SHOPPING

The US Virgin Islands are outside the U.S. Custom Zone. A special exemption of $1,200 for each person traveling to this U.S. Territory is allowed. Family members traveling together may combine total purchases. Many items are individually exempt.

Since the trade winds brought the schooner and clipper ships of old, St. Thomas has been a duty-free port. Other Caribbean Islands have only recently endorsed the duty-free concept. As a result, Virgin Island Merchants offer lower prices and a more varied product.

AH Riise Mall

Experience premier duty free shopping and old world charm within one of the island’s most elegant and historic settings. Shop for jewelry, perfumes, cosmetics, Caribbean gifts, liquor, tobacco and more.

Charlotte Amalie

Named for a Danish Queen, the centuries-old warehouses stretch from the downtown waterfront to Dronnigens Gade (Main Street). They once held molasses, lumber, rum, and spices awaiting export and trade goods such as manufactured items, ceramics, gold, and gems brought from around the world. You won’t find much molasses or lumber downtown, but all the rest, and products unimaginable to Captains and Chandlers of old. The warehouses are now tastefully converted and restored to house retail stores with products and prices to satisfy the most demanding clients.

Market Square

People come from all over the island to sell fresh fruit and vegetables. The busiest market day is Saturday: vendors arrive hours before dawn. Ask for some genips. You break open the skin and suck the sweet/sour pulp from a stone. Delicious!

Red Hook, American Yacht Harbor

A variety of great shops and restaurants on the east end of the island that overlook the boats in the harbor and the Red Hook Ferry Dock that connects St. Thomas to St. John.

Yacht Haven

A rockin’ Caribbean roadhouse featuring casual Caribbean-inspired fare, gourmet pizzas, great salads and exotic frozen cocktails. Whether you’re looking for drinks, lunch, dinner or exciting nightlife, Fat Turtle has incredible food in a fun-filled atmosphere day or night.

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Other Islands

St. Thomas and the Virgin Islands are well known for their sports fishing, day cruises, snorkeling and scuba diving. St. Thomas has a huge selection of local companies and boat captains that will be happy to enhance your St. Thomas vacation.

St. John

St. John is easily accessible with a short ferry ride from the Red Hook dock on the east end of St. Thomas. Enjoy the shopping in Cruz Bay and Mangoose Junction, a short walk from the ferry dock. There are many selections of fine restaurants to choose from as well.

Island National Park, renowned throughout the world for its breathtaking beauty, covers approximately 3/5 of St. John. Within its borders lie protected bays of crystal blue-green waters teeming with coral reef life, white sandy beaches shaded by seagrape trees, coconut palms, and tropical forests providing habitat for more than 800 species of plants. To these amazing natural resources, add relics from the pre-Columbian Amerindian civilization, remains of the Danish Colonial sugar plantations, and reminders of African slavery and the subsistence culture that followed during the 100 years after Emancipation – all part of the rich cultural history of the Park and its island home.

St. Croix

St. Croix is the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, is 28 miles long and seven miles wide, located approximately 45 miles from St. Thomas. Its vegetation ranges widely from rain forest on the west end to desert out east. St. Croix is accessible by multiple airline flights daily. The ferry usually operates in-season only.

Its Danish ancestry is reflected in the island’s architecture. First colonized in the 1700s, St. Croix is now home to about 50,000 permanent residents. Christensted is located on the east end of the island and is known for its duty-free shopping, art galleries, and the charming bars and restaurants along the harbor side boardwalk.

St. Croix is well-endowed with beaches, reefs, and recreational watersports opportunities. Sandy Point, on the southwest end of St. Croix, is known as a nesting ground for endangered sea turtles. You will certainly want to visit offshore islands easily within reach by boat offering isolation and adventure: Buck Island National Park, an 800-acre reserve, features the only underwater snorkeling site within the National Park system and one of the best beaches you can imagine; Protestant Cay located off Christensted harbor.

British Virgin Islands – Tortola

The British Virgin Islands, including Tortola, are easily accessible with a short ferry ride from St. Thomas or St. John, but usually require 24 hour notice and your passport.