Tortola
Covers 25 islands from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to Aruba, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Cozumel and Roatán, with prices, flights and entry rules checked at the source.
UpdatedThis page carries dated prices, schedules or seasonal facts checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Re-check the sources at the foot of the page before you book.
Tortola is the working island of the British Virgin Islands. Road Town has the government, the ferry docks and the big charter-yacht marinas. The north coast has the beaches. In between are very steep, narrow roads. People come here to get on a boat: the BVI calls itself the sailing capital of the world, and the calm channel between Tortola and its neighbors is why.
Getting here is easier than guides say. American Airlines began Miami to Beef Island nonstops on June 1, 2023, and the Premier's 2026 budget address says service grew to five flights a day, plus extras on weekends, from December 2025. The government has also approved a 7,000-foot runway extension, planned to start construction in 2026. The territory reports about 1.1 million visitors in 2024; through September 2025, overnight visitors were up 2.1% to 238,102 and cruise passengers up 7.2% to 580,575.
At a glance
- Best for
- Sailors, snorkelers and couples who want to island-hop by boat
- Skip it if
- You want to walk out of your hotel onto a long beach every morning
- Getting there
- American Eagle nonstop Miami to Beef Island (EIS), or fly to St. Thomas and take a ferry to Road Town or West End
- Hotel, mid-January
- $158 (Fort Burt Hotel, Road Town, 3-star, taxes in)
- Hotel, mid-July
- $139 (same hotel)
- Island size
- 21.5 sq mi (55.7 sq km), steep and mountainous
In this guide
How Tortola scores
Six factors, scored 0 to 10 the same way for all 64 islands. Our verdict on this island is “it depends”, which takes 0.4 off the weighted average. There is no island-level visitor count we trust, so crowds are left out and the other five factors are re-weighted. How we score
- WeatherData · 20%9.3
- Beaches & seaEditors · 25%7.0
- Things to doEditors · 25%8.0
- Getting there from the USData · 10%8.3
- ValueData · 10%6.5
- Room to breatheData · 10%Not scored
Weather month by month
Best months by our weather score: January, May, December. Daytime highs, rain and sunshine are 2016–2025 averages at Terrance B. Lettsome International 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 79 | 78 | 78 | 79 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 84 | 83 | 82 | 81 |
| Sea °F | 80 | 80 | 80 | 81 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 85 | 86 | 86 | 84 | 82 |
| Rain (in) | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 5.7 | 5.2 | 1.8 |
| Weather score | 9.7 | 9.5 | 9.6 | 9.7 | 9.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 | 7.1 | 6.1 | 6.4 | 7.8 | 9.9 |
| Storm season | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
The numbers behind the score
- Gateway airport
- Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (EIS)
- US nonstops
- MIA
- Distance
- 3,465 mi from Los Angeles, 1,629 mi from New York
- Passport
- Needed for US citizens
- Hotel, one night
- $158 on Jan 13, 2027 · $139 on Jul 14, 2027 (Road Town)
- Visitors a year
- 238,102 overnight visitors (2025), plus 580,575 cruise passengers
- Bringing a dog
- Possible: BVI Department of Agriculture import permit, which requires a rabies titer test and a USDA-endorsed health certificate before you apply; inspection at the airport
Hotel prices: Cheapest 3-star-or-better double, 1 night, 2 adults, nightly total with taxes and fees, Kayak (Road Town search, covers all of Tortola), checked 2026-10-20. Both dates: Fort Burt Hotel. Cheapest beach hotel at Cane Garden Bay was $429 January and $349 July.. Visitor figures: Government of the Virgin Islands, 2026 Budget Address (November 2025).
Where Tortola ranks
Who Tortola is for, and who should skip it
- Go if you plan to charter a boat, or to take a day boat most days.
- Go if you are a teen or adult who snorkels, dives or surfs.
- Go as a couple who wants beach bars by boat, not a big resort.
- Skip if you hate driving. Roads are narrow, steep and on the left.
- Skip if you want a long beach outside your door. Pick Virgin Gorda or St. John.
Our Virgin Islands ranking compares all five islands we cover.
Where to stay, with the prices we found
We priced one night for two adults on Kayak on October 20, 2026, taxes and fees in, 3-star or better:
| Area and hotel | January 13, 2027 | July 14, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Road Town: Fort Burt Hotel | $158 | $139 |
| Road Town: Village Cay Hotel and Marina | $172 | $173 |
| Nanny Cay Resort and Marina | $276 | $276 |
| East End: Wyndham Lambert Beach Resort | $369 | $222 |
| Cane Garden Bay Beach Hotel | $429 | $349 |
Road Town is cheapest and closest to the ferries, but it is a harbor town, not a beach town. Cane Garden Bay is the north-shore beach village with bars on the sand. Nanny Cay and the marinas suit sailors. The East End is near the airport and Trellis Bay ferry to Virgin Gorda.
Beaches
- Cane Garden Bay: a sheltered north-shore bay with calm water most days, beach bars and moored boats.
- Smuggler's Cove: a small, quiet cove at the west end, down a rough road. Good snorkeling.
- Brewers Bay: calm and quiet, with reef close to shore.
- Long Bay, Beef Island: near the airport, shallow and sandy.
- Josiah's Bay and Apple Bay: the surf beaches. Fun for surfers, not for small children when waves are up.
We score Tortola 7 of 10 for beaches: several good ones, but they are small, reached by steep roads, and not next to most hotels. The best sand in the BVI is on the neighbors, which you reach by boat.
Things to do
- Day sail or charter. Norman Island, Jost Van Dyke and the Baths on Virgin Gorda are all classic stops.
- Jost Van Dyke by ferry. Boats leave West End five times a day on the current schedule.
- Virgin Gorda by ferry. Speedy's charges $30 one way or $40 round trip for adults from Road Town or Beef Island. The Baths day pass is $3.
- Sage Mountain National Park. At 1,710 feet (521 m), the highest point in the British and US Virgin Islands, with mahogany forest trails. The National Parks Trust day pass is $3 for adults and $2 for children, plus a small service fee.
- Diving and snorkeling on the reefs and wrecks of the Sir Francis Drake Channel.
That makes 8 of 10 for things to do, almost all of it on the water.
When to go
December to April is the dry, breezy sailing season and the busiest time. May and June are calmer and cheaper; our July Road Town price was $19 less than January. Ferry timetables shrink in the off-season: the current low-season schedule runs until November 1, 2026.
The NOAA National Hurricane Center gives the Atlantic season as June 1 to November 30, peaking around September 10. The BVI was hit hard in 2017 by what the government calls a trifecta of disasters, led by Hurricane Irma; its 2026 budget address says overnight visitors have now topped 300,000 for the first time since. See our hurricane season guide.
Getting there from the US, and entry rules
Fly nonstop. American Eagle flies Miami to Terrance B. Lettsome International (EIS) on Beef Island, joined to Tortola by a short bridge. Kayak showed three nonstops on January 13, 2027.
Fly to St. Thomas, then ferry. On the current schedule, ferries leave Charlotte Amalie for Road Town at 9 a.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., and Red Hook for West End three times a day. Road Town Fast Ferry, Native Son and Smith's Ferry share the route. You clear BVI immigration at the dock. Our St. Thomas page covers the US side.
Or connect via San Juan, with Cape Air, InterCaribbean or seasonal Tradewind.
US citizens need a passport valid on entry and proof of onward travel; no visa is needed for stays up to one month. Since January 1, 2025, the paper arrival card is gone: complete the online Immigration and Customs form at bviedcard.gov.vg, from 72 hours before arrival by air. We could not find a current visitor environmental levy or departure tax amount on the Tourist Board, ED-card or ferry pages, so check with your airline or ferry when you book.
A dog needs a BVI import permit, which requires a rabies antibody (titer) test and a USDA-endorsed health certificate first, per USDA APHIS. Plan weeks ahead.
What a trip costs
Tortola is the cheapest place to sleep in the BVI, but it is not cheap. The floor on our dates was $158 in January and $139 in July in Road Town; a beach hotel at Cane Garden Bay cost $429 and $349. Budget for a rental car or taxis, because the beaches are spread out, and for boats: the round-trip ferry to Virgin Gorda is $40 per adult before any day-sail or charter. Park passes are small, at $3 each for Sage Mountain and the Baths. Ferry fares to St. Thomas were not posted when we checked.
Tickets and tours you can book
Magic Mangrove Paddle in Beef Island Lagoon
Food, drinks, transport and gratuities are included. The stated meeting point is the Road Town cruise pier; hotel guests get directions after booking.
Rating as shown on Viator
Jost Van Dyke - Sandy Spit & Soggy Dollar Sailing Tour in the BVI
A buffet lunch and drinks are included, but the 15% customary gratuity is not.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Can you fly direct to Tortola from the US?
Yes, from Miami. American Eagle has flown Miami to Beef Island (EIS) nonstop since June 2023, and the BVI government says service rose to five daily flights from December 2025. From other US cities you connect in Miami, San Juan or St. Thomas.
Do you need a passport to go to the British Virgin Islands?
Yes. Unlike the US Virgin Islands, the BVI is a British territory. You need a passport, proof of onward travel and the online Immigration and Customs form, which replaced the paper card on January 1, 2025.
How do you get from St. Thomas to Tortola?
By ferry. Boats run from Charlotte Amalie to Road Town four times a day and from Red Hook to West End three times a day on the current schedule. Bring your passport; you clear BVI immigration on arrival.
Is Tortola or Virgin Gorda better?
Tortola for sailing, day trips and cheaper rooms; Road Town started at $139 in July. Virgin Gorda for beaches like the Baths and Savannah Bay and a quieter stay, at a higher price.
Is Tortola good for a beach vacation?
Only partly. Cane Garden Bay, Smuggler's Cove and Brewers Bay are good, but they are small and reached by steep roads. Most visitors use Tortola as a base and take boats to better beaches nearby.
Further reading
Official sources
- Government of the Virgin Islands - 2026 Budget Address (November 2025) – About 1,100,000 visitors in 2024; Q1 to Q3 2025: 837,216 arrivals, 238,102 overnight (+2.1%), 580,575 cruise (+7.2%); overnight visitors topped 300,000 for first time since 2017; 7,000-ft runway extension approved, construction planned 2026; American Miami-Beef Island five daily from December 2025; checked October 20, 2026
- BVI Tourist Board - Arriving by air – Paper immigration form ended January 1, 2025; online form at bviedcard.gov.vg from 72 hours before arrival; American Airlines direct Miami to Beef Island from June 1, 2023; checked October 20, 2026
- BVI Tourist Board - Ferry schedules – Low-season schedule to November 1, 2026; Charlotte Amalie to Road Town 9 a.m., 2, 4, 5:30 p.m.; Red Hook to West End 3 daily; West End to Jost Van Dyke 5 daily; checked October 20, 2026
- Speedy's Ferry - Ferry rates – Road Town or Beef Island to Virgin Gorda adult $30 one way, $40 round trip; checked October 20, 2026
- BVI National Parks Trust - Sage Mountain National Park – One-day pass $3 adult, $2 child plus service fee; 1,710 ft, highest point in the BVI and USVI; checked October 20, 2026
- US Department of State - British Virgin Islands travel information – Passport valid at entry, 1 blank page, no visa up to one month, proof of departure; no fees listed; checked October 20, 2026
- USDA APHIS - Pet travel from the United States to the British Virgin Islands – Import permit required; rabies titer required for permit application; endorsed health certificate first; checked October 20, 2026
- Wikipedia - Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport – American Eagle Miami; Cape Air, InterCaribbean, Tradewind, VI Airlink, Winair regional routes; runway 4,645 ft; checked October 20, 2026
- NOAA National Hurricane Center - Tropical cyclone climatology – Atlantic season June 1 to November 30, peak around September 10; checked October 20, 2026
- Kayak hotel and flight searches, Road Town, Tortola – Cheapest 3-star-or-better: $158 January 13, 2027 and $139 July 14, 2027, 2 adults, taxes and fees in; Kayak flights showed 3 MIA-EIS nonstops on January 13, 2027; checked October 20, 2026
