Capital	Charlotte Amalie
Currency	United States dollar (USD)
Population	87.1 thousand (2020)
Electricity	110 volt / 60 hertz
Country code	+1340
Time zone	UTC−04:00
Emergencies	911
Driving side	left
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The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) constitute an unincorporated organized territory of the United States of America between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico. Together with the British Virgin Islands, to the northeast, the territory forms the Virgin Islands archipelago. The islands' natural resources are sun, sand, sea, and surf.

• Buck Island Reef National Monument - established to preserve one of the finest marine gardens in the Caribbean Sea
• Christiansted National Historic Site - 5 preserved historic structures and interprets the Danish economy and way of life in existence there from 1733 to 1917
• Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve - home to some of the largest mango forests in the Virgin Islands as well as coral reefs and a submarine canyon
• Virgin Islands National Park - within its 7,000 plus acres is the complex history of civilizations - both free and enslaved - dating back more than a thousand years, all who utilized the land and the sea for survival
• Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument - includes federal submerged lands within the 3 mile belt off of the island of St. John

There are no border controls when arriving in the U.S. Virgin Islands (U.S.V.I.) from any departure point in the United States. Flights to the U.S.V.I. come with the perks of domestic travel – including on-line check-in – making travel to the U.S.V.I. easier than ever. Any identification accepted by TSA for domestic flights is sufficient for inbound travel to the U.S.V.I. from Puerto Rico or the U.S. mainland. Entry requirements for arrivals from outside the United States (primarily from the British Virgin Islands) are the same as from any non-U.S. point of origin.

Travel to a U.S. destination from the U.S.V.I: U.S. citizens must show proof of citizenship and photo ID; non-U.S. travelers must show a valid passport. The territory is a "free port" in a separate customs zone from the mainland United States; this means that everyone going to the mainland must go through customs, even though there are no customs when arriving from the mainland.

While not required, a valid passport is recommended for U.S. citizens to expedite their return. You'll have to plan your purchases accordingly and leave a little extra time to make your departing flight.

In addition to citizens of Canada, Bermuda and Visa Waiver Program countries, the U.S. Virgin Islands also permits citizens of the British Virgin Islands to enter visa free.

By plane

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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).

Getting around any of the Virgin Islands is fairly easy. All of the islands have bus service and/or a regulated taxi service. Upon docking at Cruz Bay, taxis, rental cars, and scooters are available.

By taxi and bus

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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.

English is the official language but there is a local creole. You may also find Spanish and French Creole being spoken.

• Colonial architecture
• Beaches

Take a tour by jeep and boat around the island or sit on the white sandy beaches.

Explore the island and stop at the beaches and spend all day snorkeling. Take a guided kayak tour or snorkeling tour in Coral Bay

Miles of hiking trails criss-cross the entire island. Maps are available from the U.S. Park Service office in Cruz Bay. Ranger guided hikes can also be scheduled for a small fee at the same office.

Visit the Annaberg Sugar Plantations and try some local Johnny cake Travel to Coral Bay and visit other popular beaches such as Salt Pond.

Visit some of the smaller bays like Denis Bay and Little Cinnamon. They can be a treck compared to trunk but are well worth it when you have a tropical beach to yourself.

Visit the beach at Trunk Bay, rated one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Great place to Snorkel. The beach facilities include food, drink and showers.

St. Croix is home to a celebrated week-long culinary festival held each April called the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience which includes wine seminars, dinners with celebrity chefs (Kevin Rathbun, Rocco DiSpirito, Robbin Haas, Gerry Klaskala, Richard Reddington are just a few who joined the fun) and the main event, A Taste of St. Croix, showcases foods from more than 50 of the islands restaurants.

For a listing of restaurants on the island, see GoToStCroix. Great local food can be found at Harvey's (stew goat), Singh's (roti) and Norma at the Domino Club in the rain forest always has something cooking.

For fine dining, try Tutto Bene, Bacchus, Savant and The Galleon.

• On Saint John dollar drinks are available across the street from the National park office, next to the ice cream shop.
• On St. Thomas, There are several drinking establishments in Red Hook, on the East End, including: Caribbean Saloon, Duffy's Love Shack, Fat Boy's, Molly Malone's, Island Time Pizza, and XO Bistro.
• On St. Croix, Cruzan Rum is made at a distillery that you can tour. Be sure to do the tour and participate in the tasting after! Cruzan Rum is available just about everywhere, but there are certain flavors (i.e. Clipper) that are not sold in other parts of the USA, so take a bottle back with you. In the seaside town of Christiansted is the Brew Pub which makes several good beers. And, when at local places or events, always ask if there is a local drink. Be wary of the home recipes (i.e. Mama Wanna) - they are strong!
• Unlike the US Mainland, the drinking age in the Virgin Islands is 18.

• 18.3434-64.97281 University of the Virgin Islands (UVI). UVI is a small but respectable school founded in 1962. It is comprised of two main campuses, in St. Thomas and St. Croix. Its mascot is the UVI Buccaneer. It is a corresponding member of the NCAA and competes against NCAA II and III along with the Intercollegiate Sports Organization League in Puerto Rico. (updated Oct 2020)

To learn about history and culture, visit St. Croix's historic landmarks. St. Croix is home to two forts (one in each waterfront town) and numerous historic buildings. Tours are available at Government House in Christiansted. Whim Great House and the Laweatz Museum offer tours. There is even a self-guided island tour called the Heritage Tour, maps are available at various places.

To learn about food and agriculture, come to St. Croix during the annual Ag Fair. You can also visit the VI Sustainable farm (call in advance) and Southgate Farms (both organic).

As a US territory, Americans can come here and work with no special visa. Foreigners must go through the rigorous process of obtaining a US work permit.

The economy is quite seasonal, based mostly around cruise ship calls, which taper off from May through September and peak in December and January.

Some parts of St. Thomas, especially Charlotte Amalie, can be risky at night. Drug and other related crime is a problem. Tourists should exercise caution when getting around as some neighborhoods can be dangerous, even if a well-known restaurant is in this neighborhood. It is advised to take a taxi if you are going anywhere especially at night.

There are several parts of St. Thomas that are not safe after dark, and a couple of places that are not safe at any time of day. The islands may seem like paradise, but the crime rate is comparable to many large cities.

This is the only U.S. territory where driving on the left side of the road is still practiced. There are many theories as to why this is. One theory is due to the prior use of the donkey as a main mode of transportation. Islanders would drive on the left to see how close they were getting to the edge of the many steep and cliff-like roadways. The original donkey trails were then paved over to create what are now the roadways today. Another theory is that as a Danish colony, the Danish West Indies were heavily British-influenced, due to an unwillingness among Danish people to relocate to the Danish colony. This British influence explains the widespread use of the English language even before the United States purchased the islands from Denmark in 1917.

Despite the left-side traffic, cars on the island are generally imported from the mainland U.S. and are left-hand drive. For drivers used to right-side traffic, the switch is pretty easy to make, though you will need to put more conscious thought into turns than normal. In general, other traffic provides an immediate reminder which side to choose; it's easier to forget if you're the only car on the road, but there are fewer cars to crash into in that case. The terror of flying past on the wrong side of traffic will pass after the first few cars, and the readjustment back home to right-hand driving will be a pleasant reminder of your trip. In short, don't be afraid of renting a car no matter which side of the road you normally drive on.

St. John is a relatively safe island but usual caution is advised when leaving your car unattended, especially at secluded beaches such as Salt Pond Bay. Your car is not a safe and yes, thieves will look under the front seat for your wallet.

Low-lying buildings usually use the public water, which is fine to drink. Places up in the mountains almost all have independent water supplies, replenished by the rain that falls on their roofs. The safety of this water depends on regular cleaning and treatment of the building's cistern.

Islanders follow a system of greeting which depends on the time of day. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening and good night are the norm. Most people follow-up a salutation with "How are you?" When entering a room with others it is customary to greet people. You may also be greeted with "ya arright?", to which an appropriate response would be "arright!" or "OK". Islanders also use a modified handshake. A normal shake, then a finger clasp, followed by a fist bump.

• British Virgin Islands
• Puerto Rico