There are many worthwhile sights among the two dozen islands of the BVI. Start with a sightseeing tour by boat or helicopter; the view from either is excellent. Try Fly BVI, Caribbean Wings or Island Helicopters for a bird’s-eye view of Tortola and its neighbors, or King Charters, Blue Ocean Adventures or Chocolat Blanc Day Sail for a boating experience. Also make sure to visit a few of the amazing beaches, especially those on Tortola such as Apple Bay, Cane Garden Bay, Nanny Cay, Elizabeth Beach and Smuggler’s Cove.

Though the British Virgin Islands have not had a particularly long history of European settlement, there are quite a few historical buildings worth seeing on Tortola. Fort Recovery, located on the island's West End has the oldest standing 17th century fort in the Caribbean at the center of it's Villa-style Hotel which has been family owned and operated since the late 1960's. The Fort has been preserved completely and originally the property was where soldier's came to recover in the 1700's, the Fort acting as a place where cannons were shot at passing ships from. The Callwood Distillery in Cane Garden Bay has been making rum for over a hundred years; you can buy a sample when you visit and it's a real distinctive taste! There is also the Dungeon in Pockwood Pond, a fort built in 1794 for soldiers quartered on the island, and Josiah’s Bay Plantation (in Josiah’s Bay). This was originally a sugar factory, then a rum distillery; today it has become a museum with an art gallery attached. The North Shore Shell Museums in Carrot Bay is also worth a visit if you are into seashells; the museum has several thousand of them.