Many visitors spend time at Cruz Bay, where the ferry docks. This village has interesting bars, restaurants, boutiques, and pastel-painted houses. It's a bit sleepy, but relaxing after the fast pace of St. Thomas.

Most cruise-ship passengers dart through Cruz Bay and head for the island's biggest attraction, Virgin Islands National Park (tel. 340/776-6201). The park totals 12,624 acres, including submerged lands and water adjacent to St. John, and has more than 20 miles of hiking trails to explore.

Other major sights on the island include Trunk Bay, one of the world most beautiful beaches, and Fort Berg (also called Fortsberg), at Coral Bay, which served as the base for the soldiers who brutally crushed the 1733 slave revolt. Finally, try to make time for the Annaberg Sugar Plantation ruins on Leinster Bay Road, where the Danes maintained a thriving plantation and sugar mill after 1718. It's located off North Shore Road east of Trunk Bay. Admission is $4 for those over age 16. On certain days of the week (dates vary), guided walks of the area are given by park rangers.

The best way to see St. John in a nutshell, especially if you're on a cruise-ship layover, is to take a 2-hour taxi tour. The cost is $45 for one or two passengers, or $15 per person for three or more. Almost any taxi at Cruz Bay will take you on these tours, or else you can call St. John Taxi Association (tel. 340/693-7530).