U.S. Virgin Islands

From Wikivoyage
North America > Caribbean > U.S. Virgin Islands
(Redirected from United States Virgin Islands)
Jump to: navigation, search
Capital Charlotte Amalie
Currency US dollar (USD)
Population 123,498 (July 2002 est.)
Country code +1 (340)
Time zone UTC-4 (no DST)

The U.S. Virgin Islands constitute an unincorporated organized territory of the United States of America between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico. It was formerly known as the Danish West Indies. Together with the British Virgin Islands, to the northeast, the territory forms the Virgin Islands archipelago. The islands' natural resources are sun, sand, sea, and surf.





The terrain is mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land. The highest point is Crown Mountain, at 474 m. There are occasional earthquakes.

The islands are an important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean.



National holidays[edit]

Public holidays include: Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 31 March (1917); Emancipation Day, 3 July (1848)


U.S. Virgin Islands regions - Color-coded map
Saint Croix
Saint John
Saint Thomas

Other destinations[edit]


Get in[edit]

When traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. citizens enjoy all the conveniences of domestic travel – including on-line check-in – making travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands easier than ever. As a United States Territory, travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands does not require a passport for U.S. citizens arriving from Puerto Rico or the U.S. mainland. Entry requirements for non-U.S. citizens are the same as for entering the United States from any foreign destination. Upon departure, a passport is required for all but U.S. citizens . The territory is a "free port" in a separate customs zone from the mainland United States; this means that everyone going to the mainland must go through customs, even though there are no customs when arriving from the mainland. A passport is recommended to make returning easier, and you'll have to plan your purchases accordingly and leave a little extra time to make your departing flight.

By plane[edit]



Direct flights into St. Thomas can be found from Charlotte, Miami, New York-JFK and Philadelphia on American Airlines, Atlanta and JFK on Delta Air Lines, Ft. Lauderdale on Spirit Airlines, and Newark, Houston, Washington-Dulles and Chicago-O'Hare on United Airlines.

Direct flights into St. Croix can be found from Charlotte (seasonal) and Miami on American Airlines and Atlanta (twice weekly) on Delta Air Lines. St. Croix can also be easily reached from the mainland via St. Thomas by flying Cape Air (which flies between the St. Thomas and St. Croix airports) or Seaborne Airlines (which flies seaplanes between Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and Christiansted, St. Croix).

By boat[edit]

Ferries run between all three US Virgin Islands, as well as to and from the British Virgin Islands and, on a seasonal basis, Puerto Rico. Note that, when returning from the British Virgin Islands, everyone, including U.S. citizens, is required to pass through customs and a T.S.A. screening. Especially when traveling with a large number of other people, such as on a ferry, this can add two to three hours to the travel time.

Get around[edit]


By car[edit]



Unlike other U.S. territories, traffic on the Virgin Islands moves on the left. To add to the confusion, unlike most other places where traffic moves on the left, most cars in the Virgin Islands are left-hand drive as they are usually imported from the U.S. mainland. Potholes are large and numerous, similar to the end of a particularly snowy New England winter. Drivers often either slow to around 5 mph or swing into oncoming traffic when encountering the larger holes. For both reasons, one should always pay extra attention when driving and watch out for drivers who drive on the wrong side of the road. Unmarked one-way streets, very narrow two-ways streets, lack of lane striping, and a high incidence of drunk driving also contribute to the relatively high accident rate among drivers on the Virgin Islands.

To avoid collisions on hairpin turns in the mountainous areas, stay left and slow to 5 mph. Some unpaved mountain roads require four-wheel drive, and some drainage ditches wash across the paved roads in the rain forest. There are generally no sidewalks outside of the towns, so pedestrians and bicycles frequently travel along the side of the main road.


By taxi and bus[edit]



By boat[edit]




Lastly, for a one-stop resource that lists charter companies operating in the U.S. Virgin Islands, consider visiting the Virgin Island Charter Yacht League's site. The site lists pictures as well as contact information for charters ranging from monohull to power yacht.




Beautiful sightseeing


Take a tour by jeep and boat around the island or sit on the white sandy beaches. Explore the island and stop at the beaches and spend all day snorkeling. Take a guided kayak tour or snorkeling tour in Coral Bay Miles of hiking trails criss-cross the entire island. Maps are available from the U.S. Park Service office in Cruz Bay. Ranger guided hikes can also be scheduled for a small fee at the same office. Visit the Annaberg Sugar Plantations and try some local Johnny cake Travel to Coral Bay and visit other popular beaches such as Salt Pond. Visit some of the smaller bays like Denis Bay and Little Cinnamon. They can be a treck compared to trunk but are well worth it when you have a tropical beach to yourself. Visit the beach at Trunk Bay, rated one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Great place to Snorkel. The beach facilities include food, drink and showers.










For a listing of restaurants on the island, see GoToStCroix. Great local food can be found at Harvey's (stew goat), Singh's (roti) and Norma at the Domino Club in the rain forest always has something cooking.



  • Unlike the US Mainland, the drinking age in the Virgin Islands is 18.




To learn about history and culture, visit St. Croix's historic landmarks. St. Croix is home to two forts (one in each waterfront town) and numerous historic buildings. Tours are available at Government House in Christiansted. Whim Great House and the Laweatz Museum offer tours. There is even a self-guided island tour called the Heritage Tour, maps are available at various places.





Stay safe[edit]

Some parts of St.Thomas, especially Charlotte Amalie, can be risky at night. Drug and other related crime is a problem. The USVI has the 7th highest homicide rate in the world and is the most violent place in the U.S. Tourists should exercise caution when getting around as some neighborhoods can be dangerous, even if a well-known restaurant is in this neighborhood. It is advised to take a taxi if you are going anywhere especially at night. This is the only US territory where driving on the left side of the road is still practiced. There are many theories as to why this is. One theory is due to the prior use of the donkey as a main mode of transportation. Islanders would drive on the left to see how close they were getting to the edge of the many steep and cliff-like roadways. The original donkey trails were then paved over to create what are now the roadways today. Another theory is that as a Danish colony, the Danish West Indies were heavily British-influenced, due to an unwillingness among Danish people to relocate to the Danish colony. This British influence explains the widespread use of the English language even before the United States purchased the islands from Denmark in 1917.

Despite the left-side traffic, cars on the island are generally imported from the mainland U.S. and are left-hand drive. For drivers used to right-side traffic, the switch is pretty easy to make, though you will need to put more conscious thought into turns than normal. In general, other traffic provides an immediate reminder which side to choose; it's easier to forget if you're the only car on the road, but there are fewer cars to crash into in that case. The terror of flying past on the wrong side of traffic will pass after the first few cars, and the readjustment back home to right-hand driving will be a pleasant reminder of your trip. In short, don't be afraid of renting a car no matter which side of the road you normally drive on.

St. John is a relatively safe island but usual caution is advised when leaving your car unattended, especially at secluded beaches such as Salt Pond Bay. Your car is not a safe and yes, thieves WILL look under the front seat for your wallet.

Stay healthy[edit]






Go next[edit]

18.3500; -64.9333Map mag.png