U.S. Virgin Islands
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
St. Thomas: Duty-Free Shopping and Magens Bay
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A day in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands — with kids
Three-block day plans (morning, midday, afternoon) for different family stages.
Magen's Bay Beach is one of the top family beaches in the Caribbean — a mile-long heart-shaped bay with calm, clear water rarely over waist-deep at the shoreline. Taxis from the pier run about 20 minutes and cost $15 per person each way. Arrive before 10 am for the best spot and a lounge chair in the shade.
The beach has a casual restaurant, snack bar, and changing rooms on-site. Little ones can play in the sand all afternoon, but the St. Thomas sun is strong — budget reef-safe sunscreen, a pop-up tent or umbrella, and extra water. Most families are back at the pier by 2–3 pm.
On the way back to the ship, stop at Drake's Seat — a hilltop overlook with one of the best views in the Caribbean, including Magen's Bay below you. It takes 10 minutes at a roadside pull-out but the view is the kind of thing kids actually remember more than the beach itself.
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Good to know
What Cruise Travelers Should Know
Most ships tie up at the West Indian Company dock at Havensight, on Long Bay at the east end of the harbor, and some use Crown Bay on the west side. Downtown Charlotte Amalie is nearly two miles from Havensight and a little farther from Crown Bay, and open-air safari taxis run between the docks and town.
- Shops cluster at both docks: Havensight Mall and Yacht Haven Grande beside the West Indian Company dock, and a smaller group of stores at Crown Bay that mostly open when a ship is in.
- On busy days in high season, several large ships can be in port at once, and downtown gets crowded.
- The US Virgin Islands are a US territory, so the currency is the US dollar, English is the official language, and cash machines are easy to find.
- Traffic drives on the left, so look both ways before you cross.
St. Thomas on Your Own
St. Thomas works well on your own: a safari taxi into Charlotte Amalie for its Danish-era streets and shops, then a taxi to Magens Bay for the afternoon if you want a beach. Keep an eye on the clock, because the island is hilly and traffic slows on busy ship days.
- Downtown on foot: From the waterfront, walk to Emancipation Garden and the red walls of Fort Christian, then up Main Street, which the Danes named Dronningens Gade, and along the stepped lanes. The 99 Steps, one of the old step streets, climb the hill above town.
- A ride up the hill: The Skyride cable car to Paradise Point leaves a short walk from the Havensight dock and takes about five minutes each way, with a view over the harbor at the top. It runs on cruise-ship days.
- A beach afternoon: Magens Bay is on the north side of the island, directly across from Charlotte Amalie, and taxis run there from town.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own, so leave extra time if you have gone across the island.
- Watch the clock: The US Virgin Islands keep Atlantic Standard Time all year. From early November to mid-March, island clocks run an hour ahead of the US East Coast, so go by your ship's time for all-aboard.
- What to carry: US citizens do not need a passport to visit the US Virgin Islands, but must be able to show proof of citizenship, such as a passport or a birth certificate with a government photo ID, when leaving. Other nationalities need a passport.
Getting Around St. Thomas
Safari taxis, pickup trucks fitted with rows of covered benches, shuttle back and forth between the cruise docks and downtown, and drivers will ask if you need a ride. Taxi and bus fares are regulated and charged per person, so ask the per-person fare before you set off.
- Taxis wait at both Havensight and Crown Bay as well as downtown.
- Because fares are per person, a group can pay more than expected for a longer trip, such as to Magens Bay.
- Dollar buses, shared taxis used mostly by local riders, run a fixed route from the airport road through Charlotte Amalie to the east end during daylight hours.
- If you hire a car, traffic keeps left even though most cars are US models with the steering wheel on the left. Roads outside town are narrow, steep and winding, and many have no sidewalks.
- Ferries to St. John leave from Red Hook, on the east end, and from Charlotte Amalie.
Food & Dining
Virgin Islands home cooking centers on dishes such as fungi, callaloo, pâtés and johnnycakes, and roti arrived with migrants from Trinidad. Charlotte Amalie has both local Caribbean restaurants and North American chains, and Frenchtown, southwest of downtown, is a fishing community with French-Caribbean traditions.
- Fungi is cornmeal cooked thick with okra, usually served with boiled fish or saltfish.
- Callaloo is a thick soup of greens, okra and meat.
- Pâtés are fried pastries filled with beef, chicken, conch or saltfish; johnnycakes are fried dough.
- Roti is curried meat and vegetables wrapped in a paper-thin dough.
- Bush tea, made from local herbs such as lemongrass, is the traditional hot drink, and cold favorites include maubi, sorrel, soursop and passion fruit juice.
Tipping in St. Thomas
Tipping in the US Virgin Islands generally follows mainland US practice, and tips are expected. In restaurants, at least 15 percent of the bill is customary, and a gratuity is rarely added except for large parties.
- The currency is the US dollar, so there is nothing to exchange.
- Porters usually get at least a dollar a bag.
Culture & History
Charlotte Amalie is a US capital with Danish street names: Dronningens Gade, the Queen's Street, is Main Street, and the step streets and the old quarters still carry Danish names. The town's culture blends West Indian, Danish and American influences, and the US Virgin Islands are the only US territory where traffic drives on the left.
- Frenchtown, a fishing community southwest of downtown, was settled by families from St. Barthélemy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- Camille Pissarro (1830–1903), a key figure among the French Impressionists, is counted among Charlotte Amalie's notable people, and a downtown gallery carries his name.
- The quadrille and the bamboula are the dances most closely tied to Virgin Islands tradition.
- Carnival runs for about a month, mostly in April and sometimes into the first week of May, and its parades are the highlight.
- Greeting people with "good morning" or "good afternoon" is customary, so start a conversation that way.
From Danish Colony to US Territory
St. Thomas was a Danish colony from 1672 until the United States bought it in 1917, and its fine harbor made Charlotte Amalie a free port, a slave market and, later, one of the busiest trading towns in the Caribbean. The red-walled Fort Christian, begun in 1672, is the oldest standing building in the territory.
- First peoples: People lived on the island from around 1500 BC, and Arawak and later Carib sites have been found at Magens Bay.
- Columbus, 1493: Columbus sighted the islands on his second voyage and named them for Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgins, later shortened to the Virgins.
- The Danes arrive, 1672: After a failed attempt in 1665, Danish settlers arrived on May 25, 1672, and began building Fort Christian. The first slave ships came in 1673.
- A free port, 1764: The harbor town, first called Taphus for its taverns, was renamed Charlotte Amalie in 1691 for the Danish queen. Declared a free port in 1764, it became one of the busiest harbors in the Caribbean.
- Emancipation, 1848: After a rising of enslaved people on St. Croix on July 2 and 3, 1848, Governor Peter von Scholten declared all slaves in the Danish West Indies free. Emancipation Garden in Charlotte Amalie commemorates July 3, 1848.
- The sale, 1917: Fearing the islands could become German submarine bases during World War I, the United States bought them for 25 million dollars in gold, and took over on March 31, 1917, now Transfer Day.
- Becoming American: Virgin Islanders received US citizenship in 1927, the territory gained its own legislature under the Organic Act of 1954, and full home rule came in 1970.
- Hurricanes and recovery: Hugo in 1989, Marilyn in 1995, and Irma and Maria in 2017 all struck the island, and in recent decades St. Thomas has grown into a busy cruise port.
- To learn more ashore: Fort Christian on Veterans Drive, the waterfront road in Charlotte Amalie, houses the St. Thomas Museum, with art and objects from the Danish period. It reopened in 2017 after a decade of restoration and usually opens on weekdays; check before you go.
Traveling with Family
St. Thomas makes an easy family day because you can split it between a calm beach and a marine park without a long drive. Choose Magens Bay for swimming, or Coral World on the east end for animals, and keep the other for another visit.
- Younger children: Magens Bay has a sheltered beach of nearly three quarters of a mile, with lifeguards, showers, toilets and a snack counter run by the park authority.
- School age: Coral World Ocean Park, next to Coki Beach on the east end, has an underwater observatory tower that goes 20 feet down into the sea, plus turtle and shark talks and an aviary. Its open days vary by season, and it usually opens from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; check before you go.
- Teenagers: Coki Beach, beside Coral World, is well known for snorkeling, and the park sells add-ons such as Sea Trek helmet walks and snuba; check the age limits when you book.
- A view from above: The Skyride from beside the Havensight dock climbs to Paradise Point in about five minutes, which suits children who would rather ride than walk uphill.
- Sun protection: Only mineral sunscreen is allowed in the US Virgin Islands; sunscreens containing oxybenzone, octinoxate or octocrylene are banned, so pack the right kind.
Accessibility & Mobility
Most ships tie up alongside at Havensight or Crown Bay, but check with your ship whether it will dock, and remember that St. Thomas is a hilly island and many roads outside town have no sidewalks. A taxi into Charlotte Amalie avoids the nearly two-mile walk along the waterfront.
- Safari taxis are converted pickup trucks with bench seats, so a standard taxi may be easier to get in and out of.
- Downtown is built against steep hills, and the step streets such as the 99 Steps are stairs, not ramps.
- The Magens Bay Authority provides beach wheelchairs along with showers and bathrooms.
Shopping
Charlotte Amalie is one of the Caribbean's biggest duty-free shopping towns, with hundreds of shops, most of them jewelers, along Main Street and the lanes off it. Visitors pay no sales tax on purchases, and US citizens have a higher duty-free allowance on goods bought here than on goods from the rest of the Caribbean; check the current US Customs limits before a big purchase.
- Shops also line Havensight Mall beside the main cruise dock, and Crown Bay has a smaller group of stores.
- Downtown stores usually open around 9:30 or 10 a.m. and close around 5 p.m., and some close on Sundays unless a ship is in; check before you go.
- Vendors' Plaza, the open-air market downtown, sells T-shirts and souvenirs, and Market Square at the west end of Main Street was once the site of slave auctions.
- Liquor bought ashore is collected when you board and returned on the last day of the cruise.
- For jewelry and electronics, ask for a written description, an appraisal and a warranty that is valid at home before you buy.
Beaches
Magens Bay, on the north side of the island, is a sheltered white-sand crescent of nearly three quarters of a mile at the head of a deep bay. It has been a public park since 1946, when its owner, Arthur Fairchild, gave the land on condition that no hotel or casino be built there.
- The park is run by the Magens Bay Authority, with lifeguards, parking, showers, a snack counter and rentals of chairs and snorkel gear.
- A nature trail leads down to the bay from the hills above, through a 319-acre preserve.
- Coki Beach, on the east end next to Coral World, is a popular snorkeling beach.
- Hull Bay, just west of Magens Bay, faces the Atlantic and gets the island's only surf in winter.
- Only mineral sunscreen is legal in the US Virgin Islands.
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