Capital island
The heart of the BVI
Largest island, charter-yacht capital, and home of Road Town. Green hills, rum, surf, and the gateway to every other island.
Explore Tortola
The official guide
Welcome to the British Virgin Islands
Paradise Redefined
More than 50 islands and cays, line-of-sight sailing, and beaches that still feel undiscovered. English is spoken, the dollar is US, and the water is the colour people come here to see.
Arriving by air & sea
Flying to paradise
The BVI sit east of the US Virgin Islands and a short hop from San Juan. Most visitors connect through Puerto Rico or St. Thomas, then step onto Beef Island — or sail in.
20 min
St. Thomas
Ferry or puddle-jumper
45 min
San Juan
Most common air link
1 hr
Antigua
Eastern Caribbean
3 hrs
Miami
Often via SJU or STT
4.5 hrs
New York
Via San Juan
9 hrs
London
Via Antigua or Miami
The archipelago
Islands of the BVI
From the green ridges of Tortola to the coral flats of Anegada, each island has a different tempo. Visit by ferry, small plane, or the yacht you slept on last night.
Capital island
Tortola
The baths & north sound
Virgin Gorda
The barefoot island
Jost Van Dyke
The coral island
Anegada
Discover
Find your island
Luxury on Virgin Gorda, beach bars on Jost, lobster on Anegada, and the working harbour of Road Town.
The baths & north sound
The BVI’s most picturesque island
Giant granite boulders at The Baths, empty Savannah Bay, and a luxury North Sound of villas, reefs and yacht harbours.
Explore Virgin GordaThe barefoot island
Beach bars, pirate lore, white sand
Four square miles of good humour: White Bay, the Soggy Dollar Bar, Foxy’s, and the original Painkiller.
Explore Jost Van DykeThe coral island
Flat, far, and almost empty
The only coral island in a volcanic chain: 16 miles of pale beach, Horseshoe Reef, flamingos, and the best lobster in the BVI.
Explore AnegadaWhere to stay
BVI stays & charters
Hillside inns, private-island resorts, beach cottages, and the most popular hotel of all — a catamaran.
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Find your way
Map of the islands
Zoom Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, Anegada, or the cays — then book a stay from the same screen.
Map data © OpenStreetMap. Open in Google Maps
Jump to an island
Tap an island to zoom the map and jump to stays, beaches, and the guide.
Table
Fresh lobster, fungi, and a proper Painkiller
Anegada lobster grilled over coals, roti in Road Town, and the coconut-rum cocktail that belongs to these islands. Jost Van Dyke’s beach bars are a cuisine of their own.
Soggy Dollar Bar
Jost Van Dyke · Painkiller
Foxy’s Tamarind Bar
Jost Van Dyke · Grilled lobster
Pusser’s Road Town
Tortola · Painkiller & roti
Cooper Island Beach Club
Cooper Island · Catch of the day
- Restaurants & bars
Climate
Sunny days, trade-wind nights
Warm year-round, drier than much of the Caribbean, with water in the high 70s to mid-80s °F. Peak season is December to April. Hurricane season runs June to November.
Air
75–89°F
Water
79–84°F
Best months
Dec–Apr
Sailing
Year-round
Well-being
A quiet place to come down
No mega-resorts, no high-rises. The BVI is built for unhurried days — a book on Savannah Bay, a mooring in North Sound, a spa looking over the channel.
Romance & retreatsOn the water
Great activities & attractions
Sailing is the headline, but the days fill easily: The Baths at opening time, the Rhone in the afternoon, Sage Mountain when you want to be in the trees.
The reason people come
Sailing & yacht charter
Steady trades, line-of-sight islands, and the densest charter fleet in the Caribbean. Bareboat, crewed, or a day sail from Road Town.
Must see
The Baths
Scramble through granite grottos and swim the tidal pools. Open from 9am — earlier is quieter.
In the water
Snorkelling
The Indians, The Caves, Monkey Point, Anegada’s reef. Water clarity here is the point of the climate.
Unforgettable
Dive the RMS Rhone
A royal mail steamer lost in 1867, now a national park in 20–80 feet off Salt Island.
On land
Hike Sage Mountain
The highest point in the Virgin Islands. Cloud forest remnants and a view of the whole chain.
After hours
Beach-bar hopping
Soggy Dollar, Foxy’s, Pusser’s, Trellis Bay. The Painkiller is the house cocktail of the BVI.
Wildlife
Anegada flamingos
West Indian flamingos on the salt ponds, plus rock iguanas, tropicbirds, and turtles on the reef.
On the wind
Kitesurf & windsurf
Trade winds and shallow lagoons, especially on Anegada and Trellis Bay, make this a year-round sport.
Sailing capital
The yacht is the way around
Line-of-sight islands, reliable trades, and more moorings than traffic lights. Charter from Road Town, hop to Norman Island for the caves, overnight at Cooper, and take the long sail to Anegada when the forecast is kind.
Plan a charter week
A leading wedding destination
Beaches, hilltops, and the deck of a yacht. The BVI makes a ceremony feel private even when the whole harbour is invited.
Wedding guideThe best beaches
Find your stretch of sand
White Bay’s powder, Savannah’s emptiness, Loblolly’s reef, and sandbars with a single palm.
Nature
National parks, reefs and a wreck
The Baths, Sage Mountain, Horseshoe Reef, and the RMS Rhone. More than 20 parks and protected areas keep the islands from turning into somewhere else.
After dark
Out on the town — or on the sand
The BVI is not a nightclub destination. It is Foxy’s, a full moon over Trellis Bay, and a steel pan on Cane Garden Bay. That is plenty.