Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas

Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the US Virgin Islands on the island of St Thomas, is a historic and colourful harbour town that reflects the islands' Danish colonial past, for they were the Danish West Indies until the United States bought them in 1917. Its centre is a delight of pastel-painted colonial buildings, old warehouses now full of shops, and steep, stepped alleyways climbing the hills above one of the most beautiful harbours in the Caribbean. Steeped in the legends of pirates like Blackbeard, whose tower crowns a hilltop, and famed as a duty-free shopping hub, the town buzzes with life, especially when cruise ships are in.

What you actually see

• The colonial harbour town - the pastel buildings and stepped streets.
• Blackbeard's and Bluebeard's Castles - the hilltop pirate-legend towers.
• The 99 Steps - the historic stepped alleyways.
• The harbour and shopping - the beautiful harbour and duty-free shops.

When to go

December to April, the dry season, for the best weather; the town is busiest and its shops liveliest when cruise ships are in port, so quieter days offer a more relaxed visit. The historic centre is easily explored on foot in a day, and the hilltop viewpoints over the harbour are lovely at any time.

Honest expectations

Charlotte Amalie is a busy cruise port heavily geared to duty-free shopping, so its centre can be crowded and commercial on ship days, and its appeal is its colonial harbour setting, history and shopping rather than tranquillity; the wider island of St Thomas is developed and, like all the USVI, pricey. As a historic, colourful Danish-colonial harbour town with pirate legends, beautiful views and lively shopping, though, Charlotte Amalie is a characterful capital and the busy hub of the islands.

Nearby

The beaches of St Thomas, the island of St John and the reefs are close by.