Bay beach, Magens Bay, Magens, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Getty Images/Gallo Images

Magens Bay

Top choice in US Virgin Islands

LoginSave

The sugary mile that fringes Magens Bay, 3 miles north of Charlotte Amalie, makes almost every travel publication’s list of beautiful beaches. The seas here are calm, the bay broad and the surrounding green hills dramatic, and tourists mob the place to soak it all up. The beach has lifeguards, picnic tables, changing facilities, a taxi stand, food vendors, and water-sports operators renting kayaks, paddleboards and paddleboats (US$20 to US$30 per hour).

A taxi from Charlotte Amalie costs US$10 per person. Parking costs US$2.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Military tank left behind on Culebra Beach. 482509777 outdoor, tree, island, usa, tropical, travel, sand, holiday, summer, sun, paradise, lagoon, caribbean, beach, tanks, blue, bay, sky, sea, beautiful, water, nature, palm, vacation, landscape, ocean, culebra, white, puerto, flamenco, rico

    Playa Flamenco

    25.97 MILES

    Stretching for a mile around a sheltered, horseshoe-shaped bay, Playa Flamenco (Flamenco Beach) is not only one of Culebra’s best beaches, it also makes a…

  • palm trees at Playa Tortuga (Turtle Beach) on Isla Culebrita, Puerto Rico

    Isla Culebrita

    20.33 MILES

    If you need a reason to hire a water taxi, Isla Culebrita (Culebrita Island) is it. This small island, just east of Playa Zoni, is part of the national…

  • Playa Carlos Rosario

    Playa Carlos Rosario

    26.84 MILES

    This remote thin, white-sand beach has one of the best snorkeling areas in Puerto Rico thanks to a barrier reef that almost encloses the beach's waters;…

  • Culebra National Wildlife Refuge

    Culebra National Wildlife Refuge

    24.42 MILES

    More than 20% of Culebra is part of a spectacular national wildlife refuge, which was signed into law more than 100 years ago. Most of it lies along the…

  • British Virgin Islands, Tortola Island, Sage Mountain National Park, epiphytes and tropical vegetation

    Sage Mountain National Park

    17.85 MILES

    At 1716ft, Sage Mountain rises higher than any other peak in the Virgin Islands. Seven trails crisscross the surrounding 92-acre park, including the main…

  • Playa Zoni beach on a sunny day in Culebra, Puerto Rico.

    Playa Zoni

    22.1 MILES

    Head to the eastern end of the island and you’ll eventually run out of road at Playa Zoni. Many locals think this is a better beach than Flamenco and it's…

  • Checking out the underwater wildlife in Leinster Bay on Cruz Bay.

    Leinster Bay

    13.27 MILES

    This bay adjoins the Annaberg mill ruins. Park in the plantation’s lot and follow the trail along the water for 25 minutes. Some of St John’s best…

  • Annaberg Sugar Mill Ruins

    Annaberg Sugar Mill Ruins

    12.65 MILES

    Part of the national park, this site near Leinster Bay is home to the most intact sugar-plantation ruins in the Virgin Islands. A 30-minute self-directed…

View more attractions

Nearby US Virgin Islands attractions

1. Blackbeard’s Castle

1.34 MILES

Set atop Government Hill, this five-story masonry watchtower was said to be the lookout post of pirate Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard, in the 18th century…

2. Government House

1.44 MILES

Ascend the hill behind Frederik Lutheran Church and you’ll come to a grand white mansion housing the territorial governor's offices. It was built between…

3. 99 Steps

1.46 MILES

These stairs lead from Kongens Gade up into a canopy of trees at the foot of Blackbeard's Castle. The steps, of which there are actually 103 (though you…

4. Frederik Lutheran Church

1.5 MILES

Located near the fort, this is one of Charlotte Amalie’s architectural gems. During the 19th century the church had segregated congregations – one West…

5. St Thomas Synagogue

1.5 MILES

The second-oldest synagogue in the western hemisphere (the oldest is on the island of Curaçao), peaceful St Thomas Synagogue is a National Historic…

6. Emancipation Garden

1.54 MILES

Emancipation Garden is where the emancipation proclamation was read after enslaved people were freed on St Croix in 1848. Carnival celebrations and…

7. Fort Christian

1.57 MILES

Red-brick Fort Christian is the oldest Danish fortification in the Caribbean, dating to 1672. Over the years it has housed a jail, a governor’s residence…

8. Havensight

1.93 MILES

A hundred years ago the area on the east side of Charlotte Amalie Harbor was a bustling steamship wharf. Known today as Havensight, the district is still…