Defoes Lifestyle Travel Team

Blog featuring travel tips, packing guides, videos and photography from around the world.

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Saint Thomas and St. John’s Top Attractions

In the US Virgin Islands, St. Thomas is a great place to visit with your family. This Caribbean cove is close to the best of nature and has much to do on land and in the water. While staying on St. Thomas, it’s easy to go from one island to another by boat. You can go to St. John fast to spend the day, do duty-free shopping, and enjoy the beaches.

Discover the island.

You can do this on your own if you have a car or take a tour. Just remember you drive on the “wrong” side of the road. Start in Charlotte Amalie to see Fort Christian and 99 Steps. Then go to Mountain Top for great views of Magens Bay and Sir Francis Drake’s Seat, and order a banana daiquiri to enjoy while you’re there. Go to Magens Bay for a nice swim as your last stop.

PLACES TO SHOP IN CHARLOTTE AMALIE

This is a great place to shop in Duty-Free!

SNORKELLING OR SCUBA DIVING

Both islands are near some of the most transparent water in the world. During your safety stop, you might get lucky and see dolphins swimming around you.

SNORKELLING AND SAILING ON A CATAMARAN TOUR

Taking a boat tour is the best way to see the beauty of all the cays in the US Virgin Islands. The team takes you to the best places to snorkel, where you can tell lots of funny stories and drink lots of rum punch.

BEACHES

Snorkel the WetSide rents snorkelling gear if you want to avoid bringing your own. They’ll meet you at your hotel and make sure everything fits right. Try to go to the beaches when no cruise ships are in port.

MAGENS BAY

This beautiful bay on the rugged north coast of St. Thomas is known as one of the most beautiful places in the world. It is a great place to swim and dive, with parking, lifeguards, equipment rentals, freshwater showers, restaurants, and bars. Plan to stay here for at least half a day and up to a whole day.

Beach at COKI POINT

Another beautiful beach where snorkelling is a great thing to do. The Coral World Ocean Park is next to this beach, so there is much to see beneath. Get ready for a lot of people and a lot of beach businesses. This place is busy.

BEACH SAPPHIRE

This beach is on the island’s eastern side—windsurfers like to go there. The beach has beautiful views of St. John and the cays out in the water, and the reef to the east is a great place to swim.

BAY OF BREWERS

This beach is a secret gem because it rarely gets crowded, even on weekends. It is one of the quietest beaches on the island and is close to the University of St. Thomas. The water is clear, and Green Sea Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles like living there. Bring your stuff to snorkel!

TRIP ON ST. JOHN’S DAY

If you have a car, you can take the car boat to St. John. Visit the beaches at Maho Bay, Trunk Bay, or Cinnamon Bay. If you want to walk, there are a lot of trails in the Virgin Islands National Park. You should go on the Ram Head Trail. (Note there may be a fee to use these sites).