The Vancouver southern suburbs are a group of municipalities to the south of Vancouver 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
- 1 Surrey — the fastest-growing municipality in the Lower Mainland
- 2 Richmond — home to a large Chinese immigrant population and YVR IATA (Vancouver International Airport)
- 3 Delta — a collection of three communities: Tsawwassen, Ladner and North Delta
- 4 White Rock — beachfront community
Understand
Get in
See Lower Mainland#Get in for information on Vancouver International Airport and the US border.
You can take the SkyTrain Canada Line from downtown Vancouver to the airport, 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.
Highway 99 crosses the region from Vancouver to the U.S. border, passing through Richmond, Delta and White Rock. Highway 1 passes through Surrey en route from Vancouver to Abbotsford and St. John's (Newfoundland).
Get around
The Translink system (public transit) serves all the southern suburbs. Richmond and Surrey are particularly well-connected, as they are accessible by the Skytrain system.
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.
Take a quick visit to the United States from Delta: Point Roberts is an American exclave only accessible by land through Canada. Bring your passport.
Do
White Rock Beach is the largest and one of the most popular beaches in the Lower Mainland. The 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. Crescent Beach, White Rock's "alternate beach" area, is quieter, and had a small-town, seaside feeling.
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
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Cloverdale, a historic village in Surrey, is the Antique Capital of BC, with many antique shops in its town centre.
The Richmond Night Market, 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.