugar boom of the 18th and 19th centuries. After exploring the ruins, hike the Leinster Bay Trail over to Waterlemon Cay and cool off in the crystal-clear waters.
Dive the World-Famous Cane Bay Wall
The Cane Bay Wall plunges off the north shore of St Croix from 12m to over 4023m (40ft to over 13,200ft), with both sheer vertical drops and slow sloping areas that make for some of the most fantastic scuba diving in the Caribbean. As you descend, expect to find a rainbow of corals and sponges, as well as eels, nurse sharks, spotted eagle rays, seahorses, and schools of tropical fish. Best of all, no boats are required – you can start your dive from the shore.
Gallery-Hop in Cruz Bay
St John has always had an artistic appeal compared to its neighboring islands, best experienced on a gallery hop through Cruz Bay. Start at Bajo el Sol in Mongoose Junction, which is a hybrid rum bar and art gallery featuring local painters and potters. Check for frequent events focused on Caribbean themes. Other galleries worth stopping include Coconut Coast Studios and St John VI Pottery, and Mango Tango across the bay on St Thomas.
Try Traditional West Indian Cuisine
Forgo the ever-present pizza and burger spots and sample Caribbean staples like conch fritters, jerk chicken, or callaloo soup at low-key West Indian restaurants like Gladys’ Café in Charlotte Amalie, where chef Gladys is famous for her cooking. Over on St John, Uncle Joe’s is legendary for Caribbean barbecue, with fall-off-the-bone ribs or juicy chicken served alongside generous scoops of coleslaw. Vegans rave about Ital in Paradise, a tiny eatery in Christiansted serving plant-based dishes.
Look for Petroglyphs on the Reef Bay Trail
Little evidence remains of the Indigenous Taíno, who occupied these islands before the arrival of Europeans in the 1500s. However, on a hike down the Reef Bay Trail on St John, you’ll get the chance to spot ancient petroglyphs they carved over a thousand years ago. This backcountry trail also passes the ruins of the Danish sugar plantation and a waterfall that rages in the rainy season.
Kayak into a Bioluminescent Bay
St Croix is home to two of the Caribbean’s rare bioluminescent bays – the most famous of which lies in the Salt River Bay National Historical Park. By day, the mangrove forests here are a great place to explore, but after dark, the water lights up when disturbed thanks to high concentrations of bioluminescent micro-organisms.
Tour the Cruzan Rum Distillery
If your idea of a tropical vacation involves piña coladas and daiquiris, then a visit to the Cruzan Rum Distillery on St Croix is a must. Not only can you sample rum and stock up on supplies, but you can also learn about the history of rum-making in the Virgin Islands, which dates to 1760.
Volunteer on an Organic Farm
At Ridge to Reef, you can sleep in a solar-powered cabin on an organic-certified farm in the rainforest of St Croix and learn about its goal of feeding 1% of the Virgin Islands population healthy, local food. Day visitors can tour the lush grounds with a self-guided interpretive map.
Sail to a Floating Restaurant
Floating restaurants may seem gimmicky, but enjoying a meal while your feet dangle in the Caribbean is a unique experience. On St Thomas, Pizza Pi serves some of the territory’s best pizzas as you snorkel in Christmas Cove. On St John, Lime Out whips up tacos and cocktails from a Caribbean-style cottage on pontoons.
Enjoy the Welcoming Vibe of Frederiksted
St Croix’s second city of Frederiksted has become an LGBTIQ+ haven with gay-friendly hotels luring both singles and couples. The string of sandy coves north of Frederiksted, including the lovely Rainbow Beach, are among the prettiest on the island.
Take a Day Trip to the British Virgin Islands
Visitors to St Thomas and St John often charter boats for trips to the nearby British Virgin Islands. The beach bars of White Bay are popular stops, often after snorkeling at Sandy Cay or suntanning on Sandy Spit. The Baths on Virgin Gorda is another highlight to explore.
