Vancouver southern suburbs

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

 * — the fastest-growing municipality in the Lower Mainland
 * — home to a large Chinese immigrant population and Vancouver International Airport
 * — a collection of three communities: Tsawwassen, Ladner and North Delta
 * — 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, 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

 * in Delta connects with destinations on Vancouver Island and the Southern Gulf Islands. See Delta for details.
 * 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






By public transit
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

 * Ferry in this region:

See
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


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
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.