Abbotsford travel guide
Farm trails, a 1911 Sikh temple and Canada's national airshow
The Fraser Valley's largest city, an hour east of Vancouver, with farmland running up to the US border and Mount Baker on the horizon. Visit from June to August for berries, the Agrifair and the airshow. A day is enough unless an event brings you. Costs are very high, and an eTA covers visa-exempt air arrivals.
Abbotsford spreads over the eastern Fraser Valley right up to the US border, about 90 km east of Vancouver on Highway 1. It is the largest city in British Columbia by area, much of it farmland, and on a clear day Mount Baker fills the south-eastern sky across the line in Washington. Most visitors come for the farms, the August airshow or a smaller, calmer airport than Vancouver's.
Farm visits are the local speciality. Tourism Abbotsford publishes a Circle Farm Tour guide to rural stops each summer and a Passport to Christmas in winter. The Berry Festival comes at the end of July, and the Agrifair country fair and rodeo takes over the BC Day long weekend. On the second weekend of August, Canada's national airshow fills the sky over the airport.
The local story is partly Sikh and partly Mennonite. The Gur Sikh Temple on South Fraser Way was built in 1911 with timber from the old Mill Lake sawmill. It is a National Historic Site, the oldest surviving temple from the first wave of Sikh migration to North America. The Mennonite Heritage Museum on Clearbrook Road covers the other big community. Take a car: sights, farms and the airport are scattered, and buses are thin.
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Top things to do in Abbotsford
Farm stops, a historic Sikh temple, a Mennonite museum and a summer full of fairs.
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Best time to visit Abbotsford
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
July is the driest month, with about 39 mm of rain and highs near 24 C, just as the raspberry and blueberry farms open for picking.
November brings around 233 mm of rain, but the valley floor stays mild at 6 to 10 C by day; the Passport to Christmas guide lists the holiday farm stops.
Hotels fill for the airshow on the second weekend of August, so book well ahead or stay in Langley or Chilliwack.
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Getting there
YXX rental desks, the Highway 1 drive and the Sumas crossing
Abbotsford International Airport (YXX) is the easier Fraser Valley alternative to Vancouver's airport, with non-stop WestJet and Flair flights from Calgary and Flair from Edmonton and Toronto Pearson. Rental desks are in the terminal, Highway 1 runs west to Vancouver, and the Sumas crossing leads south into Washington State. WestJet and Flair both fly non-stop from Calgary, Flair adds Edmonton and Toronto Pearson, and WestJet runs a seasonal winter service to Puerto Vallarta. There is no shuttle and no city bus at the terminal: Avis, Budget and National have desks inside, and taxis wait outside for the 10-minute run into town. Two intercity coach lines do call at the airport: Ebus on its Vancouver to Kamloops and Kelowna run, and Rider Express on its way to Calgary. Flying into Vancouver International instead means about 80 minutes' drive east. From the south, Highway 11 crosses from Sumas, Washington, at Huntingdon, about 40 minutes from Bellingham airport and roughly 2.5 hours from Seattle.
- Taxi or rental from YXX
- City centre in about 10 minutes
- Highway 1 from Vancouver
- About 90 km, 60 to 75 minutes outside rush hour
- Flights
- Calgary in about 1.25 hours, Edmonton 1.5 hours, Toronto about 4.5 hours
- Huntingdon-Sumas border
- Highway 11 to Washington State Route 9
- Rush-hour traffic on Highway 1 through Langley can double the drive from Vancouver; avoid weekday late afternoons.
Where to stay
Sumas Way hotels or Marshall Road motels
Stay near the main roads in Abbotsford, because the city grew around highways and farms and has no walkable old centre. The hotels on Sumas Way sit by Highway 1 and the shopping strips, and the Marshall Road motels are cheaper options a short drive from the farm roads.
- Sumas Way
- The Coast Abbotsford and the Travelodge Bakerview near Highway 1 and the visitor centre; quick for the border, but traffic-heavy
- Marshall Road
- The Best Western Regency and Alpine Motor Inn in the west; quiet and easy for drivers, little within walking distance
- Historic Downtown Abbotsford
- The best cafes and shops around Essendene Avenue and Montrose Avenue, but very few rooms
- Langley or Chilliwack
- Overflow towns for the airshow weekend, 20 to 30 minutes away along Highway 1
Getting around
Central Valley Transit, the Mission rail link and farm roads by car
Drive around Abbotsford, a wide and partly rural city, and rent a car at the airport, which has the widest choice. BC Transit's Central Valley Transit System runs buses in Abbotsford and Mission, with 90 minutes of free transfers on one fare, and a commuter rail link runs from Mission to Vancouver. Route 1 links Highstreet Mall with the University of the Fraser Valley, route 3 runs from Huntingdon by the border to Clearbrook, and route 31 crosses the Fraser to Mission. Mission City is the eastern end of the West Coast Express commuter train to downtown Vancouver, which runs on weekdays at rush hour. Route 21 heads to Aldergrove for TransLink connections, and route 66, the Fraser Valley Express, runs Monday to Saturday from Chilliwack through Abbotsford to Carvolth Exchange in Langley. Cyclists and walkers have the loop path round Mill Lake and the dyke trails at Matsqui Trail Regional Park on the Fraser.
- Route 66 Fraser Valley Express
- Chilliwack to Carvolth Exchange in Langley via Abbotsford, Monday to Saturday
- Route 31 and the West Coast Express
- Bus to Mission, then the weekday commuter train to Vancouver
- Abbotsford Mission Taxi
- Phone bookings for the airport and farm visits
- Car
- Needed for the Circle Farm Tour and Sumas Prairie
Know before you go
What makes Abbotsford worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Gur Sikh Temple, a timber building from 1911 and a National Historic Site on South Fraser Way.
- Mount Baker on a clear morning, rising over the farmland from almost anywhere in the south of the city.
- Trethewey House, a heritage house with a carriage house and a small train station, open for drop-in tours on weekday afternoons.
Good to know
- YXX has no public transit, so arrange a taxi or rental car before you land.
- The Sumas border crossing on Highway 11 is the quick way to Bellingham and Seattle; carry your passport.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Abbotsford, month by month
Mild, wet winters and dry summers that ripen the raspberries; data from Abbotsford International Airport.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Abbotsford International Airport (Environment Canada, via Wikipedia).
Abbotsford's temple, lake and farm roads
Abbotsford's history and its farms make an easy day. Start at the Gur Sikh Temple on South Fraser Way, built in 1911 by Punjabi mill workers, covering your head and removing your shoes, then visit the Mennonite Heritage Museum on Clearbrook Road, walk around Mill Lake and follow the Circle Farm Tour map to the farm stands.
Begin on South Fraser Way at the Gur Sikh Temple, the modest 1911 building raised by Punjabi mill workers with lumber from the Mill Lake sawmill. Cover your head and take off your shoes before going in. A short drive west, the Mennonite Heritage Museum on Clearbrook Road, just south of Highway 1 exit 87, tells the story of the other community that shaped the valley; it opens on weekday mornings and early afternoons, so go before lunch.
Walk off the morning with a loop of Mill Lake, the small lake in the middle of the city where the sawmill once stood. Lunch in Historic Downtown Abbotsford, the few brick blocks around Essendene Avenue and Montrose Avenue. On a weekday afternoon, Trethewey House on Ware Street runs drop-in tours of its heritage house, carriage house and little railway station.
Spend the rest of the day on the Circle Farm Tour, picking up the guide at the Sumas Way visitor centre or the airport arrivals hall. In July, plan around U-pick berries; at the end of the month the Berry Festival is the excuse. For dinner, drive back to Restaurant 62 on McCallum Road. If you are here in mid-August, the airshow takes over the whole weekend, and so does the traffic.
Fraser Valley duck, temple langar and u-pick raspberries
Abbotsford's food starts in the fields. The city calls itself the raspberry capital of Canada, and from late June through July farms around Sumas Prairie and Clearbrook open for u-pick, with blueberries into August. Fraser Valley duck appears on local menus, and Sikh gurdwaras serve langar, the free community meal, to visitors.
Farm stands sell it by the flat, and the Circle Farm Tour map is the easiest way to find the ones that welcome visitors.
At the top end, Restaurant 62 on McCallum Road is the place for a sit-down dinner built on local produce. Its signature is a Fraser Valley duck duo: seared breast with a blackberry jus, and confit leg over pistachio mashed potatoes, with a long wine list behind it.
The city's large Punjabi community shapes everyday eating, and South Fraser Way has the sweet shops and curry houses to show for it. Every working gurdwara also serves langar, the free communal vegetarian meal, to anyone who sits down with their head covered; eat what you take and leave a donation if you wish. For Chinese, Dragon Fort on Pauline Street is the downtown favourite for weekday lunch specials. The Town Hall pub, the former Duke of Dublin, on South Fraser Way handles weekend breakfasts and a pint after the Canucks play at Abbotsford Centre.
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How we research our Abbotsford travel guide
The City of Abbotsford, Destination Canada and the eTA page are our base sources; picking seasons and YXX routes are confirmed each year.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of AbbotsfordGovernment of CanadaDestination Canada
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Abbotsford.
Getting there
About 90 km, usually 60 to 75 minutes. Weekday afternoons through Langley can take much longer.
Calgary on both WestJet and Flair, Edmonton and Toronto Pearson on Flair, and seasonal WestJet flights to Puerto Vallarta in winter.
Yes. Highway 11 runs south to the crossing and becomes Washington State Route 9; Seattle is about 2.5 hours away. Bring your passport.
Route 66, the Fraser Valley Express, runs Monday to Saturday from Chilliwack through Abbotsford to Carvolth Exchange in Langley, where TransLink's 555 express continues to Lougheed SkyTrain station.
Abbotsford International Airport (YXX) is the easier Fraser Valley alternative to Vancouver's airport, with non-stop WestJet and Flair flights from Calgary and Flair from Edmonton and Toronto Pearson. Rental desks are in the terminal, Highway 1 runs west to Vancouver, and the Sumas crossing leads south into Washington State. WestJet and Flair both fly non-stop from Calgary, Flair adds Edmonton and Toronto Pearson, and WestJet runs a seasonal winter service to Puerto Vallarta.
General
By taxi, about 10 minutes to the centre, or with a car from the Avis, Budget or National desks in the terminal.
The second weekend of August, at the airport. Book rooms well ahead or sleep in Langley or Chilliwack.
Built in 1911 with timber from the Mill Lake sawmill, it is the oldest surviving temple from the first Sikh settlement in North America and a National Historic Site.
Yes, about 45 minutes by car. Bellingham across the border is around 40 minutes, and Whistler roughly 2.5 hours.
Very. November and January each average well over 200 mm, though days stay mild and snow usually comes only in short spells.
Drive around Abbotsford, a wide and partly rural city, and rent a car at the airport, which has the widest choice. BC Transit's Central Valley Transit System runs buses in Abbotsford and Mission, with 90 minutes of free transfers on one fare, and a commuter rail link runs from Mission to Vancouver. Route 1 links Highstreet Mall with the University of the Fraser Valley, route 3 runs from Huntingdon by the border to Clearbrook, and route 31 crosses the Fraser to Mission.
Timing & weather
Raspberries from late June through July, blueberries into August. The Berry Festival falls at the end of July.
The best time to visit Abbotsford is Jun to Aug. Berry season, the Agrifair and the national airshow on the second weekend of August.
- Berry summer: June - August (July is the driest month, with about 39 mm of rain and highs near 24 C, just as the raspberry and blueberry farms open for picking)
- Valley rains: October - March (November brings around 233 mm of rain, but the valley floor stays mild at 6 to 10 C by day; the Passport to Christmas guide lists the holiday farm stops)
Visa & documents
Visa-exempt travelers, including citizens of the UK, the EU and Australia, need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to or through Canada. US citizens need only a passport. Other nationalities need a visitor visa.
Health & safety
Canada's main risks are natural: wildlife, summer wildfires and extreme winter cold. Store food properly in bear country, check wildfire and road conditions before summer drives, and carry winter gear when driving in snow. Call 911 for police, fire or ambulance anywhere in the country.
