Updated: Sep 30, 2022
The Skyride to Paradise Point is a cable car ride that provides stunning views of the island paradise that is the US Virgin Islands. With a restaurant/bar at the top, it’s a great way to start your St. Thomas island adventure or just participate in what the islanders call “limin’” (aka relaxing).
CONTENTS
Where is the Skyride to Paradise Point?
The Skyride to Paradise Point is located in Charlotte Amalie on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. It overlooks the Havensight Cruise Pier located in Long Bay, providing views of Hassel Island and Water Island, as well as western St. Thomas.
How to Get to the Skyride at Paradise Point
From the Cruise Port of Charlotte Amalie (where our Royal Caribbean ship was docked), it’s less than a 15 minute cab ride to the bottom of the Skyride to Paradise Point. If your cruise ship is docked at Havensight Cruise Pier, it’s less than a 10 minute walk (over pretty flat terrain) to the base of Flag Hill and the starting point of the Skyride.
Any cab driver on the island will know where to take you, but here’s the address if you’re taking yourself:
9617 Estate Thomas Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas 00802, U.S. Virgin Islands.
There is very minimal public transportation available in Charlotte Amalie, and it is not known for being very reliable. But if you’re staying on the island and in absolutely no rush, feel free to give it a try. We would not recommend it if you’re visiting via cruise ship.
Ticket Info for the Skyride to Paradise Point
Tickets are available through the Skyride to Paradise Point website: https://www.paradisepointvi.com/.
At the time we’re writing this, adult tickets cost $24.95, while child tickets (6-12) are $16.95. Children 5-years-old and younger ride free. The ticket is good for riding all day, so you can go check it out in the morning, then ride back up to catch the sunset if you don’t have to leave on a cruise ship. Tickets don’t necessarily have to be purchased in advance, but it sure made our visit easier.
On most days when cruise ships are docked in St. Thomas, the Skyride is open from 9am-6pm, but they usually aren’t open on days when cruise ships aren’t docked at the island. If you’re staying in St. Thomas, check this website to see which days there will be ships docked or contact Paradise Point for their hours on a particular day.
If you’re visiting St. Thomas on a cruise ship like we did, it’s highly likely that your cruise line will offer a shore excursion to bring you here. Although it may seem more expensive through the cruise line, consider which dock your ship will port at (check this website for port info, but keep in mind that it can change). If you’re docked at the Cruise Port of Charlotte Amalie, you’ll have to pay cab fare ($5-$9 per person each way) in addition to the Skyride ticket price, so it may be the same price or a better deal through the cruise line.
If you want to go the independent route and not book through the cruise line, which helps the local businesses more, just remember: the more people you have, the easier it will be to haggle for a better per person cab price.
We opted to book our tickets through Royal Caribbean because they offered an excursion that would take us to the Skyride at Paradise Point, Drake’s Seat, and give us a few hours of lounging at Magens Bay Beach, including all transportation, for $49 per person. If we had gone the independent route and not booked through the cruise line, it would have cost us at least $35 each just for the Skyride and we would have had to haggle for our cabs.
Our Experience with the Skyride to Paradise Point
This was our first port on our very first cruise… meaning we’d indulged a bit too heavily the previous night, watching friends win a ton of money in the cruise ship casino. Regardless of our lack of sleep, we managed to get up and get into the open-air taxi for the Royal Caribbean shore excursion that we’d purchased prior to setting sail.
The open-air taxi (which was more like an open-air bus) was packed to the gills with Royal Caribbean guests and the driver pointed out various histories and interesting spots as we drove through Charlotte Amalie. After parking a short way up Flag Hill, we filed out of the taxi to get onto the Skyride to take us up to Paradise Point.
The cable cars come in groups of three and do not stop as they round the boarding platform, similar to a ski lift but with enclosed gondolas instead of open benches. They encourage you to step on while it’s moving, but will stop the gondola’s momentum if you’re having problems stepping into the cars. They travel relatively slowly (at about 6.5mph), so it wasn’t difficult, even in our tired state. Normally, they’ll put 8 people into each car, taking 24 people up or down at a time, but we only had 4 in our gondola (including us) on the way up. It may have just been because COVID was still a bigger concern or just because they weren’t too busy, but we were thankful to not get squished in with too many strangers.
The ride to the top of Flag Hill, aka Paradise Point, takes about 7 minutes. Since it was our first stop on our excursion, the morning fog was still relatively dense as the gondola climbed up the 700 feet to the top. It was kind of magical to watch the fog roll off the island, revealing the mountainous beauty of St. Thomas. We were even able to see in the Cruise Port of Charlotte Amalie on the other side of Long Bay. A surprising highlight to our day was an intense rainbow that spanned almost the entirety of St. Thomas, due to the rain clouds that formed as the fog dissipated.
Paradise Point has a large patio, served by the restaurant/bar that sits atop Flag Hill. They’re well-known for their Baileys Bushwhackers: a frozen drink that they’ve sold over 1 million of and garnered 12 awards for over the last 20 years. We ended up drinking a local beer from St. John Brewers: Virgin Islands Brand Island Summer Ale. It was crisp and delicious and went down very smoothly as we enjoyed the coastline views of St. Thomas.
There were also a large number of shops at Paradise Point, but we only went through one, as I was looking for some new sandals. They’re essentially island gift shops, full of souvenirs and kitschy items. T-shirts, hoodies, hats, and sunglasses ruled the day, but alas, no sandals.
On the way back down, the gondola had to be stopped a number of times for those having issues getting into the cars. We didn’t mind, as the views remained spectacular for quite a while, but we did end up getting wet as the rain clouds dumped a pretty intense rain for a few minutes. The corners of the gondolas are open, for airflow, so there is nowhere to hide from the rain coming in. We relished the rain (while covering our cameras), but our gondola companions weren’t so thrilled. There was nothing to do but laugh about it.
After finishing up our time at Paradise Point, our tour whisked us away to Drake’s Seat next, which is another spot for spectacular views, then off to the pristine Magens Bay Beach.
Our Verdict - Is the Skyride to Paradise Point Worth It?
Everything we did on St. Thomas was exceptional, but the Skyride to Paradise Point was a lovely highlight. We highly recommend, when visiting St. Thomas for the first time (or any time really), to take the Skyride up to get amazing views of the island before heading off to your other activities if you can. It’s serene, peaceful, and the drinks were great. If and when we make it to St. Thomas to stay on the island for a few days, we will definitely enjoy at least one sunset at Paradise Point.
Quick Reference Guide for the Skyride to Paradise Point
What | Skyride to Paradise Point |
Where | 9617 Estate Thomas Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas 00802, U.S. Virgin Islands |
How to Get There |
|
Time Commitment | Allot at least an hour to relax and have a drink |
Cost | Round-trip tickets with unlimited rides all day:
|
Reservation Info |
|
Misc Info | Only open on days when cruise ships are docked in St. Thomas |
Our Verdict | Definitely worth it! Start your day-long adventure in St. Thomas here! |
Pin this article!
