Christiansted

Start: The Visitors Bureau.

Finish: Christiansted's harbor front.

Time: 1 1/2 hours.

Best Times: Any day from 10am to 4pm.

Worst Times: Monday through Friday from 4 to 6pm.

Begin at:

1. The Visitors Bureau--This yellow-sided building with a cedar-capped roof is located near the harbor front. It was originally built as the Old Scalehouse in 1856, to replace a similar structure that had burned down. In its heyday, all taxable goods leaving and entering Christiansted's harbor were weighed here. In front of the building lies one of the most charming squares in the Caribbean. Its old-fashioned asymmetrical allure is still evident despite the masses of cars.

With your back to the scalehouse, turn left and walk through the parking lot to the foot of the white-sided gazebo-like band shell that sits in the center of a park named after Alexander Hamilton. The yellow-brick building with the ornately carved brick staircase is the:

2. Old Customs House--This is currently the headquarters of the National Park Service. The gracefully proportioned 16-step staircase was added in 1829 as an embellishment to an older building. (There are public toilets on the ground floor.)

Continue climbing the hill to the base of the yellow-painted structure, which is:

3. Fort Christiansvaern--This is the best-preserved colonial fortification in the Virgin Islands. It's maintained as a historic monument by the National Park Service. Its original four-sided, star-shaped design was in accordance with the most advanced military planning of its era. The fort is the site of the St. Croix military museum, which documents police work on the island from the late 1800s to the present. Photos, weapons, and artifacts help bring alive the police force's past here. The admission price of $3 also includes admission to the Steeple Building. The fort is open daily from 8am to 4:30pm.

Exit from the fort, and head straight down the tree-lined path toward the most visible steeple in Christiansted. It caps the appropriately named:

4. Steeple Building--Also known as the Church of Lord God of Sabaoth, this building was completed in 1753 as St. Croix's first Lutheran church, and embellished with a steeple between 1794 and 1796. The building was deconsecrated in 1831 and has served at various times as a bakery, a hospital, and a school. Inside is a museum devoted to local history. Hours are daily from 8am to 4:30pm; admission is included in the $3 ticket for Fort Christiansvaern.

Across Company Street from the Steeple Building is a U.S. post office. The building that contains it was built in 1749 as:

5. The West Indies and Guinea Warehouse--The structure was once three times larger than it is today and included storerooms and lodging for staff. Go to the building's side entrance, on Church Street, and enter the rear courtyard if the iron gate is open. For many years, this was the site of some of the largest slave auctions in the Caribbean.

From the post office, retrace your steps to Company Street and head west for one block. On your left, you'll pass the entrance to Apothecary Hall, 2111 Company St., which contains a charming collection of shops and restaurants.

Take a Break--If you need refreshment, try Luncheria, Apothecary Hall Courtyard, 2111 Company St. (tel. 340/773-4247). The bar's tables are grouped in a courtyard shaded by trees. The owners are margarita specialists, stocking more types of tequila (15+) than any other bar in the neighborhood. Luncheria serves burritos, tostadas, enchiladas, and tacos, as well as daily specials and vegetarian meals.

Exit Apothecary Hall and turn left onto Company Street. Cross Queen Cross Street (Dronningens Tvergade). Half a block later, you'll arrive at the island's largest outdoor market:

6. Hendricks Square--The square was rebuilt in a timbered, 9th-century style after the 1989 hurricane. Fruits and vegetables are sold here Monday through Saturday from 7am to 6pm.

Retrace your steps half a block along Company Street, then turn left onto Queen Cross Street. Head downhill toward the harbor, walking on the right-hand side of the street. Within half a block, you'll reach an unmarked arched iron gateway, set beneath an arcade. If it's open, enter the charming gardens of:

7. Government House--The European-style garden here contains a scattering of very old trees, flowerbeds, and walkways. The antique building that surrounds the gardens was formed from the union of two much older town houses in the 1830s.

Exit the same way you entered, turn right, and continue your descent of Queen Cross Street. At the first street corner (King Street), turn left and you'll see:

8. Lord God of Sabaoth Lutheran Church--This church was established in 1734. Take a moment to admire its neoclassical facade.

Continue walking southwest along King Street. Within 2 blocks is the:

9. Limprecht Gardens and Memorial--For 20 years (1888-1908) Peter Carl Limprecht served as governor of the Danish West Indies. Today, an occasional chicken pecks at seedlings planted near a Danish-language memorial to him.

At the end of the park, retrace your steps to Queen Cross Street, and go left. One very short block later, turn right onto Strand Street, which contains some interesting stores, including at least two different shopping arcades. The streets will narrow, and the pedestrian traffic will be more congested. Pass beneath the overpass belonging to a popular bar and restaurant, the Comanche Club.

Continue down the meandering curves of King's Alley. Within 1 block you'll be standing beside:

10. Christiansted's harbor front--You can end your tour here by strolling on the boardwalk of the waterside piers.