Vancouver southern suburbs travel guide

The Vancouver southern suburbs are a group of municipalities in Vancouver's metropolitan area located south of the Fraser River in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. They are fairly urban and are defined by their relationship to Vancouver. Much of the Lower Mainland's population growth and suburban sprawl is taking place here. This region lies between the north arm of the Fraser River in the north and the United States border in the south, and from the Georgia Strait in the west to Surrey in the east. Beyond Surrey is the Langley, in the Fraser Valley region.

Cities

• Surrey — the fastest-growing municipality in the Lower Mainland
• Richmond — home to a large Chinese immigrant population and Vancouver International Airport (YVRIATA)
• Delta — a collection of three communities: Tsawwassen, Ladner and North Delta
• White Rock — beachfront community

Get in

See Vancouver for intercity options to reach to the region by plane, bus, or train. See Lower Mainland for information on reaching the region by car.

By public transit

• You can take the TransLink's SkyTrain Canada Line from downtown Vancouver to Vancouver International Airport (YVRIATA), or to Richmond-Brighouse Station, and connect to TransLink buses there. The Expo Line will take you to Surrey Central (with connections to the Surrey RapidBus route R1) and on to King George Station.

By boat

• BC Ferries, toll-free: +1-888-223-3779. Operates vehicle ferry routes connecting coastal communities in British Columbia.
  Vancouver (Tsawwassen) ferry terminal in Delta connects with destinations on Vancouver Island and the Southern Gulf Islands. See Delta for details.

By car

Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) travels east and west, passing through Surrey en route from Vancouver to Abbotsford.

Highway 15 travels north and south, connecting Highway 1 and Highway 17 at the north end with the Pacific Highway Border Crossing at the south end.

Highway 99 crosses the region between Vancouver and the U.S. border, passing through Richmond, Delta and White Rock. For travelers from Washington state, Interstate 5 becomes Highway 99, when crossing into Canada at Peace Arch Border Crossing.

Border crossings

• Boundary Bay - Point Roberts (Delta, BC (56th St) - Point Roberts, WA (Tyee Drive)). 24/7. Open to all vehicles. Point Roberts is on a peninsula. It is typically only reached from Canada and from other areas of the United States via this border crossing.
• Surrey (Douglas/Peace Arch) - Blaine (Peace Arch) (Surrey, BC (Highway 99) – Blaine, WA (Interstate 5)). 24/7. Open to cars, but not commercial trucks and buses.
• Pacific Highway - Blaine (Pacific Highway) (Surrey, BC (Highway 15) - Blaine, WA (WA-543)). 24/7. Open to all vehicles.

Get around

By public transit

• TransLink, ☏ +1 604-953-3333. The main public transit network in the Vancouver area, including: Bowen Island, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Delta, Langley, Lions Bay, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver, West Vancouver, and White Rock. Its network includes buses, SkyTrain (rail rapid transit), SeaBus (ferries), West Coast Express (commuter rail), and HandyDART (door-to-door shared-ride service for those who cannot ride public transit without assistance). TransLink operates in all the southern suburbs. Richmond and Surrey are particularly well-connected, as there is a SkyTrain route serving each of those cities.

By boat

Inland Ferries. Operated under contract for British Columbia's Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, inland ferries are vehicle ferries that connect roads across rivers and lakes. Routes operate throughout the year, but some river ferries may not operate during parts of the Spring due to river conditions. Free. Ferry in this region:
Barnston Island Ferry. Mon-Thu 6:15AM-11:55PM; Fri-Sun 6:15AM–12:55AM. Crosses the Fraser River between Surrey and Barnston Island. 5 minutes crossing. Operates on demand.

See

George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta (Photo: Meichen.chen, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Ride the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway in Surrey.

Visit Steveston, in the southwest corner of Richmond where the Fraser River meets the Pacific Ocean. This former fishing village is now a tourist destination, with good fish and chip shops, boutiques, historic buildings, and a nice boardwalk.

The George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary and the Boundary Bay Regional Park in Delta offer a chance to see a wide variety of birds in the wild.

Do

View of White Rock Pier (Photo: Vranak, CC BY-SA 3.0)

For sandy beaches, visit White Rock Beach in White Rock or visit Centennial Beach within Boundary Bay Regional Park in Delta. White Rock Beach has long sandy beach has many tidal pools during low tide where see marine life up close. The 2.2-km White Rock Promenade and the pier make for a pleasant walk, especially at sunset, and there are lots of restaurants nearby. For a quieter beach, visit Crescent Beach, located in an area of Surrey with a small-town, seaside feeling. Only the northern part of Crescent Beach is sandy.

The Riverport Sports & Entertainment Complex (SilverCity) in Richmond has a huge movie theatre with an Imax screen, bowling, a large swimming pool, Canada's largest indoor trampoline park, and an indoor waterpark.

Buy

Richmond Night Market (Photo: GoToVan, CC BY 2.0)

Cloverdale, a historic village in Surrey, is the Antique Capital of BC, with many antique shops in its town centre.

The Richmond Night Market in Richmond, like night markets in Asia, features food booths with Chinese, Japanese, Bubble tea, and many other cuisines, kitsch items, cheap clothing, cell phone accessories, and other merchandise.

Go next

• Take a quick visit to the United States from Delta, by traveling south to Point Roberts, an American exclave only accessible by land through Canada. Bring your passport.

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