St. Thomas, USVI ... page 5

The main city on Saint Thomas is Charlotte Amalie, located at about center of the islands southern shore. It is home to a large bay. On the east end of the island is a city called Red Hook. Red Hook is the center of boat life on the island, and also has one of the departure points for the ferries to St John.

Magen's Bay, St. Thomas, USVI
photo by amanderson2 used under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License (CC BY 2.0)

The north coast of Saint Thomas has Magens Bay. This is the most popular beach on St Thomas and is often listed as one of the top beaches in all the Caribbean. In the hills above Magens Bay is a place called Drake’s Seat. The legend is that Sir Francis Drake would sit there and watch the activity of Spanish fleets traveling North and East of St Thomas, through what is now known as Drake's Passage (NOTE: obviously, this is the Drake's Passage in the Virgin Island's, not the Drake's Passage that's at the southern tip of South America).

A resort beach in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
photo by bettyx1138 used under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License (CC BY 2.0)

There is shopping galore in Charlotte Amalie. The shopping district is about three blocks long and has been described by some as the best shopping in the Caribbean.

Although Charlotte Amalie is the center of life on the island, those people looking for safe night life should look into going just to the West of Charlotte Amalie, to a city called French Town.

There's an air conditioned submarine called the "Atlantis III" in Saint Thomas, which goes on daily excursions and carries up to 48 passengers. Reservations are suggested.

Per the company's website: "This submarine would become the US Coast Guard’s benchmark for certifying public-passenger submarines in US territorial and coastal waters."

NOTE: As of 2008, the "Atlantis III" no longer operates out of St Thomas, and is now operating out of Barbados.

One can travel the island by taxi, and Charlotte Amalie is your best bet to catch a cab, as you may not be able to get a taxi in other parts of the island.

St Thomas does have a bus system called the Trans , which runs from 5:30 AM to 9:00 PM, but may not always get you where you want to go or get you there in a timely fashion.

One of the best ways to travel the island is by one of the "Saffari's" -- a large open air taxi. The fare is only $1, and move between some of the more popular destinations, on set routes. Once at one of their drop off locations, you should expect to see one pass by every 5 to 10 minutes or so.

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