St. Thomas Travel Tips
Mocko Jumbies entertaining crowd at Carnival in St. Thomas; credit USVI Tourism
Facts
Official Language: English
Currency: U.S. Dollars
Time Zone: Atlantic Standard Time
Est. Population: 56,000
Cruise Port City: Charlotte Amalie
Travel Tips
Passports are not required for U.S. citizens.
The island’s tropical climate averages 83 degrees year round. During the summer, temperatures can average 95 degrees.
Anytime is a great time of the year to travel here, however, to avoid crowds and high prices, May to November is off season.
A rainier season starts in September and ends in October, but because it is a tropical climate, brief showers can come at any time.
Hurricane season is from mid-June to November.
Family walking along downtown Charlotte Amalie shops; (c) Soul Of America
Downtown Charlotte Amalie is filled with tourists during the day and is known for bargain shopping.
The dress code is always Island casual.
You can make phone calls or use the internet at stations near the cruise port.
Some U.S. cell phone companies allow calls from St. Thomas to the U.S. at the normal U.S. long distance rates.
The post office is located on Main Street, across from the Grand Hotel. Post office hours are 8am-4pm (Monday to Friday) and 8am-12pm (Saturday).
Banks are open from 9am-2:30pm (Monday-Thursday) and 9am-4pm (Friday). ATMs are plentiful.
Most stores are open 9am-5pm (Monday-Saturday).
If you plan to rent a car in St. Thomas, remember to drive on the left.
You should drink bottled water when available. Bring sunglasses, a hat and plenty of sunscreen lotion. You should bring plenty of camera film, since it’s more expensive to purchase in St. Thomas.
Electricity is the same as the U.S. mainland.
The crime rate here is probably no different that in any major metropolitan city, but visitors should use common sense when out and about.
The major holidays in St. John are New Year’s Day, Three Kings Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Transfer Day, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Memorial Day, Organic Act Day, Emancipation Day, U.S. Independence Day, Hurricane Supplication Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Virgin Islands Thanksgiving Day, Liberty Day, Veterans Day, U.S. Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day.