Havensight

US Virgin Islands


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 busy, but with behemoth cruise ships that tie up to the West Indian Company Cruise Ship Dock. By night, after the floating villages depart, Havensight boasts a lively bar scene.

When cruise passengers disembark, they find Havensight Mall, a compound with row upon row of shops and restaurants. They also find Paradise Point Skyride, where gondolas whisk visitors 700ft up Flag Hill to a scenic outlook. Taxis travel between downtown Charlotte Amalie and Havensight regularly (US$5 per person).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby US Virgin Islands attractions

1. Paradise Point Skyride

0.05 MILES

Gondolas whisk visitors 700ft up Flag Hill to a scenic outlook. The ride takes seven minutes. At the top a restaurant, a bar, a gallery of shops and a…

2. Fort Christian

0.84 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…

3. Government House

0.87 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…

4. Emancipation Garden

0.88 MILES

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

5. Frederik Lutheran Church

0.91 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…

6. 99 Steps

0.91 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…

7. Blackbeard’s Castle

0.97 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…

8. St Thomas Synagogue

1.07 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…