99 Steps

Museums and attractions St. Thomas Charlotte AmalieLast verified October 31, 2026

Around Charlotte Amalie

Wooded Hassel Island across the turquoise water of St. Thomas Harbor, with a red boat at the waterfront below — St. Thomas Harbor, Charlotte Amalie

Pale yellow, red-roofed Legislature Building of the Virgin Islands on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront, seen across the harbor water — Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Sailboats anchored in Long Bay below the hillside homes of Charlotte Amalie — Long Bay, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

The 99 Steps, officially the street Store Taarne Gade, is the best known of Charlotte Amalie's step streets, stairways of stone brick built in the 1700s to climb the town's steep hills. The Department of Tourism says the bricks came over as ballast on Danish ships, and counts 103 steps, not 99. Palms and tropical plants line the climb, and the top looks out over the town and harbor. The stairs are the most direct walk from downtown up to Blackbeard's Castle. The Department of Public Works began restoring the steps in December 2024, and the St. Thomas Source reported in June 2026 that the $725,000 job was complete. St. Thomas has 45 step streets. The St. Thomas Historical Trust's Thursday downtown walking tour stops here, and as of 2026 its volunteers clean other step streets on the last Friday of each month, from 8 to 10 a.m.

Services

Public step street (Store Taarne Gade), restored by Public Works
Town and harbor views from the top
Most direct walking route from downtown to Blackbeard's Castle
Stop on the St. Thomas Historical Trust's Thursday walking tour

How we checked

Last verified on October 31, 2026. The business has not reviewed this listing.

Source: USVI Department of Tourism, https://www.visitusvi.com/experience/best-things-to-do-in-charlotte-amalie-on-st-thomas/ (18th-century step street, stone bricks brought aboard Danish tall ships, 103 steps, palms and tropical foliage, city and harbor views) and https://www.visitusvi.com/experience/st-thomas-sightseeing-things-to-do/ (built in the 1700s with bricks brought as ballast on Danish ships); St. Thomas Source, December 13, 2024, https://stthomassource.com/content/2024/12/13/renovation-of-99-steps/ (Public Works renovation of Store Taarne Gade under way); St. Thomas Source, June 7, 2026, https://stthomassource.com/content/2026/06/07/historical-trust-volunteers-mobilize-for-latest-step-street-restoration/ (45 step streets; 99 Steps restoration by Public Works recently completed at a cost of $725,000); St. Thomas Source, March 1, 2026, https://stthomassource.com/content/2026/03/01/community-effort-revives-charlotte-amalies-historic-step-streets/ (Step Street Project cleanups on the last Friday of each month, 8 to 10 a.m.); Blackbeard's Castle, https://www.blackbeardscastle.com/the-tower/ (the step streets are the most direct walking route between downtown and the castle); St. Thomas Historical Trust, https://www.stthomashistoricaltrust.org/tours (Thursday walking tour includes the 99 Steps, 'the most famous of our Step Streets'); all accessed 2026-10-31. Map point: GNIS feature 1993932, 'Ninety-Nine Steps' (Locale), U.S. Geological Survey GNIS archive file VI_Features_20210825 (an archived 2021 file; the feature is not in the current GNIS file), https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/GeographicNames/Archive/MainDomestic/VI_Features_20210825.txt, accessed 2026-10-31.

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