A day on St. John

St. Thomas is the port. St. John is the park. Two-thirds of it sits inside Virgin Islands National Park, and the ferry from Red Hook crosses in about twenty minutes. A day is enough for one great beach and a short trail; a longer stay is how people end up moving here.

Where: Ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay
Time: A full day
Cost: Ferry fare plus any taxi or park fee

Best for. Anyone staying more than a day

A day that works

Take an early ferry so you are in Cruz Bay before the trunk of the day. A safari taxi can run you out to Trunk Bay — the postcard beach, with an underwater snorkel trail — or to Maho, where turtles are a realistic hope in the seagrass. Swim, eat, and be back at the dock for a late-afternoon boat.

If you would rather walk than ride, the Lind Point trail leaves Cruz Bay and drops to Honeymoon Beach in under an hour. It is the best use of a half day when you do not want to negotiate a taxi queue.

What to bring

Cash for the ferry and for taxis, reef-safe sunscreen, and shoes you can hike in if the trail is the plan. Trunk Bay charges a beach fee as a national park site. There is no need to rent a car on St. Thomas just to do this — Red Hook is a taxi ride from almost anywhere on the island.