Guide to St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
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We absolutely loved St. Thomas and exploring the U.S. Virgin Islands. St. Thomas is a vibrant and picturesque island located in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea. It is a popular tourist destination known for its stunning beaches, crystal-clear waters, and rich history. We hope that this guide will help you plan your trip to St. Thomas or maybe even consider this beautiful destination that you may have not thought about before.
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Quick Tips For The Virgin Islands:
Keep Left! Driving is on the left in the Virgin Islands
Island time is real - things are slow!
Everyone is super friendly if you’re willing to spark up conversation.
Use good morning, good afternoon, and goodnight when greeting locals.
There isn’t any recycling here so do your best to reduce! Bring a reusable water bottle, coffee mug, and tumbler. They go through plastic here like nobody’s business!
The sun & the rum are strong! The sun is stronger here as are the drinks. Keep hydrated and protected.
Here is our full travel guide to keep in mind before and during your travels to St. Thomas
Transportation
Airport
The easiest way to get to St. Thomas is by air. Cyril E. King Airport is the main airport on the island and receives flights from major cities in the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean. You can also get to the island by ferry from neighboring islands like St. John or the British Virgin Islands.
Give yourself extra time when you arrive if you have checked bags. Welcome to island time where things happen when someone feels like making them happen.
Speaking of island time, plan to arrive 2 hours before your flight on the way home to clear customs and security (especially if you don’t have precheck.) We found that we got through really fast but it can vary from day to day and how many people are traveling.
Customs: Keep in mind that each person is allowed to bring back a limited amount of alcohol, tobacco, and goods, tax-free. You can take a four-pack of alcohol (5 if its Cruzan Rum or Captian Morgan) excluding 151 since it’s too flammable for an airplane (lol!) and 100 cigars or 5 cartons of cigarettes per person. They will ask you to declare everything at customs and want to see receipts.
You are not allowed to leave the islands with coral, seashells, plants, or any other native species to avoid unwanted pests into the states.
Rent a car
Renting a car on St. Thomas is a great way to get around if you want more freedom to explore the island. You can either rent at the airport or at their other locations around the island. We decided to use Budget Rent-a-Car and only rented for two days towards the end of our trip. It worked perfectly for us because it allowed us to get our bearings on the island and save money for the rest of the week.
Things to note when driving:
KEEP LEFT! They drive on the left side of the road here which takes a bit of getting used to but actually makes more sense on a small island with tight and winding roads. You can check your mirror on the left and see how much room you can safely give the other guy.
A quick double honk shows thanks when someone lets you into traffic or gives you the right away. Feel free to respond with a double honk too as a “you’re welcome”
People drive pretty fast and don’t really move out of the way so stay alert! And watch for donkeys crossing on St. John.
Taxis
Taxis are king. You won’t find Uber here and unless you rent a car, taxis will become your best friend (or worst enemy!) They usually charge per person and will add a fee for any bags. We found that to get around the island we were paying $10 a person + tip. But just locally was usually $4 a person + tip.
Chat with your drivers! They are super friendly and gave us the best recommendations for hidden places on the island.
Where to stay
St. Thomas has a wide range of accommodations to suit every budget. From luxury resorts and villas to budget-friendly hotels and hostels, you can find something that meets your needs. Popular areas to stay include Charlotte Amalie, the island's capital, and the East End, where many of the island's resorts are located.
Air B&B
There are lots of AirB&Bs around the island but keep in mind, the further up in the hills you are, the harder it will be to get a taxi to and from. Also, we found out the back streets of Charlotte Amalie where we were staying is technically not safe at night. Even to the point where when we told some locals where we were staying (one block away) they said we should take a cab! However, another local said to just walk with determination. Keep this in mind and judge your own intuition and comfort levels. The pro to staying in Charlotte Amalie is that it’s centrally located and fun to walk around downtown.
Resorts and Villas
This isn’t really our thing so we don’t have a lot to report on these but we did spend a decent amount of time at the beach at Secret Harbor and loved the hotel there. It was quiet, clean, and not commercialized. Everyone was also really friendly and welcoming. We also heard good things about Margaritaville and the Ritz.
Food & Drink
St. Thomas is home to a diverse range of restaurants offering everything from Caribbean cuisine to international favorites. Some popular local dishes to try include conch fritters, johnnycakes, and fish tacos. You can also find plenty of restaurants serving vegetarian and vegan options.
Food here is not cheap! Everything has to be imported to the island other than fruits and veggies and of course, RUM! You’re almost better off eating out the whole time instead of buying groceries. Cereal was $10 a box and soup was $8 a can just you give you a rough idea.
We bought some fruit, breakfast things and snacks and ate out the rest of the time. Someone we met on St. Thomas said he always checks a bag of groceries from home!
Here are some of our favorite places we ate on St. Thomas
1.) Prime at Paradise Point
Sip and dine during sunset as you look out over the harbors of St. Thomas and views of St. Croix. We loved the food and view from here! It’s definitely on the pricier side but not very different from everything else around town. (see photos below)
2.) Cafe Amilia and Cafe Amici
We only had the chance to eat at Cafe Amalia but we heard great things about both places. Again, pricy but worth it! At Cafe Amalia, the clams in green sauce are a MUST!
3.) Pasta Go-Go
This was the perfect little spot for coffee, breakfast, and lunch with very reasonable prices. Great place to grab sandwiches to go for the beach too.
4.) Side Street Pub
We just had a quick burger and drink here during lunch one of the days but the whole menu looked great and the staff was super friendly and welcoming.
A Bushwacker and Jerk Chicken on Water Island
A few others that we didn’t get to but heard great things:
Tickles
Petite Pump Room
Hook Line and Sinker
Oceana
Gladys Cafe
Most beaches have a restaurant with bar food. Some are better than others. We were actually pleasantly surprised by the food at Magens Bay Beach. Again though, be ready to pay high prices for a small amount of food.
Drinks & Bars
What everyone really comes here for! St. Thomas has a lively nightlife scene, with bars and clubs offering everything from live music to DJs spinning the latest hits. Popular spots include Red Hook, the East End's hub for nightlife, and Charlotte Amalie's waterfront area.
Rum is practically free-flowing from the ground here in the Caribbean! Get ready for “island pours” where most of your drink is liquor with just a little bit of mixers. Rum is cheaper than the mixers for most restaurants so they will happily over pour! Leaving you feeling quite happy as well.
Feel free to drink anywhere! Open container laws allow you to get drinks to go. It’s even legal to drink in the car and while driving. Drunk driving, however, still is illegal.
Margaritaville is great place to find fancy drinks not in plastic cups! (Finally!)
Secret Harbor has the best sunset views and great drinks and food. They have a bar food menu as well as an upscale dinner menu.
Tickles has awesome bloody marys and a is a great spot to wait for the ferry to Water Island.
Our favorite drinks
Pain Killers - Rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, cream of coconut. It’s a favorite here and SO good!
Bushwacker - The alcoholic milkshake! Need we say more? These are strong and will give you the best beach day ever!
Paddlewacker - A Bushwacker but with peanut butter. Even better.
Piña Coladas - If you like Piña Coladas and getting caught in the rain…
Favorite bars
Duffys Love Shack - See photos below. This place makes super cool and fun drinks in souvenir cups. You can even take home the toy sharks and all the other weird things that they add to your drinks. When you walk in, you get leid!
Dingys on Water Island - We mostly loved the bartenders here but loved the chill laid back vibe and Carribean jams.
Rum Island Pub - Owned by the coolest couple, Christine and Ryan who moved to USVI from the states and decided to open this cute little bar in Charlotte Amalie.
All the jewelry shops - You can basically get all the free booze you’ll ever need from the jewelry shops. Just pretend you “might” be interested, chat up the salespeople and you got yourself some free drinks.
There are lots of cool bars on St. Thomas but we only made it to a few. Again, every beach has a bar and every corner has a bar so you can’t go wrong!
Things to do
Explore Charlotte Amalie & Surrounding Area
St. Thomas has a rich history, with many historical sites and landmarks to explore. The island was first settled by the Danish in the 17th century and was later sold to the United States in 1917. Today, visitors can explore historic sites like Fort Christian, the oldest standing structure in the Virgin Islands, and the 99 Steps, a steep staircase that was built in the 18th century.
99 steps - great views and a good workout! The staircase was built by the Danes in the mid-1700s to assist with the hilly climbs.
Blackbeard’s Castle - Closed currently due to hurricane damage but looks cool.
Fort Christian - Said to be the oldest structure in use in the US Virgin Islands and originally used for protection and later, a jail, church, and police station. Today it’s a museum for historical artifacts
Shopping - Lots of jewelry, watches, and tourist crap! But still fun to walk around and search for unique finds.
Paradise Point - We decided to take a taxi to the top instead of taking the tram since it was $21 a person (yes we can be cheap on these trips sometimes!) The view was breathtaking and we were both pleasantly surprised by the overall experience at the top. Prime restaurant was so good and very accommodating for the photos that we needed to take. We even ended up getting a free tram ride down. It pays to make friends with everyone!
Drakes Seat - We didn’t get a chance to go up here but it has great views of Magens Bay and named after Sir Francis Drake.
Mountain Top - didn’t get to go here either but it’s home of the Banana Daiquiri.
Zipline - Another thing we didn’t get a chance to do but looked super fun!
Another popular attraction in St. Thomas is the duty-free shopping. The island is home to many high-end boutiques and jewelry stores, as well as souvenir shops and local markets. The capital city of Charlotte Amalie is particularly known for its shopping, with bustling streets lined with shops and vendors.
Looking for some photo tips and camera equipment for your trip? Check out this video!
Fort Christian in Charlotte Amalie
Sunset views from around the island
Shopping in downtown Charlotte Amalie
Views from 99 Steps
Best Beaches on St. Thomas
One of the main attractions of St. Thomas is its beautiful beaches. The island has over 40 beaches, ranging from secluded coves to long stretches of white sand. Some of the most popular beaches include Magens Bay, Lindquist Beach, and Coki Point Beach, which offer opportunities for swimming, snorkeling, and sunbathing.
Secret Harbor - By far one of our favorite beaches! Let’s just leave it at that :)
Magens Bay - Huge gorgeous beach with shady spots, picnic tables, a restaurant and bar, restrooms, and some neighborhood iguanas. $5 a person to enter and optional rentals for chairs, paddleboards, and snorkel gear.
Linguist Beach - Another favorite! Part of Smith Bay Park and nice and quiet. Lots of shady spots, restrooms, and picnic tables. There isn’t a restaurant or bar here but a few people walk around selling water and rum punch! Entrance fee is $5 and $2 to park
Sapphire Beach - This beach was still beautiful but more crowded and not our favorite. It has a restaurant and bar, resort, rentals, and more.
Honeymoon Beach, Water Island - Big beautiful beach with free chairs, equipment rentals, and a floating bar.
Didn’t Visit but heard good things
Coki Point - We heard this is a great spot for snorkeling and has a restaurant, bar, rentals, and is close to Coral World Ocean Park
Hull Bay, Brewers Bay, Bolongo Bay, Turtle Cove, Dorothea Bay
Day trips
St. John
We decided to do a day trip to St. John on our last day and absolutely loved it!! We got to check Virgin Islands National Park off the list, take one of the highly recommended Virgin Islands Eco Tours, and lounge on the pristine beaches.
We highly recommend Trunk Bay (early in the morning), Honeymoon Beach, and Hawks Nest Bay, although you can’t go wrong with really any beach here! We didn’t get to the east or south side of the island and heard that these beaches are breathtaking.
We took a 3-hour snorkeling and kayak tour with Virgin Island Ecotours and got to go to the private beach of Caneel and Scott Beach. It was an incredible experience to see sea turtles, rays, and lots of tropical fish.
Places to eat on St. John:
There are lots of great restaurants in Cruz and Coral Bay but we just did a quick stop at Northshore Deli, Provisions Coffee, and Irie Pops! None of which disappointed!
IMPORTANT NOTE: We took our rental car on the car ferry but we think it might be better to take the passenger ferry and rent a car on St. John. Reasons being, the last car ferry is at 5:30 and you won’t want to leave that soon and an adventure jeep is really much more ideal for the island.
British Virgin Islands
The BVIs are absolutely beautiful and you can’t beat the pristine beaches. I did a sailing trip with my family when I was in high school and remember being in constant awe everywhere I looked.
There are lots of day tours and boat trips that go out from St. Thomas. Just be sure to bring a passport!
St.Croix
We didn’t get to go to St. Croix so we can’t give too much info on it but heard it’s a fun day trip and place to stay.
Water Island
We loved Water Island and Honeymoon Beach! It was quiet and everyone becomes friends on the boat ride over. It felt like our own private paradise and by the end of the day we knew almost everyone on the beach and made friends with the bartenders. The food wasn’t great but the drinks were excellent!
Boat Trip
Whether you charter a boat, take a fishing trip, do a booze cruise, or just explore the seas for the day, this will definitely not disappoint!
Extra tips to know before you go:
It’s the US but it’s also “not”. As many of the locals told us, “this is not the US!” While US law does apply, don’t expect things to be the way they are at home. For example, you can drink and drive, go anywhere with alcohol in your hand, and most people genuinely don’t give a shit about most things that we may complain about as Americans.
Put your phone in airplane mode on the east end of the island and on St John. The cell signal drifts over from the BVIs and your phone may pick up some international charges.
Bring Cash! As you probably already know, ATMs from random banks charge a hefty fee. We always forget to bring cash and end up just dealing with the fees but it’s smart to plan ahead!
Use TripAdvisor. While we normally don’t love the app, it is extremely helpful here and everything is reviewed on here instead of yelp. This is also one of the easiest ways to find places to eat and things to do. If you go on Trip Advisor and type in Things to Do In St. Thomas, a whole bunch of awesome tours come up with great reviews.
Use Reef Safe Sunscreen. Check your sunscreen before going into the water. Most sunscreen that you by in the Virgin Islands will say if it’s Reef Safe.
Bring towels or use Kmart for everything you forgot! We totally forgot towels and really didn’t have room for them anyway. Kmart has cute plain colored ones for $6 as well as all the other creature comforts of home that you may have forgotten.
Don’t overpack you won’t wear much. We both made the mistake of bringing too many clothes. To be honest, we spent the entire week in bathing suits and beach cover-ups/shorts& t-shirts. I brought a sweater thinking I’d be cold at night (rookie mistake) although it can get chilly in air-conditioned places.
Check the cruise schedule. It will be extra busy and touristy in town and on the popular beaches (like Magens Bay) when more than 2 cruise ships are docked. Check online and plan accordingly.
Duty-free isn’t really duty-free. Each US visitor can take up to $1600 worth of duty-free items into the US every 30 days. Most international destinations have a limit of $400-$800 so this is higher than other places but keep in mind when someone is trying to sell you a $5000 + piece of jewelry, you will be paying tax on it!
Greet people with “good morning”, “good afternoon”, and “goodnight” (not good evening) at the appropriate times of the day. The locals will be much friendlier and welcoming towards you if you adopt their culture.
Get used to Island Time. Things are slow! People are very relaxed - probably the sun and the rum! Nothing happens too quickly. Other than driving - we noticed people definitely don’t drive the way they operate business!
Everyone is so friendly. Don’t let people tell you otherwise. As long as you are open to chatting, friendly, and respectful, everyone will treat you like long lost pals.
Drinking water is safe. We were told and read that the tap water in St. Thomas is fine to drink. We drank it all week with no issues. However, we also heard that it sits in a tank and can sit in the lines for awhile giving it a bad taste. You’ll notice though that everyone here seems to be plastic happy and wants to keep giving you water in plastic bottles and cups so we tried to cut back on that as much as we could.
Try to reduce your carbon footprint. Unfortunately, there isn’t recycling on the island and everything goes in the trash. Including glass UGH!!! Bring a reusable water bottle, coffee mug, and tumbler. Most bars are willing to fill your reusable cup instead of using their plastic cups. It’s really really bad - anything we can do to prevent this, truly helps!!
You’ll be connected. There is cell signal and almost everywhere has good wifi - Most restaurants and coffee shops have wifi and we had full Verizon LTE most of the trip. St. John didn’t have Verizon service other than in the main town area.
You won’t want to go home. It’s easy to leave a little piece of your heart in these islands. Probably a major reason why so many people end up moving there from the states! Hey, we’re very tempted!!
We hope you enjoyed this guide to St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. It’s funny how you can travel to a place without knowing anything about it and maybe feeling a little lost and unsure but then leave feeling like it’s a new home and that you’ve left a little piece of you behind.
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