For idyllic beaches and amazing snorkeling, you’ve come to the right place – or if you’re reading this you’re thinking of going to the right place! St. John is an untouched paradise in the Caribbean. So if you like shedding off modern conveniences in favor of wild beauty, this is the perfect destination for you. Continue reading for how to maximize three days on St. John, USVI with this St. John itinerary.
Where To Stay On St. John
We would recommend staying in Cruz Bay for this 3 day St. John itinerary. Cruz Bay has a majority of the restaurants and hotels/rentals. And it also is the only “walkable” town on the island. So you could forgo a vehicle rental if you stayed in Cruz Bay. However, we wouldn’t recommend it.
Additionally, we would recommend home rentals in Cruz Bay, as they were much cheaper than hotel rooms.
Alternatively, we did stay in Coral Bay in this wonderful cottage. Coral Bay is much quieter and we liked that. However, it did mean we spent a lot more time driving, especially at night after dinner. But if you prefer being away from the hustle and bustle, this may be best for you.
How to use this map: The map above has all of the attractions mentioned in this post. Click on each attraction to learn more about it. If you’d like to save this map, click on the square “View Larger Map” icon. This will open the map in your Google account (make sure you’re signed in). You can reference it in your account or you can create a copy to make your own edits.
On the map above, Blue is day 1, Purple is day 2, and Green is day 3. We’ve included some extra stops on the map in case spending hours at the beaches isn’t what you’re interested in. However, the stops we’ve listed below were our favorite.
3-Day St. John Itinerary
Below we’ll highlight 3 days worth of things to do. Each day is conveniently grouped together for maximizing your fun while minimizing your travel time.
However, keep in mind that weather conditions can greatly affect your ability to do things on St. John. The biggest factor is the surf conditions. We had to move our Day 1 itinerary to the third day of our vacation because the waves along the north shore were too big to enjoy the beaches the first two days of our St. John vacation.
If wind is coming from the north, plan on visiting Saltpond Bay or Waterlemon Cay for water activities. However, if wind is coming from the south, plan on visiting the North Shore. If there is minimal wind and surf, take your pick!
Day 0 – Arrive on St. John
We arrived at 9-ish PM, the night before starting this St. John itinerary.
Day 1 – North Shore Road
For your first day on St. John, make your way through Virgin Island National Park along North Shore Road. This day starts in Cruz Bay and works its way east.
First, stop at Hawksnest Beach for the views. Take a quick walk on the beach and enjoy the waves.
Next, stop at the Trunk Bay overlook for a view of this famous beach.
Next, stop at Trunk Bay Beach. This is the MOST popular beach on St. John. So parking will be hard. Which is why we think you should stop here so early in the morning. Spend a few hours soaking up the sun in Trunk Bay. Don’t forget to bring your snorkel gear so you can follow the underwater snorkeling trail. If you didn’t bring your own beach gear, you can rent lots of stuff at the kiosk on the beach. Plan on eating a picnic lunch here or purchasing food from the beach kiosk.
Next, beach hop to Cinnamon Bay Beach. This was one of our favorite beaches to walk. There are ruins on the beach [pictured] and the beach is very flat and sandy. Spend about an hour here, walking the beach or swimming. Lastly, before heading back to your car, make sure to hike the short Cinnamon Bay Ruins trail, which is across the road from the beach.
Next, stop at the Maho Bay Viewpoint for this amazing view.
Next, stop at Maho Bay beach. It should be long after lunch and *hopefully some folks will have cleared out leaving you a parking spot. Admittedly, when we went, we couldn’t find a parking spot so we had to detour and come back a different day. Take your snorkel gear and spend a few hours on the beach. This was one of the best places for seeing sea turtles!
Head back towards Cruz Bay, via Centerline Road stopping at the Windmill Bar for dinner and drinks and sunset. This is one of the best places on the island for sunsets.
Day 2 – Reef Bay Trail and Saltpond Bay
First, start your morning by making your way to the Reef Bay Trail parking area. This parking area is really small and you could easily miss it if you weren’t careful. This 4.4 mile out-and-back trail will take you to petroglyphs, the Reef Bay Sugar Mill ruins and Reef Bay Beach. This is the most popular hike on the island and will take all morning.
Next, have a picnic lunch back at your car.
Next, make the drive to Saltpond Bay. You’ll need to take another short hike to the beach, which means that this is another quiet beach. Make sure to bring your beach gear and your snorkeling equipment. There was also great snorkeling here! Plan on relaxing on the beach until just before sunset.
Before sunset, hike the Ram Head Trail to the Ram Head lookout. This is another one of the best places for sunset on the island.
Lastly, head back to Coral Bay for dinner. We loved Johnny Lime’s. It was the only restaurant on the island that actually stood out to us as having character, everything else seemed pretty Americanized.
Day 3 – Waterlemon Cay
Start your morning with a drive to the east end of the island. Head to the Annaberg Sugar Mill ruins. Do the short hike to the Annaberg Sugar Mill Ruins.
Next, swing back to your car and grab your beach gear and snorkeling equipment. Then make your way to Waterlemon Bay via the 1 mile Leinster Bay Trail. The hiking trail isn’t the best hike but the beach at the end is the BEST for snorkeling on the island. Spend a few hours here enjoying the most amazing reef for snorkeling. Additionally, take the short trail from the beach to the Windy Hill Ruins.
Lastly, make your way back to Cruz Bay and explore town. Honestly, it takes about an hour to explore all of town (we aren’t big shoppers so this is just walking around time).
So if you still have time/energy left in your day, consider walking up to Lind Point from the Virgin Islands National Park visitor Center for views of town.
You should still have time left in the afternoon to catch the ferry back to St. Thomas in time to catch a late evening flight or check into your St. Thomas hotel for the evening.
Want To Adjust The Itinerary
If you have extra time, spend it on a beach. We’ve included way more beaches on our map that we mentioned in this St. John itinerary. Pick one of the more secluded beaches, like Jumbie Beach for extra beach days.
If you have only one day on St. John, follow the Day 1 itinerary. Driving North Shore Road is the most popular thing to do on St. John and it is a common activity for day trippers from St. Thomas, USVI.
If you have two days on St. John, spend day 1 exploring North Shore Road. Spend your second day snorkeling in Waterlemon Bay and visiting Saltpond Bay.
Want more information on visiting St. John, check out all of our U.S. Virgin Islands postings here for more information. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comments below and we’d be happy to get back to you.
