--- title: "St. John, USVI: A National Park Island 20 Minutes by Ferry" url: https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john description: "St. John, USVI: where to stay by area with measured drive times, the national park beaches, the ferry from St. Thomas, and the weather month by month." updated: 2026-10-21 source: https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john --- *Trunk Bay and Trunk Cay from the North Shore Road overlook on St. John, under broken cloud.* US Virgin Islands # St. John, US Virgin Islands St. John is the smallest of the three main US Virgin Islands, and almost 58 percent of its land is national park. There is no airport; the way in is a 20-minute ferry from St. Thomas. Cruz Bay is the town, the North Shore has the beaches, Coral Bay is the quiet end, and the hills ask for a car. The land Most of the land is park. The North Shore beaches sit inside it, and only Trunk Bay charges entry: $5 a person, 16 and over, paid by card or phone at the gate. Arriving There is no airport. Every flight lands on St. Thomas, and the crossing is by boat: the 20-minute ferry from Red Hook, or the barge with a car. Staying Houses, not hotels. St. John has very few hotels. Renting a house is not the cheaper way to stay here; it is the normal one, and the owner is the person who answers you. ## Where to stay on St. John Stay in Cruz Bay to walk to the ferry and the restaurants. Stay at Great Cruz Bay or Chocolate Hole for the water, and in Coral Bay for the quiet end, 28 minutes from the ferry over the mountain road. Area to stay Beach (a palm) Ferry dock, car barge Capital, main town Ferry route US and British waters Park land [Open the full map](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/map) [Every island on one map](https://virginislandvilla.com/virgin-islands/map) St. Thomas, St. John and the British Virgin Islands together, with the border, the airports and the ferry docks. ### [Great Cruz Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/areas/great-cruz-bay) Great Cruz Bay is the resort side of St. John: a sheltered bay on the southwest coast with the Westin St. John Resort Villas at its head and private houses on the slopes behind. It suits a family that wants a pool, calm water and a house rather than a hotel room, and does not mind driving to dinner. [1 villa in Great Cruz Bay, from $4,000](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/areas/great-cruz-bay) 12 min drive to town - Calm swimming - On the beach - Sunset side ### [Cruz Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/areas/cruz-bay) Cruz Bay is St. John's ferry town and the one place on the island where dinner is a walk: the dock, the restaurants, the National Park visitor center and the grocery sit a few streets apart. It suits a first visit or a short one. You do not need a car to stay here, but we recommend one, because the beaches are a drive. [No villas here yet: read the Cruz Bay guide](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/areas/cruz-bay) - Walk to dinner - Grocery in town - Liveliest at night ### [Chocolate Hole](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/areas/chocolate-hole) Chocolate Hole is the hillside and small bay just past Great Cruz Bay on St. John's south shore: private houses with pools and water views, close enough that dinner in town is a short drive. It suits a party that wants a house and a view more than a beach, and a car for the steep driveways. [No villas here yet: read the Chocolate Hole guide](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/areas/chocolate-hole) 7 min drive to town ### [Rendezvous Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/areas/rendezvous-bay) Rendezvous Bay is a quiet residential bay on St. John's south shore, private villas above Klein Bay and Ditleff Point, with no shop or restaurant and a small beach below the point. It suits a group that wants a house above the water and will drive for everything else. How you reach the sand depends on the house. [No villas here yet: read the Rendezvous Bay guide](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/areas/rendezvous-bay) 19 min drive to town [Compare all 13 areas side by side](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/areas) ## St. John beaches Trunk Bay has the marked snorkel trail, showers and a snack bar. The park names Maho Bay for sea turtles, and Maho and Francis as the North Shore bays that winter swell troubles least. **Calmest today, Oct 23:** [Trunk Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/trunk-bay), [Caneel Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/caneel) and [Cinnamon Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/cinnamon-bay). From the morning swell against the way each bay opens, our read from the map; each beach page has the numbers. - *Trunk Bay, St. John, from the overlook: the white beach, Trunk Cay and turquoise water* [Trunk Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/trunk-bay) Trunk Bay is the North Shore beach with the underwater snorkel trail. - Sheltered today - Entry fee - Snorkel trail - *A St. John north shore bay from the road overlook: a curved beach, a dock and sailboats at anchor* [Caneel Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/caneel) Caneel Bay Resort has stood closed since the hurricanes of 2017. - Sheltered today - Free - *A bare tree on a rocky shore with surf breaking and turquoise water behind, U.S. Virgin Islands.* [Cinnamon Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/cinnamon-bay) Cinnamon Bay is one of the longest beaches in Virgin Islands National Park. - Sheltered today - Free - Longest beach - *A palm trunk on a sandy beach with calm water and a green hillside behind, U.S. Virgin Islands.* [Honeymoon Beach](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/honeymoon-beach) Honeymoon Beach on St. John is a park beach you walk to. - Sheltered today - Free - Restrooms - *A hand-painted "Good Vibes" sign marked MAHO on the back of a trailer at Maho, St. John.* [Maho Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/maho-bay) Maho Bay is where St. John's sea turtles graze. - Sheltered today - Free - Turtles - *A freediver swimming along an underwater rock wall, light through the surface, US Virgin Islands* [Waterlemon Cay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/waterlemon) Waterlemon Cay is the island off Leinster Bay with some of the richest snorkeling on St. John. - Sheltered today - Free - Walk in - *Hawksnest Beach, St. John: shaded sand, sea grape and palm, green hills across the bay.* [Hawksnest Beach](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/hawksnest) Hawksnest Beach is a short, shaded park beach on St. John's North Shore, a few minutes' drive from Cruz Bay, with three fingers of elkhorn coral running out from the sand. - Sheltered today - Free - Restrooms - *Oppenheimer Beach, St. John: two leaning palms and their shadows on white sand, boats in the bay.* [Oppenheimer (Gibney) Beach](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/oppenheimer) Oppenheimer Beach and Gibney Beach are two names for one quiet stretch of sand on Hawksnest Bay. - Sheltered today - Free - *A sailboat on a mooring in calm blue water under green hills, St. John.* [Francis Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/francis-bay) Francis Bay is the last North Shore beach on St. John you can drive to. - Sheltered today - Free - *Aerial view of Salt Pond Bay, St. John: boats on moorings in a narrow turquoise bay* [Salt Pond Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/salt-pond) Salt Pond Bay is a long, curved beach on St. John's south shore, inside the national park and calm most days, with turtles over the seagrass and trails to Drunk Bay and Ram Head. - Sheltered today - Free - Restrooms - *Aerial view of Hansen Bay, St. John's East End: a white beach under a green hill, reef offshore* [Hansen Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/hansen-bay) Hansen Bay beach is a short, quiet stretch of sand at the far East End of St. John, past Coral Bay and outside the national park. - Sheltered today - Free - *White sand curving to a rocky point at Solomon Beach, St. John, with turquoise shallows in full sun.* [Solomon Beach](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/solomon) Solomon Beach on St. John is the first beach on the Lind Point Trail. - Sheltered today - Free - *Clear shallows over rock at Jumbie Beach, St. John, with a rocky point and cactus on the left* [Jumbie Beach](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/jumbie) Jumbie Beach is a small, hidden cove on St. John's North Shore, tucked below the road between Hawksnest and Trunk Bay and reached by a flight of wooden stairs. - Some swell today - Free - *A roofless stone ruin above Lameshur Bay, St. John, with a catamaran at anchor behind it* [Lameshur Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/lameshur) Lameshur Bay is two free national park beaches on the quiet south shore of St. John. - Some swell today - Free - [Frank Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/frank-bay) Frank Bay is the town beach on St. John. - Sheltered today - Free - *The curve of white sand at Denis Bay, St. John, with palms and a green hillside behind* [Denis Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/denis-bay) Denis Bay beach on St. John, sometimes written Dennis Bay, is a North Shore beach no road reaches: you leave the car at the Peace Hill lot and walk a few minutes down a side path. - Sheltered today - Free - *Aerial view of Haulover Bay, St. John's East End: a pale beach, the road behind, turquoise shallows* [Haulover Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/haulover) Haulover Bay is two beaches at one roadside stop on the East End of St. John. - Some swell today - Free - *Lounge chairs and thatched umbrellas under palms along the sand at Great Cruz Bay, St. John* [Great Cruz Bay Beach](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/great-cruz-bay) Great Cruz Bay Beach is the sand in front of the Westin St. John Resort Villas. - Sheltered today - Free [Compare all 18 beaches](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches) ## Villas on St. John, listed by their owners [Indo House Great Cruz Bay, St. John · 4 bedrooms From $4,000 / night](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/villas/indo-house) Featured How booking works here You write to the owner. They set the price. Your note goes to the person who owns the house, with your dates and party size. They reply, quote you and take the booking. Nothing is charged here and we never take a percentage. [All St. John rentals](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/vacation-rentals) [St. John villas by bedrooms](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/villas) [How it works](https://virginislandvilla.com/how-it-works) [Beachfront](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/vacation-rentals/beachfront) [Luxury](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/vacation-rentals/luxury) [By owner](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/vacation-rentals/by-owner) ## Getting to St. John The usual way: a taxi to the Red Hook ferry terminal (36 min), then the ferry to Cruz Bay (20 min, $8.15 a person). About 56 minutes from Cyril E. King airport to St. John, more on cruise-ship days. Two other ways across are below, with times and fares. 1. 1 · Fly To St. Thomas (STT). St. John has no airport of its own. 2. 2 · Taxi The airport to Red Hook is 36 minutes by road, more on cruise-ship days. From the Cruz Bay dock, Trunk Bay is $12 for one rider, $9 each for two or more, on the Taxicab Commission's 2022 tariff. 3. 3 · Ferry 20 minutes from Red Hook to Cruz Bay, about hourly, $8.15 an adult one way per Transportation Services of St. John, October 2026. Plan around a 10 pm last boat. 4. 4 · Car Rent a car in Cruz Bay, or take one across on the barge from Red Hook, $65 one way on the operators' rates pages as of October 2026. A St. Thomas rental crosses only if its company allows it. - Taxi to Red Hook, then the ferry The route most guests take. The taxi is the long part; allow extra on cruise-ship days.56 min $8.15 a person - Taxi to Crown Bay, then the Inter Island boat The closest boat to the airport and the fastest door to dock, but two sailings a day, four Friday to Sunday. It lands at Cruz Bay Creek, not the main ferry dock.43 min $20 a person - The car barge Only with your own car, or a rental whose company allows the crossing: National and Discount Car Rental say theirs may go (their own pages, 2026-10-09), so ask yours first. Most people rent on St. John. The crossing is about 25 minutes, per Love City Car Ferries.$65 a car one way Four more ways across, with fares, timetables and operators. [St. Thomas to St. John ferry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/ferry) Fares and crossing times from the operators’ own timetables (VITRAN, run by Transportation Services and Varlack Ventures; Inter Island Boat Services; Big Red Barge, Love City Car Ferries and Global Marine), checked 2026-10-09. Trunk Bay entry from the National Park Service fee schedule. ## When to go to St. John On NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals, February and March are the driest months, at 1.9 inches of rain each, and they book first. The storm risk sits from August to October, the rain from September to November. - Jan: dry and busy - Feb: dry and busy - Mar: dry and busy - Apr: dry and busy - May: quieter, warmer sea - Jun: quieter, warmer sea - Jul: quieter, warmer sea - Aug: quieter, warmer sea - Sep: the most rain - Oct: the most rain - Nov: the most rain - Dec: dry and busy - **High season** · dry and busy - **Shoulder** · quieter, warmer sea - **Wet season** · the most rain ### Seasons #### High season Dec – Apr Highs of 84 to 86 and the driest stretch of the year. In 34 seasons one storm has passed within 100 km in these months, in December. #### Shoulder May – Aug Highs of 87 to 90, the sea at 83 to 85, and a quieter island. August brings 6 of the 19 storms on the 34-season record. #### Wet season Sep – Nov The three wettest months, November the wettest at 6.1 inches. September and October hold 10 of the 19 storms, so buy insurance with the deposit. [St. John weather by month](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/weather) Rain, sea temperature, the hurricane record and the rate index, month by month. ## More about St. John - [Things to do in St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/things-to-do) St. John is mostly national park, and nearly all the things to do in St. John follow from that: North Shore beaches with reefs a short swim off the sand, more than twenty trails and sugar mill ruins, most of it free. - [Cruz Bay to Jost Van Dyke](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/things-to-do/jost-van-dyke) The boat from Cruz Bay to Jost Van Dyke runs three days a week, one ferry out in the morning and one back from Great Harbour at 3:30 pm. - [Hiking in St. John: the Reef Bay Trail and six more](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/things-to-do/hiking) The Reef Bay Trail is the hike St. John is known for, about three miles from Centerline Road down through the ruins of four sugar estates to the sea, counting the side trail to a waterfall and petroglyphs. - [Kayaking and paddleboarding on St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/things-to-do/kayaking) The best kayaking on St. John is in the North Shore coves, tucked out of the trade winds, with Maho and Francis holding up best when a winter swell comes in. - [Scuba diving on St. John, Virgin Islands](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/things-to-do/diving) Scuba diving on St. John, in the US Virgin Islands, is mostly a boat day. - [Shopping in St. John, USVI, from Mongoose Junction to Coral Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/things-to-do/shopping) Shopping on St. John, USVI, is a small-town affair, and that is the appeal. - [St. John snorkeling, from the beach and by boat](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/things-to-do/snorkeling) St. John snorkeling is mostly a matter of walking in from the beach. - [The Lind Point Trail from Cruz Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/things-to-do/lind-point-trail) The Lind Point Trail is the hike you can start from the ferry. - [The Ram Head Trail on St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/things-to-do/ram-head-trail) The Ram Head Trail leaves the far end of Salt Pond Bay for the headland at St. John's southern tip: just under a mile of narrow, rocky path, across a beach of round cobbles and up to an overlook with sea on three sides. - [Virgin Islands National Park](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/things-to-do/national-park) Virgin Islands National Park takes in almost 58 percent of St. John's land, in the US Virgin Islands: the North Shore beaches and the reefs off them, the sugar ruins and more than 20 trails. - [Where to see sea turtles on St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/things-to-do/sea-turtles) On St. John the turtles keep better hours than the people do. - [St. John resorts or a villa?](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/villa-vs-resort) Most lists of St. John resorts run long, but only three take overnight guests: Gallows Point Resort in Cruz Bay, Lovango Resort & Beach Club on its own cay, and the Westin at Great Cruz Bay. - [The Westin St. John or a villa nearby?](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/westin-vs-villa) The Westin St. John is a vacation-ownership resort on Great Cruz Bay that also rents, and it suits a short stay with young children: a kids club, a big pool and the beach on foot. - [St. John carnival, 8 Tuff Miles and the island's year](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/events) St. John carnival is the St. John Celebration, also called the St. John Festival: a run of steel pan nights, village nights and boat races in Cruz Bay that builds to J'ouvert on July 3 and the parade and fireworks on July 4. - [St. John charter boats and boat rentals](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/experiences/boat-charters) A St. John charter boat almost always collects you in Cruz Bay and takes your party around the USVI, to Jost Van Dyke or into the BVI. - [Fishing charters on St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/experiences/fishing) Fishing on St. John means a private boat for up to six, and each of the St. John, USVI fishing charters here collects you in Cruz Bay. - [St. John USVI photographers for family and proposal shoots](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/experiences/photographers) Most people hire a St. John, USVI photographer for one hour at the edge of the day: a family barefoot at the waterline, a proposal on an empty beach, a honeymoon portrait on the villa deck. - [Private chefs and catering on St. John USVI](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/experiences/private-chefs) A private chef on St. John, USVI cooks dinner in the villa kitchen and leaves it clean, and four island chefs print what that costs, $95 to $219 a person, before gratuity and often a minimum spend. - [Snorkeling tours on St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/experiences/snorkel-tours) St. John snorkeling tours earn their price on the reefs a swimmer cannot reach: the offshore cays, the East End, a guided turtle swim. - [St. John water sports rentals, from paddleboards to snorkel gear](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/experiences/water-sports) St. John water sports are the quiet kind: snorkel gear, paddleboards and kayaks, rented by the week in Cruz Bay or by the hour on the beach. - [St. John wedding venues and planners](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/experiences/weddings) St. John wedding venues sell the setting and the rooms together: a resort lawn in Cruz Bay or a private cay reached by boat, with the site fee tied to your guests' room nights. - [Car ferry from St. Thomas to St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/car-barge) The car ferry from St. Thomas to St. John is a barge: it leaves the ramp at Red Hook, crosses in about 25 minutes and lands at Enighed Pond, just south of the Cruz Bay passenger dock. - [How to get around St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/getting-around) The easiest way to get around St. John is a rental Jeep. - [How to get to St. John: airfare to St. Thomas, then a ferry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/getting-there) Airfare to St. John, US Virgin Islands, is really airfare to St. Thomas. - [St. John island weather forecast, month by month](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/weather) The best time to visit St. John is February or March, the driest weeks of the year and the most expensive. - [St. John map](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/map) St. John is the smallest of the three main US Virgin Islands, just east of St. Thomas and 20 minutes by passenger ferry from Red Hook on St. Thomas, and it has no airport. - [St. Thomas to St. John ferry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/ferry) The ferry from St. Thomas to St. John leaves Red Hook, on the East End, about once an hour from early morning into the evening, and lands in the middle of Cruz Bay twenty minutes later. - [A St. John honeymoon, decided by the house and the road to it](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/guides/st-john-honeymoon) A St. John honeymoon is a week inside a national park, and the house you choose decides what kind of week it is. - [Annaberg Sugar Plantation](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/guides/annaberg-plantation) The Annaberg Sugar Plantation is the ruin of the largest sugar estate on St. John, on the hill above Leinster Bay inside Virgin Islands National Park. - [St. John day trips: a week planned by the drive](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/guides/st-john-itinerary) A week of St. John day trips works best ordered by the drive. - [St. John family guide: traveling with kids](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/guides/st-john-with-kids) A St. John family trip works best around the calm bays of the North Shore. - [All St. John guides](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/guides) Every beach, activity and planning page on the island, in one list ### Both US islands - [The US Virgin Islands, the facts](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi) The flag, the governor, the clock and the paperwork, in quick answers - [Vacation rentals on both US islands](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi/vacation-rentals) Every owner-listed villa on St. John and St. Thomas, at the owner’s rate - [The Virgin Islands: every planning guide](https://virginislandvilla.com/virgin-islands) Where the islands lie, whose they are, and the guides for each - [The Painkiller drink: the Virgin Islands recipe, two ways](https://virginislandvilla.com/virgin-islands/painkiller-recipe) The Painkiller drink is the Virgin Islands cocktail: dark rum, pineapple juice, orange juice and cream of coconut over ice, nutmeg grated on top. - [Driving in St. Thomas and St. John, US Virgin Islands](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi/driving-in-st-thomas-and-st-john) Driving in St. Thomas, USVI, and on St. John means keeping left on steep, winding hill roads that run slower than the map suggests. - [US Virgin Islands vs Puerto Rico: which suits your week](https://virginislandvilla.com/virgin-islands/usvi-vs-puerto-rico) Choosing between the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico is choosing how big a week you want. - [The US Caribbean islands, and where you can go without a passport](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi/us-caribbean-islands) Only two flags in the Caribbean are American, so the US Caribbean islands are a short list: Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix, a domestic flight for a US citizen, no passport, same dollar, same phone. - [St. Thomas time zone: the one clock the US Virgin Islands keep](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi/time-zone) St. Thomas and the rest of the US Virgin Islands keep Atlantic Standard Time, four hours behind UTC, and the clocks are left alone all year, so the St. Thomas time zone matches New York through the summer and runs an hour ahead of it in winter. - [The US Virgin Islands flag, and what it means](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi/flag) The US Virgin Islands flag is a white field with a yellow eagle between a blue V and I, the eagle carrying the shield of the United States, laurel in one talon and three arrows in the other. - [Virgin Islands wildlife and where to see it](https://virginislandvilla.com/virgin-islands/wildlife) The Virgin Islands wildlife you meet first is the kind that does not hide: an iguana the length of your arm on a stone wall in Charlotte Amalie, a donkey standing in the road over Coral Bay, a pelican folding into the water beside your towel. - [Planning a Virgin Islands wedding](https://virginislandvilla.com/virgin-islands/weddings) Two decisions make a Virgin Islands wedding: which side of the border, and how big. - [The US Virgin Islands short-term rental license and room tax](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi/usvi-short-term-rental-license-and-tax) Renting a villa by the week in the US Virgin Islands takes a short-term rental license from the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs and a room tax account with the Bureau of Internal Revenue. - [Wheelchair accessible travel on St. Thomas and St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi/accessible-virgin-islands) St. Thomas and St. John are steep islands, wheelchair accessible in part, and a week here turns on three things: a villa with a step-free way from the car to a bedroom, a ferry you can roll onto, and the few beaches with mats or paths to the water. - [What to wear in St. Thomas, and what to pack for the Virgin Islands](https://virginislandvilla.com/virgin-islands/what-to-pack) Light, loose clothes, a swimsuit and a hat are what to wear in St. Thomas in any month, with a thin long-sleeved shirt for the noon sun and the mosquitoes at dusk. - [Reef-safe sunscreen in the USVI and what the law bans](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi/reef-safe-sunscreen) The US Virgin Islands ban sunscreen with three common chemical filters, in your beach bag as well as on the shelf. - [USVI ferries and the last boat on every route](https://virginislandvilla.com/virgin-islands/ferries) The USVI ferry most visitors take is the short hop from Red Hook on St. Thomas to Cruz Bay on St. John, hourly and inexpensive until late at night. - [Ferry from St. Thomas to Tortola](https://virginislandvilla.com/virgin-islands/st-thomas-to-tortola-ferry) The ferry from St. Thomas to Tortola leaves from two docks, and the house you are going to picks one. - [The US and British Virgin Islands map](https://virginislandvilla.com/virgin-islands/map) On a US Virgin Islands map, St. Thomas and St. John sit at the western end of a chain that runs east from Puerto Rico, and most of what lies beyond them flies another flag. - [US Virgin Islands bachelorette party](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi/bachelorette-groups-virgin-islands) A US Virgin Islands bachelorette party usually means eight to twelve friends in one rented house, and the real planning is getting everyone around. - [Christmas in the Virgin Islands, and the holiday weeks around it](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi/holidays-in-the-virgin-islands) Christmas in the Virgin Islands arrives with the dry season: December is warm and far drier than November. - [US Virgin Islands family vacation](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi/usvi-family-vacation) For a US Virgin Islands family vacation, St. Thomas is the easier island with small children: the plane lands there, a few neighborhoods are flat enough for a stroller, and Magens Bay lists lifeguards. - [US Virgin Islands history: the Danish Virgin Islands, 1672 to 1917](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi/history-of-the-us-virgin-islands) The US Virgin Islands were Danish for nearly 250 years. - [The best Virgin Island to visit, by the week you want](https://virginislandvilla.com/virgin-islands/which-island) The best Virgin Island to visit on a first trip is St. John or St. Thomas, and the real difference is a ferry. - [Do you need a passport for St. Thomas and the US Virgin Islands?](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi/passport-and-entry) You do not need a passport for St. Thomas as a US citizen from the mainland: the US Virgin Islands are part of the United States, so St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix are a domestic flight. - [Is St. Thomas safe? Safety in the US Virgin Islands](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi/safety) Is St. Thomas safe? - [US Virgin Islands weather by month](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi/weather) US Virgin Islands weather barely changes in temperature from month to month; rain and storms are what decide the trip. - [Hurricane season in the US Virgin Islands](https://virginislandvilla.com/usvi/hurricane-season) US Virgin Islands hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and about ten weeks of it carry most of the risk. - [Virgin Islands webcams](https://virginislandvilla.com/virgin-islands/webcams) The beaches and harbors live, on the cameras their owners run - [St. John restaurants and bars, by area](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/eat-and-drink) St. John restaurants gather in two places: Cruz Bay, where most of the island's tables sit a short walk from the ferry, and Coral Bay on the far side, with a handful of bars on the harbor. - [Coral Bay, St. John restaurants and bars](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/eat-and-drink/coral-bay) In Coral Bay, St. John, the restaurants are a short list that closes early: two bar-grills, a beachfront restaurant at Friis Bay, two coffee counters and a taco bar floating in the bay. - [Restaurants and bars in Cruz Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/eat-and-drink/cruz-bay) Most restaurants in Cruz Bay, St. John, sit within a few minutes' walk of the ferry, in three clusters: the beach bars at Wharfside Village, the dinner rooms on the streets behind the dock, and the courtyard at Mongoose Junction. - [Clinic, doctors and villa services on St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/services) St. John has no hospital, so the clinic matters. - [St. John car rental and Jeep rental](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/services/car-rentals) Every St. John car rental is a small desk in Cruz Bay, renting mostly Jeep Wranglers and four-wheel-drive SUVs. - [Starfish Market, Dolphin Market and groceries on St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/services/provisioning) Starfish Market, at The Marketplace in Cruz Bay, and Dolphin Market's three stores are where St. John shops for groceries, and both will deliver an online order to the villa. - [St. John taxis and the water taxi from St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/services/taxis) A water taxi from St. Thomas to St. John is a private boat, and it earns its fare when your flight lands after the last ferry. ### Where is St. John? One of the three main US Virgin Islands, in the Caribbean east of Puerto Rico, just east of St. Thomas across Pillsbury Sound. ### Is St. John in the US? Yes. St. John is part of the US Virgin Islands, a US territory since the United States bought the islands from Denmark in 1917. The money is the US dollar, and the clock stays on Atlantic Standard Time all year, with no daylight saving. ### Do you need a passport for St. John? Not as a US citizen flying from the mainland or Puerto Rico: the TSA asks only for an ID it accepts, as of October 2026. A day on Jost Van Dyke crosses into the British Virgin Islands, which ask for a passport book or a US passport card. ### Can you drink the water on St. John? Ask the owner. Many houses here store rainwater in a cistern, which territorial law sizes to the roof, per the Department of Planning and Natural Resources as of October 2026, and the owner knows whether theirs is filtered for drinking. ## Onward from St. John [Next island St. Thomas, 20 minutes by ferry The airport, Magens Bay and the East End.](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas) [Into the BVI Jost Van Dyke, by boat from Cruz Bay Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays, per Inter Island Boat Services as of October 2026. Bring a passport book or card.](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/things-to-do/jost-van-dyke) Own a house on St. John? The guest writes to you. List your house once, for one flat fee a year, never a percentage. You reply, you set the price, you take the booking. We never touch the money. [Start your listing](https://virginislandvilla.com/list-your-villa)