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The islands are warm all year, and the sea is always good for swimming. The main season runs from December to April, when it is drier and sunnier, but hotels and flights cost the most. The Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June to November, with the highest risk from August to October. For events, time a trip for St. Thomas Carnival in spring or the Crucian Christmas Festival on St. Croix around New Year.

English is the official language and everyone speaks it. Among themselves, many locals speak Virgin Islands Creole, an English-based Creole with a strong accent and its own words. On St. Croix you also hear a lot of Spanish, because many families have roots in Puerto Rico.

The islands are part of the US phone system, with the area code 340. Most US mobile plans work here as at home, without roaming charges, but check with your provider before you travel. On St. John and near the British Virgin Islands, your phone may connect to a British network. This can start expensive roaming. Set your phone to a manual network or turn off data roaming to avoid this.

Many homes and small hotels collect rainwater in cisterns. Drink bottled or filtered water unless your hotel says its tap water is treated. The sun is very strong all year. Mosquitoes can carry dengue, so use repellent, especially in the rainy months. No special vaccinations are required beyond routine ones.

The main hospitals are on St. Thomas and St. Croix. St. John has only a small clinic, so serious cases go to St. Thomas by boat. Pharmacies are easy to find in the main towns and carry the same brands as on the US mainland.

The territory bans sunscreens that contain oxybenzone, octinoxate or octocrylene, to protect the coral reefs. Bring a reef-safe sunscreen.

The US Virgin Islands follow US immigration rules:

• US citizens do not need a passport when arriving from the US mainland or Puerto Rico. Bring a government photo ID, and carry a passport if you plan a day trip to the British Virgin Islands.
• Other visitors need the same entry documents as for the US mainland: an approved ESTA under the Visa Waiver Program, or a US visa.
• Leaving for the mainland: the islands are outside the US customs area. Before flights to the mainland, everyone passes a US Customs and Border Protection check at the airport, so arrive early.

Visa and entry requirements change frequently. Verify current requirements with the official immigration authority or your country's embassy before travel.

Greetings matter a lot here. Always greet people first with "Good morning", "Good afternoon" or "Good night" before you ask a question or order something, even in a shop or a taxi. Locals often say "Good night" as a greeting after dark. Skipping the greeting seems rude.

• Dress: swimwear is for the beach and the pool. Cover up with a shirt and shorts in towns, shops and restaurants.
• Photos: ask before you take a close photo of a person or a market stall.
• Pace: service is relaxed. Patience and a friendly tone get better results than hurrying people.

The islands celebrate US federal holidays plus local ones, such as Transfer Day and Emancipation Day. On public holidays, government offices close.

Shops in Charlotte Amalie focus on cruise visitors, so their hours follow the ship schedule. In quieter areas, restaurants often close one or two days a week, and some close for a few weeks in the autumn. Check opening days before you plan a dinner.

• By ferry: passenger ferries run about every hour from Red Hook on Saint Thomas to Cruz Bay on St. John. The trip takes about 20 minutes. Some ferries also leave from downtown Charlotte Amalie. Car barges connect the two islands too. VI Department of Public Works – ferries
• By air: St. Croix is too far for a quick ferry ride. Most people fly between St. Thomas and St. Croix on short flights or seaplanes, which take about 25 minutes. Virgin Islands Port Authority
• By safari taxi: these open-air trucks with benches are the shared local transport on St. Thomas and St. John. Stop one on the main roads and pay a small flat fare in cash.
• By taxi: taxis do not use meters. Fares are fixed per person and per destination, so confirm the price before you get in.
• By bus: VITRAN public buses run on all three islands for $2. Pay with exact change. VITRAN bus routes
• By car: a rental car is the easiest way to explore St. Croix and St. John.

Local food is Caribbean, with African, Danish and Puerto Rican influences. For breakfast, locals eat saltfish with johnnycake, a fried bread. At lunchtime, try a pate, a fried pastry filled with spiced meat or saltfish, from a roadside stand. Popular dishes are fish with fungi, a cornmeal and okra side, stewed goat, conch in butter sauce, and kallaloo, a thick green stew. For dessert, look for coconut tarts and red grout, a tapioca pudding.

To drink, try maubi, a bark and spice drink, or fresh passion fruit juice. At Christmas, locals drink sorrel, made from hibiscus. Rum is the main spirit. St. Croix has two large distilleries, and rum punch is on every bar menu. You find local food at small family restaurants, food trucks and roadside stands. Beach bars and resorts serve more American-style meals.

• Saint Thomas is the main gateway, with most flights and cruise ships. The capital, Charlotte Amalie, has Danish-era buildings, the 17th-century Fort Christian and one of the oldest synagogues in the Americas. Magens Bay is the island's best-known beach.
• St. John is the place for nature. The national park covers most of the island, with hiking trails, plantation ruins and calm bays such as Trunk Bay, which has an underwater snorkel trail. Most visitors arrive by ferry from St. Thomas.
• St. Croix is the largest island and feels less touristy. Christiansted has a well-kept Danish fort and waterfront, and Frederiksted has a long pier popular with divers. Boats leave Christiansted for snorkeling at Buck Island Reef National Monument.