Driving in St. Thomas for the first time

The single thing every visitor asks about: yes, traffic drives on the left in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and yes, the vehicles are left-hand drive exactly like on the mainland. That combination sounds confusing and takes most people about ten minutes to get used to.

The first ten minutes

Leaving our lot, take the first few turns slowly and deliberately. The rule that helps most: the driver stays toward the centre line. If you find yourself thinking about it at every junction on day one, that is normal and it fades fast.

The hills are the real story

St. Thomas is steep. Roads climb and drop at grades that surprise people who have only driven flat highways, and they do it in short bursts with blind curves between. Use a low gear on long descents rather than riding the brakes, give yourself more following distance than feels necessary, and expect to average a good deal less than the map's estimate.

Narrow means narrow

Many roads have no shoulder, a stone wall or a drop on one side, and parked cars on the other. Fold your mirrors in when you park on a narrow street. If a vehicle is coming the other way on a single-lane stretch, the uphill driver usually has the right of way — but a wave and a bit of patience settles it faster than a rule does.

Local habits worth knowing

• Drivers stop to greet each other or let someone out. It is normal. Wait.
• A short toot of the horn is usually a thank-you or a hello, not a complaint.
• Roosters, goats and dogs use the road too, particularly on the north side.
• Rain makes the steep sections genuinely slick. Slow down before the curve, not in it.

Fuel and parking

Fill up before you head out for a long day on the north side — stations are concentrated near the more built-up areas. In Charlotte Amalie and at the popular beaches, parking fills early, especially on cruise ship days. Arriving before mid-morning makes a real difference.

If anything comes up while you have the vehicle, call us first. We are local, and it is usually quicker to sort out with one phone call than any other way.