Where is St. Croix?
The largest U.S. Virgin Island, its own island 40 miles from the rest — and why that distance shapes the whole trip.
St. Croix guide
The questions guests ask us before they arrive, answered properly.
Before you book
Do you need a passport for St. Croix?
Short answer: not if you are a U.S. citizen flying from the mainland. The longer answer has three catches.
St. Croix vs St. Thomas
They are 40 miles and one entire personality apart. Here is which one fits your trip.
Is St. Croix safe?
For most visitors, yes — with ordinary precautions. Here is the realistic version, without either the scare stories or the sales pitch.
The best time to visit St. Croix
December to April is the easy answer. May and early December are the better-value ones.
St. Croix map and island layout
An orientation to the island: five regions, two towns, one airport, and how long it really takes to get between them.
St. Croix: the basic facts
Every plain factual question about the island, answered in one place.
All-inclusive in St. Croix
The short version: St. Croix is not an all-inclusive island. That is a feature, and there is a better way to do it.
Getting here
Getting to St. Croix
One airport, a handful of direct routes, and a short drive to almost anywhere on the island.
Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX)
One airport, on the south side, about 20–25 minutes from Christiansted. Arrivals are easy; departures are the slow direction.
Renting a car on St. Croix
Not optional. Book ahead, take the first drive slowly, and remember which side of the road you're on.
What to do
Things to do in St. Croix
Twelve things worth building a day around, grouped by whether you want water, land, or a drink.
Snorkeling in St. Croix
Five spots worth the swim, what you will see at each, and which need a boat.
Buck Island Reef National Monument
A national monument you swim through. Half a day, one boat, and the best snorkelling on the island.
The bioluminescent bay at Salt River
Paddle out on a moonless night and the water lights up where you break it. Here is how to see it properly.
Places on the island
The beaches of St. Croix
The island has more coastline than visitors, which is the whole point. Here is which beach suits which day.
Christiansted
A working harbour town with 250 years of Danish architecture still standing over it.
Cane Bay
One of the few world-class wall dives you reach by walking off a beach.
Point Udall
The eastern tip of the island, a sundial monument, and the best sunrise on St. Croix.
Frederiksted Pier
A working cruise pier by day, one of the Caribbean's oddest and best macro dive sites underneath.
Annaly Bay tide pools
Natural rock pools on the wild north coast — a real hike, and the payoff most visitors never see.
Hams Bluff Lighthouse
A short, steep climb on the north-west corner to a disused lighthouse and a very big view.
Rainbow Beach
The west end's social beach — calm water, somewhere to eat, and the sunset side of the island.