US Virgin Islands Travel Guide

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Social Conventions

The US Virgin Islanders are overwhelmingly friendly and helpful and the pace of life is very relaxed. Shaking hands is the normal form of greeting and the appropriate time of day (good morning/afternoon/evening) is usually uttered at every encounter. Politeness and courtesy is expected. Dress is informal for most occasions apart from the formal requirements of some hotels.

International Travel

Getting There By Air

US Airways (US) (website: www.usairways.com) has flights to St Thomas and St Croix. American Airlines (AA) (website: www.aa.com) offers services from New York (JFK) and Miami to St Thomas and St Croix. Services from the US mainland to the Virgin Islands are available through Air Sunshine (website: www.airsunshine.com), American Eagle (website: www.aa.com) and Cape Air (website: www.flycapeair.com). Seaplanes connect St Thomas and St Croix several times a day. For more information contact Seabourne Airlines (website: www.seabourneairlines.com).

Departure Tax

None.

Main Airports

St Thomas (STT) (Cyril E King) is 5km (3 miles) west of Charlotte Amalie. To/from the airport: A bus service operates from Charlotte Amalie.

St Croix (STX) (Henry E Rohlsen) is about 14km (9 miles) southwest of Christiansted. To/from the airport: A bus service operates to the cities. Taxis are also available. Facilities: Cafe and car hire facilities.

Getting There By Water

Main ports:Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas), Frederiksted (St Croix), Cruz Bay (St John) and Christiansted (St Croix).

Regular ferries sail between St Thomas and St John and the British Virgin Islands and Fajardo (Puerto Rico).

A number of cruise lines operating out of Miami and San Juan includes the US Virgin Islands in their itineraries around the Caribbean. For more information, contact the US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism or consult the Cruise Ship Schedules online (website: www.ships.vi).

Duty Free

Overview

Duty must be paid on all gifts and alcohol brought in from abroad. Other customs regulations, duty free exemptions and prohibitions are as for the USA; see Duty Free in the USA section.

Internal Travel

Getting Around By Water

Ferries leave from Charlotte Amalie and Red Hook Dock on St Thomas, for Cruz Bay on St John. The Virgin Islands Fast Ferry operates a service from St Croix to St Thomas from November to May. Booking is advised (tel: 1 877 733 9425; website: www.virginislandsfastferry.com).

Getting Around By Road

Traffic drives on the left. Well-maintained roads connect all main towns.

Bus: Public services operate on St Thomas from Charlotte Amalie to Red Hook and Bordeaux, and St Croix has a taxi-van service between Christiansted and Frederiksted. St John has a bus service running from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay.

Taxi: Available on all the islands. These follow standard routes between various points, and the fares for these are published. Sharing taxis is a common practice.

Car hire: There are several international car hire agencies at the airports and in the main towns on St Croix, St John and St Thomas. Jeeps or mini-mokes are popular modes of travel and these too can be hired.

Regulations: The speed limit is 35kph (20mph) in towns and 55kph (35mph) elsewhere.

Documentation: National licenses are accepted; an International Driving Permit is not required.

Journey Times

The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Charlotte Amalie to other major cities/towns in the US Virgin Islands.