Sailing Capital • Granite Grottoes • Island-Hopping Paradise
Plan Your BVI TripThe British Virgin Islands (BVI) are a British Overseas Territory of more than 60 islands, cays and rocks east of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, home to just over 30,000 people. Sheltered waters, short distances between anchorages and dozens of bays make the BVI one of the world's favorite places to charter a sailboat, but you don't need to sail to enjoy them: ferries and water taxis link the main islands.
Each island has its own personality. Tortola is the capital island and commercial hub. Virgin Gorda is famous for the giant granite boulders of The Baths. Jost Van Dyke is the beach-bar island. Anegada, the only coral island in the chain, is flat, remote and ringed by reef.
60+
Islands & cays
28 ft
Anegada's highest point
USD
Official currency
1 month
Visa-free stay for U.S. citizens
The largest island and home to the capital, Road Town. Head to Cane Garden Bay for a classic beach, hike in Sage Mountain National Park, visit the historic Callwood Rum Distillery, or explore the restored Lower Estate Sugar Works. See our full Tortola guide.
The BVI's third-largest island. The Baths National Park (6.91 acres) is a maze of giant granite boulders, tidal pools and grottoes, with a trail through the rocks to Devil's Bay. See our Virgin Gorda guide.
A small, laid-back island famous for White Bay and the Soggy Dollar Bar, which calls itself the home of the original Painkiller cocktail. Walk out to the Bubbly Pool, a natural rock pool where waves surge through the rocks.
The BVI's only coral island, rising no more than 28 feet above sea level. Its salt ponds are home to roseate flamingos, reintroduced by the BVI National Parks Trust in 1992, and its beaches are some of the emptiest in the Caribbean.
Tortola - hotels and villas around Road Town, Cane Garden Bay and the East End (see /tortola)
Virgin Gorda - luxury resorts and villas in North Sound and Spanish Town (see /virgin-gorda)
On the Water - a crewed or bareboat yacht charter, the classic BVI way to stay
Outer Islands - small beach hotels and guesthouses on Jost Van Dyke and Anegada
The BVI dining scene runs from barefoot beach bars to yacht-club restaurants. Anegada is known for lobster dinners served right on the sand, and Jost Van Dyke's beach bars are an essential stop on any sailing itinerary. On the outer islands, call ahead earlier in the day to reserve dinner.
Sail or charter between sheltered anchorages
Scramble through The Baths to Devil's Bay
Hike Sage Mountain on Tortola
See the flamingos of Anegada
Float in the Bubbly Pool on Jost Van Dyke
Tour the historic Callwood Rum Distillery on Tortola
Nearby islands: Tortola, Virgin Gorda, U.S. Virgin Islands · Explore the Northern Caribbean
December to April is the dry, peak season, with February and March typically the driest months. Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, with the highest risk from August to October.
Fly into Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (EIS) on Beef Island, connected to Tortola by bridge. American Airlines operates nonstop service from Miami. Many travelers instead fly to St. Thomas (USVI) and take a ferry from Charlotte Amalie to Road Town or from Red Hook to West End; check current schedules at bvitourism.com/ferry-schedules.
The U.S. dollar is the official currency, and English is the official language.
Ferries and water taxis connect the islands. Driving is on the left, and roads on Tortola are steep and winding.
U.S. citizens need a valid passport (USVI-to-BVI ferry travel included) and can stay up to one month without a visa. All travelers arriving or departing by air or sea must complete the free online BVI Entry & Departure (ED) card, ideally 24–72 hours before travel. Visitors pay a $10 environmental and tourism levy on arrival. Departure tax is $50 by air (usually included in your ticket) and $20 by ferry.
From a week-long sailing charter to a villa on Virgin Gorda, our team can plan your British Virgin Islands escape from start to finish.
Plan My BVI TripPhoto: “Karibik - Brit. Jungferninseln - Little Jost van Dyke – Green Cay and Sandy Spit - panoramio.jpg” by giggel, CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), via Wikimedia Commons; cropped/resized. Photo: “The Baths — Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands — beach.JPG” by User:Mattes, CC BY 2.0 de (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/de), via Wikimedia Commons; resized. Photo: “Virgin Islands - Tortola, Cane Garden Bay - panoramio.jpg” by Banja-Frans Mulder, CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), via Wikimedia Commons; resized.