Charlotte Amalie

Start: King's Wharf.

Finish: Waterfront.

Time: 2 1/2 hours.

Best Time: Before 10am to avoid cruise-ship passengers.

Worst Time: Around midday to 4pm when traffic and pedestrians are at their most plentiful.

Begin your tour along the eastern harbor front at:

1. King's Wharf--This is the site of the Virgin Islands Legislature, which is housed in the apple-green military barracks dating from 1874.

From here walk away from the harbor up Fort Pladsen to:

2. Fort Christian--The fort dates from 1672. Named after the Danish king Christian V, this structure was a governor's residence, police station, court, and jail until it became a national historic landmark in 1977. A museum here illuminates the island's history and culture. Cultural workshops and late Victorian furnishings are just some of the exhibits you can expect to see. A museum shop features local crafts, maps, and prints. Fort Christian (tel. 340/776-4566) is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

Continue walking up Fort Pladsen to:

3. Emancipation Park--This is where a proclamation freeing African slaves and indentured European servants was read on July 3, 1848. The park is now mostly a picnic area for local workers and visitors. Near the park is the:

4. Grand Hotel--From here, a visitor center dispenses valuable travel information about the island. When this hotel was launched in 1837, it was indeed a grand address, but it later fell into decay, and finally closed in 1975. The former guest rooms upstairs have been turned into offices and a restaurant.

Northwest of the park, at Main Street and Tolbod Gade, stands the:

5. Central Post Office--On display here are murals by Stephen Dohanos, who became famous as a Saturday Evening Post cover artist.

From the post office, walk east along Norre Gade to the:

6. Frederik Lutheran Church--This church was built between 1780 and 1793. The original Georgian-style building, financed by a free black parishioner, Jean Reeneaus, was reconstructed in 1825 and again in 1870 after it was damaged in a hurricane.

Exiting the church, walk east along Norre Gade to Lille Taarne Gade. Turn left (north) and climb to Kongens Gade (King Street), passing through a neighborhood of law firms, to:

7. Government House--This is the administrative headquarters for the U.S. Virgin Islands. It's been the center of political life in the islands since it was built around the time of the American Civil War. Visitors are allowed on the first two floors Monday through Saturday from 8am to noon and 1 to 5pm.

After leaving Government House, turn immediately to your left and look for the sign for:

8. Seven Arches Museum--Browsers and gapers love checking out this museum at Government Hill (tel. 340/774-9295), the private home of longtime residents Philibert Fluck and Barbara Demaras. This 2-century-old Danish house has been completely restored and furnished with antiques. Walk through the yellow ballast arches into the Great Room, which has a great view of the Caribbean's busiest harbor. The $5 admission fee includes a cold tropical drink served in a beautiful walled flower garden. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 3pm, or by appointment.

After visiting the museum, return to Government House. Next to the building, is:

9. Frederik Church Parsonage--This building dates from 1725; it's one of the oldest houses on the island. It's the only structure in the Government Hill district to retain its simple 18th-century lines.

Continue west along Kongens Gade until you reach:

10. Hotel 1829--Formerly known as the Lavalette House, it was designed by one of the leading merchants of Charlotte Amalie. This is a landmark building and a charming hotel that has attracted many of the island's most famous visitors over the years.

Take a Break--Hotel 1829 provides the perfect veranda, with a spectacular view, for a midday drink or a sundowner. You may just fall in love with the place, abandon this tour, and stick around for dinner. The bar is open Monday through Saturday from 4 to 11pm.

Next door (still on the same side of the street), observe the:

11. Yellow-Brick Building--This structure was built in 1854 in what local architects called "the style of Copenhagen." You can go inside and browse the many shops within.

At this point, you might want to double back slightly on Kongens Gade and climb the famous:

12. 99 Steps--These steps, which were erected in the early 1700s, take you to the summit of Government Hill, from where you'll see the 18th-century:

13. Crown House--The house is immediately to your right on the south side of the street. This stately private house was the home of von Scholten, the Danish ruler who issued the famous proclamation of emancipation in 1848.

Walk back down the steps and continue right (west) along Kongens Gade, then down a pair of old brick steps until you reach Garden Street. Go right (north) on Garden Street and take a left onto Crystal Gade. On your left, at the corner of Nye Gade and Crystal Gade, you'll see:

14. St. Thomas Reformed Church--This building dates from 1844. Much of its original structure, which was designed like a Greek temple, has been preserved intact.

Continue up Crystal Gade. On your right (north side), you'll come to:

15. St. Thomas Synagogue--This is the oldest synagogue in continuous use under the American flag and the second oldest in the Western Hemisphere. It was erected in 1833 by Sephardic Jews, and it still maintains the tradition of having sand on the floor, commemorating the exodus from Egypt. The structure was built of local stone along with ballast brick from Denmark and mortar made of molasses and sand. It's open to visitors Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm. Next door, the Weibel Museum showcases 300 years of Jewish history. It keeps the same hours.

Retrace your steps (east) to Raadets Gade and turn south toward the water, crossing the famous Vimmelskaft Gade or "Back Street" (it can get a bit seedy at night). Continue along Raadets Gade until you reach:

16. Main Street--This is Charlotte Amalie's major artery and most famous shopping street. Turn right (west) and walk along Main Street until you come to the mid-19th-century:

17. Camille Pissarro Building--The structure will be on your right, at the Amsterdam Sauer Jewelry Store. Pissarro, a Spanish Jew who became one of the founders of French Impressionism, was born in this building as Jacob Pizarro in 1830. Before moving to Paris, he worked for his father in a store along Main Street.

Continuing west along Main Street, you will pass on your right the:

18. Enid M. Baa Public Library--This building, formerly the von Bretton House, dates from 1818. Keep heading west until you reach:

19. Market Square--This was the center of a large slave-trading market before the 1848 emancipation. Today it's an open-air fruit and vegetable market, selling, among other items, genips (to eat one, break open the skin and suck the pulp off the pit). The wrought-iron roof covered a railway station at the turn of the century. The market is open Monday through Saturday, its busiest day; hours vary, but it's busiest from 9am to 3pm.

If the genip doesn't satisfy you, take Strand Gade down (south) to:

20. The Waterfront--Also known as Kyst Vejen, this is where you can purchase a fresh coconut. One of the vendors here will whack off the top with a machete, so you can drink the sweet milk from its hull. Here you'll have an up-close preview of one of the most scenic harbors in the West Indies, though it's usually filled with cruise ships.