Social ConventionsThe 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 AirUS 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 TaxNone.
Main AirportsSt 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.
Journey TimesThe following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from
Charlotte Amalie to other major cities/towns in the US Virgin Islands.
| | Air | Road | Sea |
| Chris’sted, SC | 0.25 | - | - |
| Cruz Bay, SJ | - | - | 0.45 |
| Magens Bay | - | 0.20 | - |
| Coral World | - | 0.40 | - |
Getting There by WaterMain 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). 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: (877) 733 9425; website:
www.virginislandsfastferry.com).
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 (see
General Info) or consult the Cruise Ship Schedules online (website:
www.ships.vi).
Getting There by RoadWell-maintained roads connect all main towns. Speed limit is 35kph (20mph) in towns and 55kph (35mph) elsewhere. Driving is on the left.
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.
Documentation: National licenses are accepted; an International Driving Permit is not required.
OverviewDuty 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.
Next Page »
