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St. Thomas, USVI, Caribbean

Caribbean

St. Thomas, USVI

City overview

St. Thomas is a U.S. Virgin Island and U.S. territory, built around the harbor town of Charlotte Amalie and the cruise-ship trade, with Danish colonial forts, duty-free shopping and some of the best beaches in the Caribbean. Orthodox Jewish life on the island runs through Chabad Lubavitch of the Virgin Islands, based on the East End near Red Hook, led by Rabbi Asher Federman and Mrs. Henya Federman. There is no restaurant, standing daily minyan, or eruv here — the island runs on advance planning: kosher meals are pre-ordered from Chabad’s own kitchen, and davening is arranged around who is visiting that week. St. Thomas also holds one of the oldest synagogue buildings in the Western Hemisphere, in Charlotte Amalie, though it is not part of the current Orthodox community.

Getting Around

Public transit

VITRAN operates the island’s public bus network across St.

Thomas, with routes connecting Charlotte Amalie, Red Hook and the East End. Service is infrequent compared to a mainland city and is used mainly by residents rather than visitors. Public ferries run between St. Thomas and St. John roughly hourly all day. The Red Hook route is the most frequent, a 15-minute crossing to Cruz Bay from the Urman Victor Fredericks Marine Terminal at Red Hook — close to Chabad and the East End hotels. A slower 35-minute route also runs from Crown Bay Marina, near the airport, to Cruz Bay. Inter Island Boat Services also runs scheduled ferries from Red Hook to the British Virgin Islands (Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda), which require a passport and incur BVI customs fees. One-way adult fare, Red Hook – Cruz Bay: Around $12

Rideshare

There is no Uber or Lyft on St.

Thomas. Getting around means a taxi, a rental car, or arranging a ride through your hotel or Chabad. Taxis on St. Thomas are shared “safari” vans and sedans, licensed and rate-regulated by the Virgin Islands Taxicab Commission. Fares are quoted per person by destination rather than metered, and groups traveling together pay a lower per-person rate than solo travelers. Most drivers are cash-only; tell the driver or dispatcher in advance if you need to pay by card. Published per-person rate tables vary noticeably by source and by year, so confirm the exact fare with the driver or dispatcher before getting in, especially for longer East End routes. Standard add-ons apply across the board: a per-bag luggage fee, an after-hours surcharge between midnight and 6:00 AM, and waiting charges after the first five minutes. Taxi Commission (rates, complaints, lost items): 340-693-4211

Car rental

Worth having if you plan to explore beyond the East End — Magens Bay, Mountain Top and the Charlotte Amalie forts are all a drive away.

Driving is on the left, British-style, even though the island uses American cars and road signs. If you are staying East End for a Shabbos-centered trip and mainly moving between your hotel, the beach and Chabad, a car is optional; a taxi or a ride from Chabad covers it.

Airport

Cyril E. King Airport (STT). Distance to Chabad / East End (Red Hook): About 9 miles — roughly 25–30 minutes by taxi. Distance to Charlotte Amalie: About 10–15 minutes by taxi. STT sits on the western side of the island, near Charlotte Amalie, while Chabad and the East End hotels are on the far eastern tip — the full length of St. Thomas apart. Budget for the taxi ride accordingly, and note that arrival and departure lines can run long during peak cruise-ship season; airlines and locals both recommend arriving with extra buffer time.

Good to know

Best time to visit

December through April is the driest, most comfortable stretch and the height of the cruise season, while the Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 and peaks from August into October.

Insider tips

Contact Chabad well before you land. There is no fixed daily minyan on St. Thomas — it runs mainly in winter season and depends on who is visiting that week. Let Chabad know your dates, and your attendance may enable a minyan for someone else too. Kosher food is pre-order only. There is no walk-in kosher restaurant on the island. Chabad's kitchen needs 48 hours' notice for meals, and Shabbat catering runs off whatever is on the Chabad House menu that week — arrange it well in advance, especially for a Friday arrival. Stay East End if the Jewish infrastructure matters to your trip. Chabad, the Shabbat davening, and the closest hotels are all clustered around Nazareth and Red Hook on the island’s eastern tip — the same area as the Red Hook ferry to St. John. No passport is needed for U.S. citizens arriving from the mainland, the currency is the U.S. dollar, and mainland phone plans generally work without roaming charges.

Safety & emergency

St. Thomas is a U.S. jurisdiction, so 911 works exactly as it does on the mainland. The main tourist areas — Charlotte Amalie, Red Hook and the East End resorts — are generally safe with normal precautions: keep valuables out of sight in rental cars and golf carts, stay alert around the cruise-ship crowds in town, and take care on the water, since several beaches have currents and are not all lifeguarded. Emergency Numbers: Police / Fire / Ambulance (emergency): 911. Virgin Islands Police Department, St. Thomas (non-emergency): 340-774-2211. VI Taxicab Commission (lost items, complaints): 340-693-4211.

Local time

4:06 AM

+4 hrs from NYC

Plug

Type A/B

120V

Currency

U.S. Dollar

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