St. Croix

Best months by our weather score: January, February, March. Daytime highs, rain and sunshine are 2016–2025 averages at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (Open-Meteo historical weather archive); sea temperatures are 2022–2025 averages for the nearest sea area (Open-Meteo marine archive). Months marked in the storm row fall in the Atlantic hurricane season (June 1 to November 30); the score takes that risk into account.

Gateway airport

Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX)

US nonstops

ATL, CLT, EWR, MIA, ORD

Distance

3,476 mi from Los Angeles, 1,673 mi from New York

Passport

Not needed for US citizens

Hotel, one night

$108 on Jan 13, 2027 · $128 on Jul 14, 2027 (Christiansted)

Visitors a year

264,630 overnight visitors (2025)

Bringing a dog

Easy: No quarantine. A USDA-accredited vet's health certificate (APHIS 7001, state CVI or approved eCVI) issued within 10 days of arrival, showing current rabies vaccination, emailed to the USVI Department of Agriculture at least 1 business day before you land.

Hotel prices: Cheapest 3-star-or-better double, 1 night, 2 adults, Kayak 'stay total' including taxes and fees, member-only and private deals excluded, checked 2026-10-20. January: The Comanche Club, Christiansted. July: The Palms Resort and Beach (Palms at Pelican Cove), Christiansted area. Frederiksted's cheapest in January was The Fred at $270.. Visitor figures: FAA, CY2025 commercial service enplanements (Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, STX).

St. Croix suits couples who want quiet and small inns, teens and adults who dive or snorkel, and budget travelers. The reef is the headline: Buck Island's underwater trail and the wall that drops off at Cane Bay.

Skip it if you want a long, calm beach outside your door every day, or a full resort scene. St. Thomas has more flights and more beach resorts, and St. John has the better beaches. All three are compared on our US Virgin Islands ranking.

• Christiansted: the main town on the north shore, with small hotels on the boardwalk, restaurants and the boats to Buck Island.
• East End: resorts and villas on quieter beaches, and the road to Point Udall.
• North shore and Cane Bay: dive-focused inns and villas next to the reef wall.
• Frederiksted: the west-end town with the cruise pier, sunset views and a few adults-only inns.

Our Kayak check on October 20, 2026, one night, two adults, taxes and fees included: $108 at The Comanche Club in Christiansted for January 13, 2027, and $128 at The Palms Resort and Beach for July 14, 2027. Frederiksted cost more: its cheapest 3-star room in January was $270 at The Fred. Something new is coming: the USVI Department of Tourism announced in July 2026 that Club Med had broken ground on an all-inclusive resort on St. Croix.

• Buck Island: Turtle Beach, on the island off the north shore, is the best beach on St. Croix. You need a boat; tours leave from Christiansted.
• Sandy Point: a long, wide beach on the southwest tip, part of a wildlife refuge with limited opening for turtle nesting.
• Cane Bay: narrow sand and calm water, with the reef wall a short swim out. A diving beach more than a lounging one.
• Rainbow Beach and the Frederiksted waterfront: easy, calm swimming on the west end.
• Shoys and the East End beaches: quieter, near the resorts.

Mineral sunscreen only: USVI law bans oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene. We score the beaches 6.5: very good at Buck Island and Sandy Point, average close to most hotels.

• Buck Island Reef National Monument: the marked underwater snorkel trail and Turtle Beach, by tour boat from Christiansted.
• Diving the Cane Bay wall from shore, and the Frederiksted pier, a classic night dive.
• Christiansted National Historic Site: Fort Christiansvaern and the Danish-era buildings on the waterfront. Entry is $10 per person aged 16 and up, valid 3 days; the NPS counted 100,165 visits in 2025.
• Point Udall, the island's far eastern tip, for sunrise.
• Rum distilleries on the island's south side, which offer tours and tastings.
• Salt River Bay for kayaking and its bioluminescent bay at night.

That is a week of variety for active travelers, which earns a 7 for things to do, higher than St. Thomas or St. John.

St. Croix is the value pick of the US Virgin Islands. A week at the January rate we found, $108 a night with tax, is about $756 in hotel nights for two; the same week on St. John, at $382 a night, would be about $2,674. You will need a rental car, because the island is large and the best beaches and dive sites are spread around it, and you drive on the left. Budget for a Buck Island boat trip and $10 per adult at Christiansted's fort. There are far fewer nonstops than to St. Thomas, so price the flights together with the hotel. For other low-cost islands, see our best cheap islands list.

Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX) has nonstops from five US airports: American from Miami year-round and from Charlotte and Chicago-O'Hare seasonally, Delta from Atlanta seasonally, and United from Newark, resuming October 31, 2026. Spirit's Fort Lauderdale flights ended when the airline shut down on May 2, 2026; the Port Authority told senators St. Croix lost 81 scheduled flights from May to December. Many trips connect through San Juan on JetBlue, Cape Air or Fly The Whale, or through St. Thomas.

Between the islands, the QE IV ferry links Gallows Bay to Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas five days a week, Thursday to Monday, in about 2 hours 10 minutes, for $60 one way. The Coast Guard requires ID for all passengers.

Entry: no passport for US citizens. To fly you need a REAL ID-compliant license or a passport (TSA charges $45 without acceptable ID). Flying home, you clear CBP and USDA inspection at STX: carry a passport, or a raised-seal birth certificate plus government photo ID.

December to April is the dry, busier season; summer is quieter, and the USVI Department of Tourism says the best hotel bargains come then, though our two dates were close: $108 in January, $128 in July. Our 12-month weather table below gives the numbers.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, according to the NOAA National Hurricane Center, peaking around September 10, with most activity from mid-August to mid-October. Book flexible rates for those months; see our hurricane season guide.

Dogs: easy. A vet health certificate within 10 days of arrival, with rabies details, emailed to the USVI Department of Agriculture at least one business day ahead. No quarantine.

Live Music Sunset Sail

Rum punch, soda and water are included and you may bring snacks; tips are appreciated. Frederiksted is on the west end, a 30-minute drive from Christiansted.

2.5 hours

4.9★★★★★★★★★★(419 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on Viator

Taste of Twin City Food Tour with VI Food Tours

Tastings, lunch, transport and gratuities are included, which explains the price. It starts at a Christiansted lunch counter at 10:30am.

3 hours

4.9★★★★★★★★★★(315 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on Viator

Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.