Car Rental Surrey

Surrey is a city comprised of seven ‘town centres’, meaning it covers a large area, and making it a fun location to explore. Rent a car here and you can discover City Centre, Fleetwood, Whalley, Newton, Guildford, Cloverdale, and South Surrey at your leisure.

Parking is truly an area where Surrey excels. There is a pay parking system in operation here, but you may be surprised to discover that fewer than 1,000 on-street spaces out of more than 80,000 require payment. You can find more details on the official Surrey website. There are also a number of paid parking lots and garages around the city and there’s also a Park and Ride off King George Blvd in South Surrey.

Parking your rental car is simple when you visit one of the many parks, too. Locations such as Redwood Park and Blackie Spit have lots and from the Spit you can easily walk to Crescent Beach.

When driving around Surrey, speed limits are typically 80km/h outside municipalities and 50km/h within municipalities, while the speed limits on highways ranges from 50 to 110km/h, depending on the type of road. Respective authorities may also alter speed limits, so always check the signs for the route that you are on.

Part of the joy of visiting here can be found with the wonderful day trips nearby. Fort Langley is about 20 kilometres east of Surrey and this National Historic Site dates back to 1827. Onsite, you’ll find a number of historic buildings, including the servant’s quarters and the blacksmith shop. The oldest building you’ll find, though, is the storehouse, which dates back to 1840.

The Golden Ears Provincial Park lies just 50 minutes’ or so to the north-east, meanwhile, while Vancouver Island lies to the west via car ferry – offering further scenic destinations such as Nanaimo.

Vancouver itself is only around a 30-minute drive from the centre of Surrey, with many other attractions to enjoy.

Surrey is part of the Metro Vancouver area, situated between the U.S. border and the Fraser River. It’s position on stunning coastline, and its myriad of green spaces, make it an oasis for nature lovers.

Equally, Surrey also boasts galleries, museums and heritage locations for those who crave a city break.

Visit the border

The remarkable Peace Arch rises from the lush green lawn on the border between Canada and the United States.

It’s absolutely worth heading here, as this international park amalgamates the US’s Peace Arch Historical State Park with Canada’s Peace Arch Provincial Park, and the results are stunning. The Peace Arch itself was dedicated in 1921 by Washington businessman Samuel Hill, to celebrate a century of peace between Canada and the United States.

Watch migrating birds

Blackie Spit is located in the Crescent Beach area of South Surrey, and from here you’ll be able to enjoy beautiful views of Mud Bay and the North Shore Mountains.

This is the place to be if bird watching is your passion. Over the course of the year, the park welcomes around 200 species of birds, with many beginning their arrival for the fall around late August and September. Spring migrants start arriving during the middle of March and, in general, are on their way again by the end of May.

Although birds are this area’s most famous visitors, you’re also likely to be treated to the presence of harbour seals and their pups resting on the sandy shoals.

Enjoy some shore time after, heading one kilometre along to Crescent Beach. If you time your trip right you can even catch the beautiful sunset – famous far and wide.

Take a journey back in time and spend a day in ‘Smallville’ 

Just 3.6 kilometres away from Crescent Beach is the Historic Stewart Farm. This late-1800s home shows how a pioneer family lived and the staff are even dressed in period costumes. This picturesque Victorian farmhouse is great for the whole family, with a range of activities offered throughout the year. The gardens and farmland surrounding the building are also a sight to behold.

Initially founded as a small farm community, Cloverdale is one of Surrey’s seven town centres and has built a reputation as a top filming location.

For fans of the early 2000s television show Smallville, Cloverdale will be a very familiar sight indeed. Cloverdale was used as the backdrop for ‘downtown’ and the ‘main street’ of the fictional Kansas town.

Cloverdale has also been used for many other filming projects including The X-Files, Andy Samberg’s ‘Hot Rod’ and a Coca-Cola commercial.

Pull on your walking boots

Love walking? Surrey is the city for you, as there are a myriad of trails, parks and green spaces to explore.

Peace Arch and Blackie Spit might be the most iconic, but there are more than 200 parks and gardens, so explore further and become inspired by the natural beauty of this British Columbian treasure.

Try Green Timbers Urban Forest for a fabulous five kilometre walk where you’ll come across a small lake and the Surrey Nature Centre. There’s even a car park off 100th Avenue between 148th and 144th Street, which is easily accessible.

With car rental in Surrey, all this – and plenty of other things to see and do – are at your complete disposal.