The most beautiful things to see on St. John in the US Virgin Islands

Post author:Traveler with a Map
Post published:January 9, 2022
Post category:Blog / USA / Virgin Islands

If you’re reading this post, you’re most likely planning a trip to St. John. We explored the island really well in December of 2021 and this post will give you an idea of the most beautiful things to see on St. John in the US Virgin Islands.

St. John also known as Love City

St. John is the smallest island among the 3 main US Virgin Islands (St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John) and the most pristine. Two thirds of the island are covered by the Virgin Islands National Park, which protects the coral reef and the remnants of the sugar cane plantations. St. John attracts thousands of tourists a year for its unspoiled beaches and gorgeous turquoise waters. We spent 6 days on the island exploring the national park and enjoying the picturesque Caribbean scenery.

Getting to and around St. John

St. John doesn’t have an airport, so you’ll need to take a ferry from Red Hook on St. Thomas to get here. It’s easy and inexpensive to do, and I highly recommend a visit to the island. I also recommend renting a car, either in St. Thomas or in St. John, especially if you plan to spend several days on the island. We rented a car at St. Thomas airport and took the car to St. John on a frequently running car barge. Even though St. John has a well- run industry of tourist taxi buses, having your own car gives you a lot more flexibility. Plus, you’re much safer during the pandemic. It’s not cheap but it’s definitely worth it.

The most beautiful things to see on St. John in the USVI

1. The little town of Cruz Bay

The main town on St. John is Cruz Bay. This little community set in a gorgeous setting is the major tourist destination on St. John. Though small, it accommodates the many visitors who arrive on ferries every hour from St. Thomas. Many tourists just come for a day but some stay on the island for a longer period of time. Cruz Bay makes it a great base for exploring the lovely beaches located within the Virgin Islands National Park. The town offers a good variety of restaurants and bars, and has a small but nice selection of souvenir stores. Definitely visit Mongoose Junction for nice shopping and dining options. We ate at both the Greengos Caribbean Cantina and the Taproom, and loved both of our meals.

2. Virgin Islands National Park

Virgin Islands National Park with its lovely beaches and corral reefs is the reason why so many tourists come to St. John. Enjoy the views of the verdant hills, relax on the gorgeous white sands of the Caribbean coast, snorkel, and admire the abundance of marine life. Don’t forget to get yourself a refreshing drink from the beach bar. It is such a nice treat! My personal favorite was the painkiller, which was supposedly invented on the island of Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. When you get tired of hanging out on the beach, hike and explore the sugar plantations of the past.

3. Trunk Bay

If you’re going to visit just one beach on St. John it must be Trunk Bay! Trunk Beach is renowned for its paradise-like beauty and rightly so. The aqua blue water and the soft white sands make the beach the top destination in St. John. The setting is charming too. The beach is fringed by sea grape trees and the whole bay is lush with tropical vegetation. The views over Tortola and smaller cays are truly lovely. If you snorkel, check out the underwater snorkeling trail that the park service put together. However, ror a better coral variety, snorkel to the left of the beach. Parking is limited, so plan to get to Trunk Bay around 8 am to make sure you have a spot. There is a $5 parking fee but if you arrive before 8, you will get in for free. There are two bars on the beach, so no worries about going hungry or thirsty. If you have time, I highly recommend visiting several other beaches, which are also stunning. You can read about the most beautiful beaches on St. John here.

4. Annaberg Plantation Ruins

While on St. John, you should also visit the ruins of the Annaberg plantation, which was one of the most extensive sugar plantations on the island. In addition to sugar, it also produced molasses and rum. The plantation was operated by slaves brought from Africa by the Danes. As you visit the site, the first thing you will notice is the windmill tower, along with the remnants of the sugar factory, as well as the enslaved laborer’s village. Make sure to take a look out onto the bay, the views of which are spectacular.

5. Coral Bay

If you have a car, drive to Coral Bay, a tiny community on the east side of the island. The drive will give you a good idea of what the island is about and you will be able to see the other town on St. John. While we really enjoyed the views of Coral Bay from above, we found the town too small to our liking. Many people speak highly of several of the restaurants in Coral Bay, unfortunately, they were all closed when we visited.

Enjoy the Caribbean cuisine

Local food is always a wonderful benefit of traveling. While in the Virgin Islands, we definitely wanted to eat some local Caribbean food. One of the staples of the Virgin Islands is a roti. The food truck in Cruz Bay, Roti King, has wonderful rotis filled with curried chicken, veggies, and goat. Make sure you try one. You may also want to order a Johnny cake, a donut looking bread, quite tasty. Another thing I recommend you try are pates, which are actually fried bread dumplings stuffed with meat or veggies. Finally, while in the Virgin Islands, you should have a delicious smoothy. There are plenty of places in Cruz Bay to get one.

A final word

It was wonderful to spend 6 days on St. John. We visited multiple beaches, took several hikes, explored Cruz Bay, ate great food, and enjoyed the happy hour drinks at the Beach Bar in town. We loved the Caribbean weather while it snowed in Seattle. It was a great trip!