The US Virgin Islands are a popular escape due to their tropical beaches and accessibility from the US. You can often find direct flights to the Caribbean and if you’re a US citizen, you don’t even need a passport to visit. When it comes to St. Thomas vs St. John, it can be hard to choose which island is right for you.
Both islands are incredibly beautiful with stunning beaches and mountainous hills. But there are some key differences to help you decide which island to stay on.
About the US Virgin Islands:
The US Virgin Islands are comprised of three main islands: St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix. St. Thomas and St. John are side by side, while St. Croix is located further south in the Caribbean and is not reachable by ferry from the other two.
St. Thomas and St. John are only about 6 miles apart, so they’re very close in proximity. They’re also located right next to the British Virgin Islands so depending on how long your trip is, you can easily visit more than one place.
But trying to figure out where your landing spot should be can be a little difficult since all of the islands have their own vibe and charm to them.
St. Thomas vs St. John
If you’re wondering which island is right for you, here are some common categories to consider when choosing an island.
Getting There: St. Thomas
St. Thomas is the easier island to get to as it has a main, international airport outside of Charlotte Amalie. You can fly directly there from the states (depending on where you’re taking off from) and then head directly to your hotel.
St. John does not have an airport, so to get to it you’ll have to fly into St. Thomas first, then take the ferry over to St. John. It’s an extra step to get there so you’ll want to figure out which island is more your vibe.
There’s a ferry directly out of Charlotte Amalie which is convenient but it takes about 45 minutes to get to St. John from there. Otherwise, you can get a ferry from Red Hook on the east side of St. Thomas and the ferry is only about 20 minutes. They also have a car ferry if you want to take a rental over to the island.
Getting Around: St. John
Both islands are pretty easy to navigate but St. John is less crowded and a little more chill. The main town, Cruz Bay, is very walkable. The ferry pulls right into the town and is right next to the beach, restaurants and bars. There are shuttles to the beaches along the north coast as well for a fee.
If you have a car on St. John, the roads are empty and easy to drive. About two-thirds of the island is a national park so you’ll be driving through lots of nature along narrow, winding roads.
St. Thomas has a busier capital and also steep, winding roads outside of Charlotte Amalie. We had stayed up the hill outside of the capital and had extremely sharp turns and lots of mountain traffic to get to our AirBNB. It’s not necessarily hard to get around, just busier and more congested than St. John.
Main Town: St. Thomas
This one is subjective and I think most people would say St. Thomas here. Charlotte Amalie is the capital of the US Virgin Islands and is located on St. Thomas. It’s much bigger than the main town on St. John (Cruz Bay). There’s a historic fort, lots of shopping streets and restaurants. It can get very busy when cruises come through.
The main town in St. John is Cruz Bay. The ferry drops you right in the center of town within walking distance to hotels and restaurants. It’s smaller and less crowded but still has some things to do. I kinda liked it a bit more just because of how low-key it is.
Beaches: St. John
For beaches, I think there’s mostly two factors that people weigh against: how pretty it is and what there is to do there. I feel like I’m probably in the minority in that I don’t like a lot of amenities at a beach. If you want amenities, St. Thomas will be your place.
You can find resorts off a lot of the beaches in St. Thomas and most of them will have beach chairs, activities and restaurants nearby. It’s also a busier island so there will be more people out.
The beaches on St. John have a few amenities either on them or nearby, but not like you’ll see in St. Thomas. And several don’t have any at all besides maybe a bathroom. It definitely felt a little more chill and secluded.
In terms of which island has prettier beaches, I have to give that one to St. John. Both islands have beautiful beaches so it’s not a landslide win by any means. But the north coast beaches on St. John are stunning and really stood out to me.
Landscape: St. John
In terms of landscape, both islands are pretty mountainous and have a lot of beautiful beaches. It’s just that St. Thomas is more developed. 60% of St. John is a national park so the island is less developed and its natural beauty is more preserved.
You’ll definitely be more in nature driving around the island of St. John and the national park. And the further you get from Cruz Bay, the quieter it becomes.
Hiking: St. John
If you’re into hiking, St. John will have more options since it has the national park. We tried to find some in St. Thomas but because it’s so developed, there just aren’t as many nature trails. We ‘hiked’ Mermaid’s Chair in St. Thomas but most of that was a stroll through a neighborhood and not necessarily a hike.
St. John has some great options that will take you along the coast for some great island views. We loved hiking the Ram Head Trail (moderate) and the best part is that it starts and ends on a beach so you can cool off immediately afterwards.
There are many hikes to check out that range from easy to difficult that will take you through tropical forests, along salt ponds, beaches, sugar mill ruins and waterfalls. Lind Point Trail or the Francis Bay Trail are easier hikes while Reef Bay Trail is a more difficult option.
Nightlife: St. Thomas
If you’re wanting more of a party scene, you’ll find more options in St. Thomas. St. John’s nightlife is mostly laid back and revolves around the bars in Cruz Bay.
Red Hook in St. Thomas is known for being more of a nightlife area. You’ll find many bars in the area that you can barhop to. There’s live music at some venues and places are open later.
Day trips: St. Thomas
Because St. Thomas is more centrally located and more of a hub, it has a few more options for day trips available. There are a few islands right off of St. Thomas, like the little-known Water Island, the 4th US Virgin Island and Hassel Island where you can take historic tours.
St. John is an easy day trip from St. Thomas and you can catch the ferry from either Charlotte Amalie or Red Hook. You can also get a ferry over to the British Virgin Islands to check out the Baths on Virgin Gorda or the main island of Tortola.
If you’re staying on St. John, you’ll obviously have already taken the ferry over from St. Thomas but you can always go back for a day trip. Likewise, you can always go to the British Virgin Islands like Tortola or Jost Van Dyke, but I had a hard time finding available ferries.
Cruise Ports: St. Thomas
A lot of people visit the US Virgin Islands by taking cruises. St. Thomas has one of the busiest cruise ports in the Caribbean so you can expect a lot of options when it comes to shopping and restaurants.
However, you might want to take note of the cruise schedule so you can either explore without the crowds, or make sure you go during a cruise arrival day to make sure all the shops will be open.
If you’re on a cruise, you’ll dock in St. Thomas, not St. John. If you want to visit St. John on your cruise, you’ll have to get on a ferry for a day trip.
The port in St. John is mostly for local ferries and drops you at Cruz Bay. You can take a people ferry over or a car ferry if you’ve rented a car and want to drive on the island.
Food: St. Thomas
While I wouldn’t necessarily say the food is better on one island or the other, it’s more about the options available. And St. Thomas has significantly more restaurants and variety to choose from than St. John.
And if you’re looking for food options at the beaches, St. Thomas has more options there also since the St. John beaches are a little more laid-back.
Snorkeling: St. John
If you’re a big snorkeler, St. John is the better island for this. Because of its national park status, a lot of the surrounding reefs are protected. In fact, about 5,500 acres of the park are underwater.
The coral is better protected, making the marine life more abundant. There are also some underwater trails and reefs you can check out on boat trips.
There is some good snorkeling in St. Thomas though and most of them are places where you can snorkel right off the beach. A few places we went were a little crowded but you can definitely find some beaches with calmer waters and less people to try and explore.
Affordability: St. Thomas
This one comes down to variety. With St. Thomas having many more options in terms of accommodation and restaurants, you’re more likely to find budget-friendly options.
St. John tends to be a little more expensive simply because there aren’t as many options on the island to choose from. The accommodations on St. John tend to be more higher-end as well.
The common theme here comes down to options. One island is more developed and busy, one is more chill.
Choose St. Thomas: If you’re someone who wants more amenities, restaurants and activities with busier, livelier beaches.
Choose St. John: If you want a more laid-back atmosphere with less crowds, less options and more nature.
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