How do I get from the airport to St. Thomas?

Cyril E. King Airport is small enough that you'll walk from your plane to baggage claim in under 5 minutes, often across open tarmac in thick Caribbean heat. September humidity currently hovers around 85%, so the first breath outside the terminal hits like a warm, damp cloth. Head straight past the rental car desks to the taxi dispatch booth, a covered kiosk on the right side of the arrivals curb. The dispatcher assigns you to a shared or private ride. Shared taxis, which locals call safari taxis, run fixed per-person rates set by the VI Taxi Commission. Charlotte Amalie is about $8 per person, roughly 10 minutes by road. Frenchtown runs $7. You pay the driver directly in U.S. cash, since this is American territory. Credit cards are unlikely at the taxi level. The fixed-rate system means no haggling and no meter games.

Safari taxis are open-air trucks fitted with bench seating under a metal canopy. They rumble along the steep hillside roads at about 20 mph, and you'll likely smell exhaust mixed with frangipani from the roadside gardens. The breeze helps with the heat. Mind you, these vehicles stop to pick up and drop off other passengers along the route, so your ride to Charlotte Amalie might stretch to 15 minutes if the driver collects a few more fares near the cruise ship dock at Havensight. That said, Havensight sits only about 1.5 miles from the airport, so even with stops you're never far from town. If you want a private taxi for the same route, expect to pay $15 to $20 for the whole car rather than per person. Worth it for groups of 3 or more, since the per-head math flips at that point.

Rental cars are available from Avis, Budget, and a handful of local agencies inside the terminal. The catch surprises every first-timer. St. Thomas drives on the left side of the road, but the cars have American-style steering wheels on the left. You sit in the lane closest to oncoming traffic with limited sightlines on right-hand turns. The roads climb narrow hills with sharp switchbacks, some with no guardrails and loose gravel shoulders. If you've never driven on the left, skip it on arrival day. Take the taxi into Charlotte Amalie, sleep off the flight, and rent a car the next morning once the road layout makes sense. Daily rates tend to run $65 to $90. Gas stations on-island charge around $4.50 per gallon.

If your hotel is on the east end near Red Hook, or if you're catching the ferry to St. John, tell the taxi dispatcher at the airport. The shared rate to Red Hook is about $15 per person, and the ride takes 25 to 30 minutes along Route 30, a winding two-lane road that runs along the north coast. The Red Hook ferry to Cruz Bay on St. John departs every hour from 6am to midnight, costs $7 one-way, and takes 20 minutes across Pillsbury Sound. You'll feel the salt spray on the open upper deck. Buy your ticket at the booth beside the dock, not from anyone who approaches you in the parking lot. The last ferry back from Cruz Bay leaves at 11pm.