Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ESSENTIALS
Getting There
BY BOAT
The easiest and most common way to get to St. John is by
ferry
(
&
340/776-6282
),
which leaves from the Red Hook landing pier on St. Thomas's eastern tip; the trip
takes about 20 minutes each way. Beginning at 6:30am, boats depart more or less
every hour. The last ferry back to Red Hook departs from St. John's Cruz Bay at
11pm. The service is frequent and efficient enough that even cruise-ship passengers
temporarily anchored in Charlotte Amalie can visit St. John for a quick island tour.
The one-way fare is $6 for adults, $1 for children 11 and under. Schedules change
without notice, so call in advance.
To reach the ferry, take the
Vitran
bus from the ferry dock near Market Square (in
Charlotte Amalie) directly to Red Hook. The cost is $1 per person each way. In addi-
tion, privately owned taxis will negotiate a price to carry you from virtually anywhere
on the island to the docks at Red Hook.
If you've just landed on St. Thomas and want to go straight to your chosen ferry
dock, your best bet is to take a cab from the airport (Vitran buses run from Charlotte
Amalie but don't serve the airport area). Depending on the traffic, the cab ride on St.
Thomas could take 30 to 45 minutes, at a fare between $20 and $22. After disem-
barking from the ferry on St. John, you'll have to get another cab to your hotel.
It's also possible to board a
boat
for St. John directly at the Charlotte Amalie
waterfront, from Vendors Plaza at the corner of Veterans Drive and Tolbod Gade, for
a cost of $10 each way for adults and $1 for children 11 and under. The ride takes 45
minutes. The boats depart from Charlotte Amalie at 7:15am and continue at intervals
of 2 hours, until the last boat departs around 5:30pm. (The last boat to leave St.
John's Cruz Bay for Charlotte Amalie departs at 3:45pm.) Call
&
340/776-6282,
or visit www.vinow.com for more information.
Visitor Information
The
tourist office
(
&
340/776-6450
) is located near the Battery, a 1735 fort that's
a short walk from the St. Thomas ferry dock in Cruz Bay. It's open Monday to Friday
from 8am to 5pm. A
National Park visitor center
(
&
340/776-6201
) is also
found at Cruz Bay, offering two floors of information and wall-mounted wildlife dis-
plays, plus a video presentation about the culture of the Virgin Islands; it's open daily
8am to 4pm.
You can pick up a map of the island from the tourist office and also a copy of
St.
John This Week,
which is distributed free.
Island Layout
Most visitors will arrive on St. John at
Cruz Bay,
on a ferry from St. Thomas. This
tiny town, with its few restaurants and shops, is quite the departure from the bustle
of Charlotte Amalie. Cruz Bay is also the first stop on any trip to
Virgin Islands
National Park,
which sprawls through the interior and encompasses almost all the
coastline. The park service runs an information center in town. Route 20 leads north
out of Cruz Bay, and passes the beaches at Caneel, Hawksnest, Trunk, Cinnamon,
and Maho bays. At the far north, Route 20 leads to the start of the
Annaberg Trail,
a historic hike through the ruins of 18th-century sugar plantations. Route 10 cuts
through the center of the island. Dozens of foot trails lead off this road, making for
4
110
