U.S. Virgin Islands

No passport is required, and you pay in dollars – just remember to stay in your lane, because the USVI is the only place under the US flag where you drive on the left.

A rare rainbow hangs over Trunk Bay, St. John’s favorite and busiest beach. Photo: Christian Wheatley/Getty Images

Overview

Three sister islands, three distinct personalities. St. Thomas is the sibling open for business. The capital city of Charlotte Amalie faces one of the busiest ports in the Caribbean, while its historic downtown is a mecca for duty-free shopping. But it’s not all hustle and bustle, as resorts set in quiet bays are scattered around the island’s coastline.

A short ferry ride away, St. John is the quiet sibling that’s gone back to nature. More than half the island lies within the Virgin Islands National Park, gifting a select number of visitors with uncrowded beaches and pristine bays. Forty miles to the south, St. Croix is the family member with a colorful past of pirate camps, plantations, rum making and stilt-walking ghosts. Echoes of a colonial past linger in the streets of Christiansted and Frederiksted, while boutique resorts are tucked into secluded shorelines.