U.S. Virgin Islands

During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848.

On September 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma, the strongest Atlantic storm on record, passed through with winds of 200 mph and caused major damage on the islands of Saint John and Saint Thomas. On September 19, 2017 Hurricane Maria passed southwest of Saint Croix causing damage to infrastructure and destroyed the island’s power grid. Before the disaster, the local government faced a financial crisis due to $2 billion in debt and a structural budget deficit of $110 million. Hundreds of Virgin Islanders have migrated to the U.S. mainland for a better life and better healthcare.

Tropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November. It experiences frequent hurricanes, severe droughts and floods.

The terrain is mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land. The highest point is Crown Mountain, at 474 m. There are occasional earthquakes.

The islands are an important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean.

Public holidays include: Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 31 March (1917); Emancipation Day, 3 July (1848)

• Visit U.S. Virgin Islands website

Flights are into either St. Croix or St. Thomas. St. John does not have an airport, but is easily accessible via St. Thomas.

Many flights connect through San Juan, Puerto Rico, but direct flights from the continental U.S. involve less hassle and flying time.

Direct flights into St. Thomas can be found from Charlotte, Miami, New York-JFK and Philadelphia on American Airlines, Atlanta and JFK on Delta Air Lines, Ft. Lauderdale on Spirit Airlines, and Newark, Houston, Washington-Dulles and Chicago-O'Hare on United Airlines.

Direct flights into St. Croix can be found from Charlotte (seasonal) and Miami on American Airlines and Atlanta (twice weekly) on Delta Air Lines. St. Croix can also be easily reached from the mainland via St. Thomas by flying Cape Air (which flies between the St. Thomas and St. Croix airports) or Seaborne Airlines (which flies seaplanes between Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and Christiansted, St. Croix).

Ferries run between all three US Virgin Islands, as well as to and from the British Virgin Islands and, on a seasonal basis, Puerto Rico. Note that, when returning to the U.S. Virgin Islands from the British Virgin Islands, everyone, including U.S. citizens, must carry a valid passport and clear inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Especially when traveling with a large number of other people, such as on a ferry, this can add two to three hours to the travel time.

With plenty to explore on all the islands, car rental agencies are recommended. From the lush rainforest to the quaint Christiansted, driving the St Croix island is both scenic and a visual pleasure. Stick to the left-hand side and with a good handful of sharp curves, take your time navigating the roads. Remember that you're on "island time."

Generally car rental rates will be comparable to the mainland. If you make advanced reservations, the rates are generally lower. Take out the insurance if you plan to go four wheeling up the steep mountain roads. Throughout St. Thomas, there are colored directional signs to major destinations.

Unlike the rest of the USA, traffic on the Virgin Islands moves on the left. To add to the confusion, unlike most other places where traffic moves on the left, most cars in the Virgin Islands are left-hand drive as they are usually imported from the U.S. mainland. Potholes are large and numerous, similar to the end of a particularly snowy New England winter. Drivers often either slow to around 5 mph or swing into oncoming traffic when encountering the larger holes. For both reasons, one should always pay extra attention when driving and watch out for drivers who drive on the wrong side of the road. Unmarked one-way streets, very narrow two-ways streets, lack of lane striping, and a high incidence of drunk driving also contribute to the relatively high accident rate among drivers on the Virgin Islands.

To avoid collisions on hairpin turns in the mountainous areas, stay left and slow to 5 mph. Some unpaved mountain roads require four-wheel drive, and some drainage ditches wash across the paved roads in the rain forest. There are generally no sidewalks outside of the towns, so pedestrians and bicycles frequently travel along the side of the main road.

There is a rudimentary highway numbering system. Roads are marked with circular signs. Numbers beginning with 1 and 2 are used on St. John, with 3 and 4 on St. Thomas and 5 to 7 on St. Croix. Roads are not very well marked—some are not marked at all—and designations can be confusing. Some roads simply dead-end, or end at an unmarked intersection. Signage can suddenly disappear without warning; for example, heading south on Route 40 into Charlotte Amalie, signage is nowhere to be found as you are shuttled onto one-way streets. It is not uncommon to come to a junction where one must turn to stay on the current road. Locals are more likely to know the names of the roads; conversly, tourist maps usually emphasise the numbers.

Upon landing at the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas, one could rent a taxi or take buses to Charlotte Amalie, or to Red Hook, either of which have ferry service to Cruz Bay, St. John. You can "bargain" for most things on the islands, but the taxi and bus rates are regulated. Taxi rates are published by the Virgin Islands Taxicab Commission. If you are interested in saving $8, you can walk 3/4 of a mile to Vetern's Drive and catch a safari bus that will take you into town for $1 or $2 if you have minimal luggage.

Taxi rates are charged per person one way. For example, a one way trip from Charlotte Amalie to Magens Bay is $10; round trip for four people will cost $80. If you plan on visiting multiple destinations, renting a car might be more economical.

Sailboat rentals at Red Hook will allow you to get around by water. If you plan to sail to the British Virgin Islands, a passport is required, and a visa is required for citizens of many countries (as of 2022). Although passports are not required for American citizens to travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands, there are strict documentation requirements.

On St. John, get the best idea of the island by chartering a boat for a full day. By doing this not only will one get a wonderful day of snorkeling in, but also see the island from a local's perspective.

There is a ferry boat that transports cars between Red Hook, St. Thomas and Cruz Bay, St. John. The dock is separate from the passenger ferries. The sign is really small, so if you can't find the dock, ask the workers by the passenger ferries.

Lastly, for a one-stop resource that lists charter companies operating in the U.S. Virgin Islands, consider visiting the Virgin Island Charter Yacht League's site. The site lists pictures as well as contact information for charters ranging from monohull to power yacht.

USVI uses the U.S. dollar, denoted by the symbol "$" (ISO currency code: USD). It is divided into 100 cents.

Tipping in the Virgin Islands is expected. In the USVI, tip as you would on the U.S. mainland. In restaurants, it is customary to leave at least 15 percent of the total bill, before any discounts or special reductions. Most servers at fast food or self-service restaurants do not require a tip, but when dining in a full service restaurant with a large group, remember that gratuities are almost never included (except for parties larger than 10).

When checking baggage, tip the porter at least one dollar per bag. You should also tip maids, and depending on the level of service, it is polite to offer a gratuity to your concierge. If your hotel provides valet parking, it is advisable to tip the valet as well.

St. Croix is rich with artists. Christiansted is home to many galleries including Island Boy Designs, owned by jewelry designer Whealan Massciott (Kenny Chesney is a fan), and the Maria Henle Gallery.

The islands are duty-free and have all sorts of shops, with special emphasis on rums, tanzanite, and diamond and gold jewelry. See same subject under St Thomas for discussion.

The U.S. Virgin Islands uses the U.S. Postal Service with up to 16 ZIP Codes all starting with 00801-00805, 00820-00824, 00830-00831, 00840-00841, and 00850-00851 with a state code of "VI". Any postage to the US as well as Puerto Rico and overseas U.S. military and diplomatic posts (with APO, FPO or DPO addresses) are the same domestic rates as you would send something within the U.S. Virgin Islands. However, any mail being sent to the British Virgin Islands will be treated as an international letter and will be subject to higher rates. When sending mail to or from the U.S. Virgin Islands, do not use "USVI", "VIS", "VI USA", or "USA VI", as it will be unrecognizable by the system.