Few Caribbean towns wear their past as openly as Charlotte Amalie. If you are hunting for the best historical sites in St. Thomas, you are in luck: the island’s Danish-colonial core packs three centuries of forts, towers, staircases and harbor-front landmarks into a walkable hillside above the cruise port. Below is a practical, visit-ready guide to the historic places worth your time, plus how to see the headline landmark, the 1679 Skytsborg Tower at Blackbeard’s Castle, on a single cruise day.
The best historical sites in St. Thomas, mapped for your day
Most of these St. Thomas landmarks sit within a short, uphill walk of the Charlotte Amalie waterfront, so you can string several together in an afternoon. Start low near the harbor, then climb the hill toward Blackbeard’s Castle, where the oldest structure of them all still watches over the bay.
1. Skytsborg Tower at Blackbeard’s Castle
Built by the Danes in 1679, Skytsborg (“sky tower”) is the crown of Blackbeard’s Castle and one of only five National Historic Landmarks in the entire U.S. Virgin Islands. The stone watchtower once guarded the harbor approach; today you can climb inside it and look out over Charlotte Amalie exactly as sentries did 350 years ago. It anchors any list of historical sites in St. Thomas, and it is the only one where you can also cool off in a pool and toast the view afterward.
2. The 99 Steps
Just below the tower, the famous 99 Steps climb the hillside on a staircase the Danes built in the 1700s from ballast bricks their ships carried across the Atlantic. Count them as you go (there are actually a few more than 99) and you will pass shaded galleries and old townhouses along the way. It is the most photographed stairway on the island and a free, open-air piece of history.
3. Fort Christian
Down on the waterfront stands Fort Christian, the oldest standing structure in the territory, begun in 1672. Its rust-red walls have served as a fort, a jail, a courthouse and now a museum. It is the easiest landmark to reach straight off the ship and a natural first stop before you climb the hill. You can read more about its long story on the fort’s Wikipedia entry.
4. Charlotte Amalie’s historic town center
Between the fort and the hill, the streets of Charlotte Amalie are a landmark in themselves. Look for Emancipation Garden, where the 1848 abolition of slavery in the Danish West Indies is commemorated; the Frederick Lutheran Church, one of the oldest Lutheran congregations in the hemisphere; and the 1833 St. Thomas Synagogue, whose sand-covered floor makes it one of the oldest synagogues in continuous use in the Western Hemisphere. The arched Danish warehouses along Main Street, now filled with jewelry and duty-free shops, were built to store sugar, rum and molasses. A slow wander here connects the dots between all the bigger historical sites in St. Thomas.
5. Blackbeard’s Hill and the harbor view
The whole hillside where the tower stands is named for the pirates who once haunted these waters. Whether or not Edward “Blackbeard” Teach ever used the tower himself, the perch is real, and the view of the harbor from the top is the same one that made this spot strategically priceless in the 1600s.
6. Government House and the hillside stairs
As you climb toward the tower you will pass Government House, the seat of Danish and then U.S. administration since the 1860s, and a web of stepped lanes lined with 19th-century townhouses. These quiet stairways, of which the 99 Steps is only the most famous, are living history you can walk for free, and they frame some of the best harbor views on the island.
How to visit these St. Thomas landmarks on a cruise day
You can do the free, open-air pieces (Fort Christian’s exterior, the 99 Steps, the town) entirely on your own. To go inside the headline landmark, Blackbeard’s Castle offers a $15 day pass that covers entry to all the castle grounds, a guided tour of the Skytsborg Tower, a drink at Jolly Roger’s, and a rum-room sampling. USVI residents get in free with island ID, and hotel guests staying on the grounds get access included with their stay.
A simple route: taxi or walk up from the port, tour the tower, cool off by the pool, then settle in at Jolly Roger’s for lunch and a harbor view before heading back to the ship. Jolly Roger’s is always free to walk into, so even a quick stop for a rum cocktail works. If you would rather have the stories told for you, the guided walking tour ties the landmarks together. Grounds are open 9am to 9pm daily, year-round, and you can grab the pass in advance from the tickets page.
Planning a fuller itinerary? Our guides to the St. Thomas cruise port and the best things to do on a cruise day map out how to fit the history in around beach and shopping time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the oldest historical site in St. Thomas?
Fort Christian, begun in 1672, is the oldest standing structure in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Skytsborg Tower at Blackbeard’s Castle followed in 1679 and is one of five National Historic Landmarks in the territory.
Are the historical sites in St. Thomas walkable from the cruise port?
Yes. Fort Christian, the 99 Steps and Charlotte Amalie’s historic center are a short walk from the waterfront. Blackbeard’s Castle sits at the top of the hill, a steep climb or a quick taxi ride up.
How much does it cost to visit Blackbeard’s Castle?
A $15 day pass covers the grounds, a Skytsborg Tower tour, a drink at Jolly Roger’s and a rum-room sampling. Locals with island ID get in free, and Jolly Roger’s is always free to enter.
Can I see St. Thomas landmarks in a few hours?
Easily. Most visitors pair the waterfront fort and town with a climb to Blackbeard’s Castle in a half day, leaving time for the beach afterward.
Ready to stand where the Danes and the pirates once did? Grab the $15 day pass and climb the 1679 tower for yourself. Reserve on the Blackbeard’s Castle tickets page, then plan your route with our cruise port guide.
