US Virgin Islands: Five Attractions and Natural Wonders

Three islands, an American territory with a Caribbean soul

The US Virgin Islands, an unincorporated US territory made up chiefly of St Thomas, St John, and St Croix, combine convenient US-territory logistics (no passport required for US citizens, US currency) with a genuinely Caribbean pace and culture shaped by centuries of Danish colonial rule before the US purchased the islands in 1917. Each of the three main islands has a distinct character, from St Thomas's busy cruise port to St John's protected, largely undeveloped coastline.

The five below are spread across all three main islands. The dry season (roughly December to April) is generally the most popular time to visit.

1. Magens Bay

Magens Bay, on St Thomas, is widely ranked among the most beautiful beaches in the world, its calm, sheltered crescent of sand stretching for nearly three-quarters of a mile and protected from ocean swells by the surrounding hills. It remains one of the most popular and easily accessible beaches for cruise passengers and longer-staying visitors alike.

2. Trunk Bay and Virgin Islands National Park

Trunk Bay, on St John, holds a marked underwater snorkelling trail through protected coral reef, part of Virgin Islands National Park, which covers about 60 percent of the island's land area — much of it donated to the National Park Service by Laurance Rockefeller in 1956 and kept largely free of the development found on St Thomas.

3. Charlotte Amalie

Charlotte Amalie, the territory's capital, is one of the busiest cruise ports in the Caribbean, its harbourfront lined with duty-free jewellery and liquor shops alongside Danish colonial-era architecture reflecting the islands' history under Danish rule before their 1917 sale to the United States.

4. Buck Island Reef

Buck Island Reef, off the coast of St Croix, protects one of the finest marine gardens in the Caribbean, its clear water and healthy coral reef accessible via a marked snorkelling trail similar to Trunk Bay's, along with beaches used by nesting sea turtles. It is administered as a US National Monument, keeping development off the small uninhabited island entirely.

5. St Croix's quieter pace

St Croix, the largest of the three main islands, offers a noticeably slower pace than St Thomas, along with rum distillery tours (the Cruzan distillery dates back to 1760) and the historic town of Christiansted, another well-preserved reminder of the islands' Danish colonial past.

The US Virgin Islands suit a week combining St Thomas's convenience and nightlife with a quieter stretch on St John or St Croix, with frequent ferries between St Thomas and St John, and ferries and a seaplane linking St Thomas and St Croix.