From Wikitravel

Surrey [1] is a suburb of Vancouver. It is the largest city in land area in the Lower Mainland region and the second largest city in population after Vancouver proper.

[edit] Understand

Surrey is the tenth largest city in Canada and the second largest in British Columbia, Surrey offers visitors a rich blend of diverse landscapes, abundant parks, rich cultural opportunities and superb recreational choices.

This city offers you beautiful urban forests, pristine beaches, championship golf courses and a whole host of eco and agri-tourism opportunities? With over 6,000 acres of parkland, there is plenty of opportunity to enjoy Surrey's natural beauty.

Strategically located on the United States border to the South and the Fraser River to the North, Surrey is part of the Gateway to the Pacific, making it a preferred destination for business meetings and conferences in today's dynamic business world. Surrey has numerous shopping opportunities for the discerning shopper, with everything from quaint specialty shops to Central City and Guildford Town Centre.

[edit] Districts

For simplicity the Surrey area is separated into a number of districts. Most of the attractions associated with Surrey are in these districts. These don't correspond to the legal divisions of the city, but instead a convenient way of sub-dividing Surrey for travellers.

• Surrey City Centre. A gleaming new high-rise neighborhood around a Skytrain station.

• Whalley. North of the city, on the Fraser River. Poorer than the rest of town.

• Newton. An old village, absorbed by Surrey, and now home to corporate office parks.

• Guildford

• Fleetwood

• Cloverdale: Cloverdale is historic centre of Surrey and is known for its small town charm. If you love antiques, then you have come to the right place. The traditional Cloverdale Town Centre is well known for being the “Antique Capital of BC”, famous for its antiques and collectibles.

• Cresent Beach: On the western coast of Surrey with the Georgia Strait. One of the sunniest beaches in the Greater Vancouver region. Popular activities at Crescent Beach include swimming, kayaking, crabbing, fishing, and boating. There are shops nearby and restaurants with ocean views.

• Barnston Island: Sits in the Fraser River along the Surrey section of the river. Although the island is unincorporated and not officially part of any municipality, mailing addresses on the island use Surrey as the city name. Barnston's a small island, (only about 2-3 square miles) and you get to it by taking a 5 minute ferry ride across Parson's Channel to the island. The ferry ride is free. The ferry is a barge operated by a small tug which serves Barnston Island. The ferry holds only about 7 vehicles per sailing, and, you have to back on the ferry on the return trip. Very unique and a fun experience. Barnston Island is flat with not much on there but farms. It takes about an hour to bike around the whole island.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By Air

Flying to Vancouver means just a 30 min drive to Surrey, as Surrey is a part of the Metro Vancouver Region . Vancouver Airport has daily flights to all over Canada, USA, Europe, Australia-Oceania and Asia. Thus making arrival to Surrey a very easy task to all foreign tourist.

[edit] By SkyTrain

Take an Expo Line train from any downtown Vancouver Skytrain station, all the stations on the other side of the Skybridge are in Surrey. The end of the line is at the King George station which is about a 45min trip from Waterfront station in Vancouver.

[edit] By car

Both of Greater Vancouver's two major freeways (HWY499 & HWY401) run directly through Surrey, it also has two secondary highways. Highway 91 links the HWY499 with the suburb of Burnaby, and the Pacific highway links HWY401 with the USA/Canada border. King George highway is actually a major street which runs from South Surrey to North Surrey.

[edit][add listing] See

• Bear Creek Park, 13750 - 88 Avenue., ☎ +1 604-501-5050, [2]. please call first. This community park offers the Bear Creek Gardens [3] as well as the Surrey Arts Centre [4]. edit
• Darts Hill Garden Park, 170 Street., ☎ +1 604-501-5050, [5]. please call first. This horticultural paradise is without equal in the region for it's variety of rare and native plants, shrubs and trees. Gifted to the City of Surrey by Francisca Darts upon the death of her husband, Edwin, the city maintains the garden with the help of the Darts Hill Garden Conservancy Trust.$5.00 per person.  edit

[edit] Learn

• Kwantlen University College offers trades training and full degree programs in traditional academic areas through 3 separate campuses in the city. This school operates primarily as a traditional community college with many students transferring to nearby Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia.
• Simon Fraser University Surrey is located in the new Central City building and operates as a satellite campus to SFU Burnaby. Most classes offered here are part of the Faculty of Business.

[edit][add listing] Do

• River's Bend Winery tasting, 15560 Colebrook Rd. (South of Highway 10, just east of 152nd Street), ☎ +1-604.574.6106. Tue-Sun 10-18h, Mon closed.. The only winery in Surrey, and thus the best. edit

[edit] Golf

There are many golf courses in Surrey. Several PGA tournaments have in the past been hosted in Surrey and parts of the movie Happy Gilmore was shot here.

• Morgan Creek
• Peace Portal
• North View
• Nico Wynd
• Guildford Golf and County Club
• Coyote Creek

[edit] Work

[edit][add listing] Buy

Surrey has several major shopping malls. The biggest being Guildford Town Center. There are other smaller malls scattered all through the city. And to get to one of Canada's biggest mall, Metrotown, well a fun Skytrain ride will get you there in 20 min.

[edit][add listing] Eat

[edit] Budget

Surrey has a number of national and international fast food franchises, including:

• Burger King
• Churches Chicken (A fried chicken franchise much like KFC)
• Dairy Queen
• KFC
• Mcdonalds
• Mr. Sub (A Canadian submarine sandwich franchise)
• Nando's Flame Grilled Chicken
• Subway
• Taco Bell
• Tim Horton's
• Whitespot Triple O's (a "fast food" version of the popular Whitespot restaurant chain)

In addition, Surrey has a number of East Indian Restaurants which offer popular Indian dishes such as Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken, and Samosa's. Meals are authentic Indian cuisine and can be had for $5-10. There are also a number of Chinese restaurants, although the food here is largely "Westernized". Japanese food is equally prevalent and there are a number of reasonably priced sushi restaurants throughout the area. Finally, Pizza is popular in and interestingly enough, many owner operated pizza restaurants are operated by people of East Indian descent, making the taste quite distinct from the national franchises. These owner operated pizza restaurants are often very competitive in price.

[edit] Mid-range

Surrey has a number of mid-range national family restaurant franchises, including:

• ABC Country Restaurant (A chain of traditional family restaurants)
• Boston Pizza
• Earls
• Moxies (Restaurants feature low lighting and slightly higher end cuisine)
• The Pantry
• Red Robin
• Whitespot (A chain of old fashioned drive-ins where food was once delivered on trays through patrons car windows. The chain has recently attempted to go upscale and many outlets no longer provide car service.)

Additionally, Surrey has a number of neighborhood pubs where food can be found reasonably cheap; Usually $5-8 for a burger & fries and around $10 for an entree. It is worth noting that BC has very high taxes on liquor, so although the food is reasonably priced at pubs, alcoholic beverages can be quite expensive with a jug of beer costing between $12 and $18 and highballs upwards of $5 each.

[edit] Splurge

Despite its size and cultural diversity, Surrey doesn't have much fine cuisine. The choice is better in nearby Vancouver. But here are some options.

• The Old Surrey Restaurant, 13483 72 Avenue (Just west of King George Highway), ☎ +1-(604) 596-2313, [6]. Tu-Sun 5PM on; Mon closed. This restaurant began as an old train station, but has been The Old Surrey Restaurant for as long as anyone can remember. Providing a five star experience, the establishment specializes in French Cuisine with the ChateauBriand Bouquetiere being a perennial favorite special. Reservations recommendedEntrees $20-38, prix fixe menu $40-60.  edit

• Villa Verdi, 13620 80 Ave (near King George Highway), ☎ +1-(604) 591-2123. A great splurge for a fine dining Italian experience. Service is only matched by their tasty Italian treats. Reservations recommended. edit

• The Keg Steakhouse & Bar, 7948 120 Street, ☎ +1-604-591-6161, [7]. Steak. Steak and potatoes. Steak and crab. Steak and beer. But mostly steak. A chain restaurant. edit

[edit][add listing] Drink

Surrey has a number of neighborhood pubs and one night club known as The Mirage. Though The Mirage is fairly upscale and those looking for a vibrant nightlife are advised to look to nearby Vancouver which has a number of popular bars and night clubs on its Granville strip.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Budget

• • Motel 6

[edit] Mid-Range

• • Sheraton Guildford

[edit] Splurge

[edit] Stay safe

Surrey suffers from an image problem - though it is important to note that it has a lower crime rate than many other cities in British Columbia. One is advised to stay away from the Whalley area at night as poverty and homelessness are prevalent in this area. Interestingly enough, Surrey is attempting to rebuild the area and has even attempted to rid the area of the "Whalley" name as it carries with it negative connotations. The area is now often called "Gateway" or "Surrey Centre" and there are many new residential and business buildings in various stages of completion in the area. In this regard, the area is in a stage of transition, as although new million dollar developments are sprouting up, homelessness and drug dealing can be found within the same city blocks in some cases.

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