A 2-Hour Walking Tour of Cruz Bay, St. John (From the Ferry Dock)

Cruz Bay is four blocks square, but it rewards walking. If you've got an afternoon — whether you're a day-tripper from St. Thomas or staying at a villa and want a real introduction to town — here's the loop we send people on.

Stop 1 — The Ferry Dock (start)

Begin where everyone arrives. The dock looks at Steven Cay and across to St. Thomas. Take a minute. Grab a coffee or pastry at The Tap Room two doors up, or a fresh juice from Pickles in Paradise.

Stop 2 — Wharfside Village

Walk north along the waterfront. Wharfside is the pink complex on the right — wander through the open courtyard, check out Sloop Jones for hand-painted clothing, peek into the harborside bars where the captains meet in the mornings.

Stop 3 — Frank Powell Park & the Roundabout

The small green park at the center of town is named for a longtime St. John leader. The taxi drivers congregate here. It's also where the locals gather for jump-ups and parades. Look for the historic plaques on the buildings around it.

Stop 4 — Mongoose Junction

Cut up the hill on the road behind the park to Mongoose Junction — the cut-stone shopping arcade that's been the best collection of shops in Cruz Bay for 30 years. Browse the galleries (Bajo el Sol is the must), pick up a hook bracelet at R&I Patton, get a glass of wine upstairs at La Tapa if you've been on your feet too long. Full guide: Cruz Bay shopping & galleries.

Stop 5 — National Park Visitor Center

Walk back down the hill and along the harbor in the other direction (south) to the V.I. National Park headquarters. Free, air-conditioned, with exhibits on the reef, the turtles, the Taino petroglyphs at Reef Bay, and a working ranger desk where you can grab a free trail map and ask about tide times. Always worth 20 minutes.

Stop 6 — The Battery & Lind Point Trail

Behind the Visitor Center, a short uphill walk takes you to the old fort (The Battery) and the start of the Lind Point Trail. Walk 10 minutes up for the best harbor view in Cruz Bay, then come back down.

Stop 7 — Late lunch

Pick one:

• Sam & Jack's Deli — counter sandwiches, salads, picnic-ready
• De' Coal Pot — Caribbean home cooking, conch fritters, oxtail
• Lime Inn — laid-back porch lunch with reliably good fish tacos

Stop 8 — Sunset at The Beach Bar

End where the locals end every day: a plastic chair in the sand at The Beach Bar, watching the sun go down behind St. Thomas. Painkillers are mandatory. Full sunset guide: best Cruz Bay bars at sunset.

Total walk: about 2 miles with stops, easily 2 hours, more if you linger. If you're driving back up to the villa, the taxi stand is at the ferry dock — flag any van marked "Taxi"; rides up the hill are $6 per person.