--- title: "St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands: Where to Stay and What to Do" url: https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas description: "St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands: the beaches, where to stay by area and the drive from each, the airport and cruise port, and the weather by month." updated: 2026-10-21 source: https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas --- *Charlotte Amalie harbor, St. Thomas, framed by palms and a red roof, with boats at anchor and the town on the hillside.* US Virgin Islands # St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands St. Thomas holds the US Virgin Islands' capital, Charlotte Amalie, along with Cyril E. King Airport and both cruise piers, so even a St. John trip begins here. Its beaches run from Magens Bay on the north side to the East End and the south shore, and the St. John ferry leaves from Red Hook, on the East End. The land The capital, and beaches all around it. Charlotte Amalie climbs the hills above the harbor, and the beaches ring the island: Magens Bay on the north side, Sapphire and Secret Harbour on the East End, Brewers Bay beside the airport. Arriving The airport and the ships. Cyril E. King Airport is two miles west of town, a domestic flight from the mainland, and the cruise ships tie up at Havensight and Crown Bay. The St. John ferry leaves from Red Hook. Staying A house up a hill road. Most rentals sit on steep roads above the bays, so plan on a car. Stay east for the St. John ferry and the calmer beaches, west for the airport and dinner in town. ## Where to stay on St. Thomas Stay on the East End, around Red Hook and Sapphire Bay, for the St. John ferry and the calmer beaches. Stay in Frenchtown or Charlotte Amalie for the airport and dinner in town, and on the Northside for Magens Bay and the views. Area to stay Beach (a palm) Ferry dock, airport Capital, main town Ferry route US and British waters Park land [Open the full map](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/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. ### [Red Hook](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/areas/red-hook) Red Hook is the East End harbor on St. Thomas where the St. John ferry and the car barge leave, with American Yacht Harbor on the same waterfront. It suits a week of day trips to St. John, or a night either side of the crossing. The catch is that every beach and errand is a drive. [No villas here yet: read the Red Hook guide](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/areas/red-hook) 23 min drive to town - Lindquist Beach 3 min ### [Sapphire Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/areas/sapphire-bay) Sapphire Bay is the East End shore of St. Thomas where the Sapphire Beach condos look across the water to St. John, with more complexes on the slope behind. Most stays here are an owner's condo a short walk from the sand, with St. John a day trip away and the airport on the far side of the island. [No villas here yet: read the Sapphire Bay guide](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/areas/sapphire-bay) 24 min drive to town ### [Point Pleasant](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/areas/point-pleasant) Point Pleasant is the stretch of the north-east shore of St. Thomas above Water Bay, and much of what carries the name is Point Pleasant Resort, its villas stepped up the hillside. It suits guests who would rather have a resort unit than a house, with the St. John ferry and a different East End beach a short drive away. [No villas here yet: read the Point Pleasant guide](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/areas/point-pleasant) 19 min drive to town - Lindquist Beach 3 min ### [Cabrita Point](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/areas/cabrita-point) Cabrita Point is the headland at the far eastern end of St. Thomas, where houses on steep slopes look across to St. John and Great St. James, with the Ritz-Carlton on Great Bay at its edge. It is a stay chosen for the house and what it looks at; the shops, the ferry and the airport are all a drive. [No villas here yet: read the Cabrita Point guide](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/areas/cabrita-point) 29 min drive to town - Vessup Beach 4 min [Compare all 20 areas side by side](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/areas) ## St. Thomas beaches Magens Bay, the public beach park on the north side, is open 7 am to 5:30 pm at $7 a visitor, per the Magens Bay Authority as of October 2026. In five areas the beach is a walk from the house: Magens Bay, Peterborg, Hull Bay, Smith Bay and Secret Harbour. **Calmest today, Oct 23:** [Magens Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/magens-bay), [Coki Beach](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/coki) and [Secret Harbour Beach](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/secret-harbour). From the morning swell against the way each bay opens, our read from the map; each beach page has the numbers. - *Magens Bay, St. Thomas, from Mountain Top: the full curve of the beach and a single sailboat* [Magens Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/magens-bay) Magens Bay is St. Thomas's big public beach. - Sheltered today - Entry fee - Paid parking - *The curve of Sapphire Beach, St. Thomas, with palms and sea grape and swimmers in shallow water* [Sapphire Beach](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/sapphire) Sapphire Beach puts a reef, a beach bar and a bathroom on the same sand on the East End of St. Thomas, a few minutes up the road from the Red Hook ferry. - Exposed today - Free - Restrooms - *Aerial view of Coki Point and Coki Beach, St. Thomas, with the East End beyond* [Coki Beach](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/coki) Coki Beach is the best-known shore snorkel on St. Thomas. - Sheltered today - Free - Restrooms - *Sailboats and a motorboat at anchor below a green hillside with houses, U.S. Virgin Islands.* [Secret Harbour Beach](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/secret-harbour) Secret Harbour Beach is a calm cove on the East End of St. Thomas. - Sheltered today - Free - *A rooster and a beach towel under a sea grape at Lindquist Beach, St. Thomas, swimmers beyond* [Lindquist Beach](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/lindquist) Lindquist Beach, officially Smith Bay Park, is the quiet one on the East End of St. Thomas: pink-tinged sand facing St. John, lifeguards and restrooms, and nothing for sale, a few minutes from the Red Hook ferry. - Closed - *Hull Bay, St. Thomas: coarse sand, a small boat at the water's edge and forest down to the shore.* [Hull Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/hull-bay) Hull Bay, on the north side of St. Thomas, is a working beach: fishing boats moor off the sand and launch from a public ramp, surfers arrive when a north swell runs, and The Shack has fed both since 1970. - Some swell today - Free - *Sunrise through coconut palms at Bolongo Bay, St. Thomas, with a catamaran tied to the dock.* [Bolongo Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/bolongo) Bolongo Bay beach is a quiet hotel beach on the south side of St. Thomas. - Some swell today - Free - *Brewers Bay, St. Thomas, from the hillside: boats moored in turquoise water under a green ridge.* [Brewers Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/brewers-bay) Brewers Bay beach is the turtle beach of St. Thomas. - Sheltered today - Free - Restrooms - *Aerial view of Morningstar Beach, St. Thomas: surf running onto the sand below resort buildings* [Morningstar Beach](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/morningstar) Morningstar Beach is the soft sand below Frenchman's Reef on the south side of St. Thomas. - Sheltered today - Paid parking - Busy on ship days - *Honeymoon Beach, Water Island, from the water: tall palms, thatched umbrellas and white sand* [Honeymoon Beach, Water Island](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/honeymoon-beach-water-island) Honeymoon Beach is the palm-backed sand in Druif Bay on Water Island. - Sheltered today - Free - *Vessup Beach, St. Thomas: sand in the shade of trees, sailboats moored off a small green island.* [Vessup Beach](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/vessup) Vessup Beach is a bare, undeveloped strand on the bay just east of the Red Hook ferry terminal on St. Thomas, where residents bring the cooler and the barbecue on weekends. - Exposed today - Free - *Limetree Beach, St. Thomas: a crescent of pale sand, small surf and palms, a low resort on the point* [Limetree Beach](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/limetree) Limetree Beach is a small, quiet cove on Frenchman's Bay, on the south side of St. Thomas, in front of Limetree Beach Resort by Club Wyndham. - Some swell today - Free - [Lindbergh Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/lindbergh-bay) Lindbergh Bay beach, which most visitors call Emerald Beach after the resort on its sand, is the calm crescent across the road from the St. Thomas airport. - Sheltered today - Free [Compare all 13 beaches](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches) ## Villas on St. Thomas, listed by their owners No villa on St. Thomas is listed here yet; the area and beach guides are. Listings follow as owners join. [St. Thomas vacation rentals](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/vacation-rentals) How booking direct works here, and the questions guests ask before they write. ## Getting to St. Thomas 1. 1 · Fly Into Cyril E. King Airport (STT), two miles west of Charlotte Amalie, per the Virgin Islands Port Authority. From the mainland it is a domestic flight. 2. 2 · Car or taxi A car is needed almost everywhere. By taxi the airport is 36 minutes from the Red Hook ferry, 12 from the Charlotte Amalie terminal and 8 from Crown Bay Marina; Red Hook is $23 for one rider, $17 each for two or more, on the Taxicab Commission's 2022 tariff. 3. 3 · Cruise Ships berth at Havensight, east of Charlotte Amalie, or at Crown Bay's Austin "Babe" Monsanto Marine Terminal, west of it, and anchor in the harbor when both are full. Your line's itinerary says which, call by call. 4. 4 · Ferry Red Hook to Cruz Bay is 20 minutes, about hourly, at $8.15 an adult one way as of October 2026, per Transportation Services of St. John; plan around a 10 pm last boat. A slower boat runs from the Charlotte Amalie waterfront, about 45 minutes across; the St. John ferry guide has its times and fare. ## When to go to St. Thomas February and March are the driest months on St. Thomas, and they book first. Hurricanes come mostly from August to October, November brings the most rain, and the cruise ships call most often in the dry winter months. - 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 [St. Thomas weather by month](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/weather) Rain, sea temperature, the hurricane record and the rate index, month by month. ## More about St. Thomas - [Things to do in St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/things-to-do) St. Thomas is the busiest of the US Virgin Islands and the most varied: a Danish harbor town with its fort and a sand-floored synagogue, beaches on both coasts, and boats to Water Island and St. John. - [Blackbeard's Castle, St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/things-to-do/blackbeards-castle) Blackbeard's Castle is the round stone tower on the hill above Charlotte Amalie, built by the Danes in 1679 to guard the harbor, and the pirate it is named for was never known to have come to St. Thomas. - [Coral World Ocean Park, St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/things-to-do/coral-world) Coral World Ocean Park is the marine park on Coki Point, St. Thomas: aquariums, an underwater observatory and pools for dolphins, sea lions and young sharks. - [Duty-free shopping in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/things-to-do/shopping) The real draw of duty-free shopping in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, is not the sign on the shop but the allowance you carry home: $1,600 of goods a person, twice what most trips abroad allow, with five liters of alcohol inside it if one bottle is made on the islands. - [Hiking in St. Thomas from the Magens Bay trailhead](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/things-to-do/hiking) The Magens Bay trailhead at Canaan, high above the north shore, is the top of the Discovery Nature Trail, the one St. Thomas trail its owner maps and describes. - [How to get to Jost Van Dyke from St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/things-to-do/jost-van-dyke) The easiest way to get to Jost Van Dyke from St. Thomas is the direct boat from Red Hook, which runs three mornings a week and comes back mid-afternoon, one boat each way. - [How to get to Virgin Gorda from St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/things-to-do/virgin-gorda) The easiest way to get to Virgin Gorda from St. Thomas for the day is the Thursday boat from Red Hook: Spanish Town by mid-morning, back at three. - [Kayaking and paddleboarding on St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/things-to-do/kayaking) The best kayaking on St. Thomas is on the quiet southeast side, in the Mangrove Lagoon, a protected maze of red mangroves and small cays where the water stays flat when the open coast is choppy. - [Mahogany Run golf course on St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/things-to-do/mahogany-run-golf-course) The Fazio-designed 18 on the north side of St. Thomas has sat idle since Hurricanes Irma and Maria: Mahogany Run golf course has not reopened, and nothing points to a return this season. - [Skyride to Paradise Point](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/things-to-do/paradise-point) The Skyride to Paradise Point is the cable car from Havensight, across the road from the St. Thomas cruise dock, to a hilltop bar high over Charlotte Amalie harbor and the ships. - [Snorkeling on St. Thomas, USVI](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/things-to-do/snorkeling) There are two kinds of snorkeling on St. Thomas, USVI: reefs you swim out to from a beach, free and a short drive from town, and four stops only a boat reaches. - [St. Thomas scuba diving in the East End reserves](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/things-to-do/diving) St. Thomas scuba diving mostly starts on a boat. - [Where to see sea turtles on St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/things-to-do/sea-turtles) The turtle beach of St. Thomas has a runway at one end, and the turtles do not mind. - [Margaritaville St. Thomas or a villa?](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/margaritaville-vs-villa) Margaritaville St. Thomas is a Wyndham vacation-ownership resort on Water Bay at the East End, with suites, a pool, a beach and a restaurant downstairs. - [St. Thomas all-inclusive resorts, or a villa?](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/all-inclusive-vs-villa) Of the St. Thomas all-inclusive resorts that turn up in searches, only one sells a true plan: Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, on the south shore, with three meals and drinks in the rate. - [St. Thomas Carnival 2026 and the year's events](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/events) St. Thomas Carnival 2026 filled the last week of April in Charlotte Amalie, with J'ouvert at daybreak on the waterfront, the parades through town and the food fair. - [St. Thomas boat charters from Red Hook and Compass Point](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/experiences/boat-charters) Most St. Thomas boat charters are a day on a private powerboat or catamaran for six to twelve, leaving from Red Hook or Compass Point on the East End. - [Fishing charters on St. Thomas, from Red Hook to Frenchtown](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/experiences/fishing) A fishing charter on St. Thomas is a private boat for up to six, and the price is for the boat, so two anglers pay what six do. - [St. Thomas photographers for family, proposal and beach shoots](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/experiences/photographers) A St. Thomas photographer who lives on the island will meet you on a beach or at the villa, and most charge between $450 and $700 for a family or proposal session. - [Private chefs and catering on St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/experiences/private-chefs) A private chef in St. Thomas arrives with the groceries, cooks in the villa kitchen and leaves it clean, and the ones who print a price charge anywhere from $60 to $295 a person for dinner, plus a service fee at most of them. - [St. Thomas snorkeling tours](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/experiences/snorkel-tours) Most St. Thomas snorkeling tours are a shared boat from Red Hook or the south shore, from a $30 guided swim off Limetree Beach to a five-hour catamaran sail out to Buck Island. - [St. Thomas water sports: jet ski rental, parasailing and gear](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/experiences/water-sports) Jet ski rental in St. Thomas leaves from four places: Lindbergh Bay near the airport, the Westin at Frenchman's Reef, and Compass Point and Sapphire marinas on the East End, at $125 to $190 a ski for the hour. - [St. Thomas wedding venues](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/experiences/weddings) A wedding here can be the sand at Magens Bay, for a $250 park fee, or a Ritz-Carlton beach set for 350, and the St. Thomas wedding venues in between include a Hull Bay estate and a catamaran. - [Flights to St. Thomas: who flies nonstop, and when](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/flights) Flights to St. Thomas land at Cyril E. King Airport (STT), and the easiest come nonstop from Miami, New York and Houston, which each have a flight every day. - [How to get around St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/getting-around) The easiest way to get around St. Thomas is a rental car. - [St. Thomas airport: Cyril E. King (STT)](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/airport) Everyone bound for St. Thomas or St. John lands at Cyril E. King Airport (STT), the St. Thomas airport two miles west of Charlotte Amalie; St. John has no airport of its own. - [St. Thomas cruise port: Havensight and Crown Bay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/cruise-port) The St. Thomas cruise port is really two piers on either side of Charlotte Amalie harbor: Havensight on the east, run by the West Indian Company, and the Port Authority's Crown Bay terminal on the west, with ships at anchor when both are full. - [St. Thomas map](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/map) St. Thomas is the westernmost of the three main US Virgin Islands, east of Puerto Rico, and the island every flight to St. John lands on. - [St. Thomas to St. Croix: ferry, seaplane or a flight](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/st-croix-ferry) The fastest way from St. Thomas to St. Croix is the seaplane: twenty-five minutes from the Charlotte Amalie waterfront to Christiansted harbor, with flights through the day. - [St. Thomas weather by month](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/weather) St. Thomas weather is warm in every month, so the best time to visit is a question of rain, ships and storms. - [A St. Thomas honeymoon, planned from where you stay](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/guides/st-thomas-honeymoon) A St. Thomas honeymoon turns on where you sleep, because the island rarely puts sand outside the door and dinner close by in the same place. - [A St. Thomas sailing itinerary, from a house on land](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/guides/st-thomas-itinerary) A St. Thomas sailing itinerary works as well from a house as from a boat: three days on the water, four on land, the boat days picked by the weather. - [Fort Christian, St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/guides/fort-christian) Fort Christian is the Danish fort on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront in St. Thomas, built between 1672 and 1680 and in turn the colony's seat of government, the territory's police station and prison, and now the Fort Christian Museum. - [Mountain Top, St. Thomas, and the sunset overlooks](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/guides/st-thomas-sunset-spots-overlooks) Mountain Top, St. Thomas, is the island's best-known overlook: a deck high on St. Peter Mountain looking east over Magens Bay to St. John and the British Virgin Islands. - [St. Thomas nightlife](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/guides/st-thomas-nightlife) St. Thomas nightlife gathers in two places: Red Hook on the East End, and the Charlotte Amalie harbor from Frenchtown to Yacht Haven Grande. - [Things to do in St. Thomas with kids](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/guides/st-thomas-with-kids) Three places carry most family days on St. Thomas: Coral World Ocean Park at Coki Point, the Skyride to Paradise Point, and Magens Bay, whose calm, shallow water and free entry for children under 12 make it the easy beach. - [All St. Thomas guides](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/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. Thomas restaurants and bars, by area](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/eat-and-drink) St. Thomas restaurants fall into a few clusters, and the right one is the one nearest the house. - [Charlotte Amalie restaurants and bars](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/eat-and-drink/charlotte-amalie) Charlotte Amalie restaurants keep two shifts. - [Frenchtown, St. Thomas restaurants](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/eat-and-drink/frenchtown) Frenchtown's restaurants on St. Thomas are a short list: four kitchens on Honduras street at the west end of the Charlotte Amalie harbor, five minutes from town, from Oceana at Villa Olga to a brick-oven pizza place. - [Red Hook restaurants and bars](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/eat-and-drink/red-hook) The Red Hook restaurants on St. Thomas share one waterfront, around American Yacht Harbor and the St. John ferry terminal, with Red Hook Plaza across the road. - [Services on St. Thomas, from hospitals to a private chef](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/services) The U.S. - [Car rental on St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/services/car-rentals) Most visitors collect a car at the Cyril E. King Airport counters or have a local firm bring one to them. - [Groceries and villa delivery on St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/services/provisioning) Grocery stores on St. Thomas run from a warehouse club to small gourmet markets by the marinas, and three services will have the food waiting at the villa. - [Is there Uber in St. Thomas? How the taxis work](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/services/taxis) We found no Uber or Lyft on St. Thomas in October 2026, so a ride without a car means a licensed taxi. ### Where is St. Thomas? One of the three main US Virgin Islands, in the Caribbean east of Puerto Rico, with St. John across Pillsbury Sound to the east. Cyril E. King Airport and both cruise piers are here, and St. John has no airport, so its visitors land here too. ### Where is St. Thomas in the Caribbean? At the west end of the Virgin Islands chain in the northern Lesser Antilles. Puerto Rico is to the west, St. John and then the British Virgin Islands to the east, and St. Croix to the south across open water. It is US territory, so a flight from the mainland is domestic. ### Is St. Thomas part of the US? Yes. St. Thomas is in the US Virgin Islands, a US territory since the United States bought the islands from Denmark in 1917. It uses the US dollar and keeps Atlantic Standard Time with no daylight saving: an hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time, level with Eastern Daylight Time in summer. ### Do you need a passport for St. Thomas? No, for a US citizen flying from the mainland or Puerto Rico: an ID the TSA accepts is enough at the airport, as of October 2026. Tortola and Jost Van Dyke are another matter, since the British Virgin Islands ask for a passport book or a US passport card. ### Which area of St. Thomas should I stay in? Red Hook and the East End for the St. John ferry: Secret Harbour is 9 minutes from the Red Hook dock and Sapphire Bay 11, by our measurement. The Northside for Magens Bay, 13 minutes from Charlotte Amalie. Charlotte Amalie and Frenchtown for town, 15 and 12 minutes from the airport. ## Onward from St. Thomas [Next island St. John, 20 minutes by ferry The National Park island, with no airport. The ferry leaves from Red Hook.](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john) [Into the BVI Tortola, by ferry From Charlotte Amalie or Red Hook. Bring a passport book or a US passport card.](https://virginislandvilla.com/virgin-islands/st-thomas-to-tortola-ferry) Own a house on St. Thomas? 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)