Caribbean East: Virgin & Saint Isles

San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital and largest city, sits on the island’s Atlantic coast. Its widest beach fronts the Isla Verde resort strip, known for its bars, nightclubs and casinos. Cobblestoned Old San Juan features colorful Spanish colonial buildings and 16th-century landmarks including El Morro and La Fortaleza, massive fortresses with sweeping ocean views, as well as the Paseo de la Princesa bayside promenade.

Tortola is the largest of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. It features several white-sand beaches, including Cane Garden Bay and Smuggler’s Cove. Road Town, the capital of the British Virgin Islands, has a harbor dotted with sailing boats and is known as a yachting hub. In the island’s southwest, forested Sage Mountain National Park offers trails and sweeping views over neighboring cays.

Basseterre is the capital of the Caribbean island federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It’s the gateway to popular Saint Kitts beaches like South Friars Bay. At the city’s heart, Independence Square has an Italian-inspired fountain. Just off the Circus traffic circle, with its Victorian Berkeley Memorial Clock Tower, is the National Museum. In the stately Old Treasury Building, it explores the islands’ colonial past.

St. John’s is the capital and key port of the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda. The city is home to the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda, with exhibits on indigenous tribes and plantation life. St. John’s Cathedral, a 19th-century Anglican church, is on a hill near the 17th-century Government House. A monument to the nation’s founder, V.C. Bird, is next to the Public Market, which sells crafts and produce.

Castries is the capital of the island nation of St. Lucia, in the Caribbean Sea. It’s known for palm-lined Vigie Beach and as a port of call for cruise lines, with duty-free shopping near the harbor. The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, with its colorful murals, sits by leafy Derek Walcott Square park. Lively Castries Market is nearby. In the south, Morne Fortune hill offers views of the city.

San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital and largest city, sits on the island’s Atlantic coast. Its widest beach fronts the Isla Verde resort strip, known for its bars, nightclubs and casinos. Cobblestoned Old San Juan features colorful Spanish colonial buildings and 16th-century landmarks including El Morro and La Fortaleza, massive fortresses with sweeping ocean views, as well as the Paseo de la Princesa bayside promenade.