Pick your side for resorts, ferries, sailing charters, restaurants, and the beaches worth the trip.
Still deciding between the U.S. and British Virgin Islands?
Compare USVI vs. BVINo passport needed for U.S. citizens. Duty-free shopping in Charlotte Amalie, national-park beaches on St. John, and Danish colonial towns on St. Croix.
Entry: U.S. citizens need no passport arriving from the mainland. Bring one if you plan to visit the BVI.
Sixty-plus islands strung along calm, protected water. Giant granite boulders, legendary beach bars, and anchorages made for sailing.
Entry: A valid passport is required for everyone, including day trips from the USVI.
Pins are approximate. 48 places shown.
Beachfront stays, private-island hideaways, and easygoing hotels.
How to hop between islands by ferry, car barge, and seaplane.
Bareboat and crewed yachts, catamaran day sails, and snorkel trips.
Island classics, waterfront dinners, and toes-in-the-sand bars.
The beaches, reefs, ruins, and viewpoints worth planning around.
Ferries link St. Thomas and St. John with Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Jost Van Dyke, often in under an hour. Bring a passport for any BVI crossing and allow time for customs.