Farnham sits in the far south-west of Surrey, next to the Hampshire border, 35 miles from London and 11 miles from Guildford. It is the largest town in Waverley borough, and it is one of the places people mean when they say they want a proper market town with some character.
The town
Estate agents Hamptons group Farnham with Godalming and Haslemere as historic market towns known for period architecture. Garrington's 2026 list of the best places to live in Surrey, reported by Surrey Live, calls the town centre one of the county's prettiest and notes its Georgian buildings. The historic centre is a Conservation Area, and the Neighbourhood Plan records some 360 heritage assets on Historic England's register.
Farnham has also collected some accolades. Muddy Stilettos named it best place to live in Surrey in 2024, and the Sunday Times Best Places to Live 2024 put it in the South East top ten.
For things to do, Surrey Live points to the Maltings and the 12th-century castle. Farnham Maltings describes itself as one of Surrey's busiest and most diverse arts centres, with theatre, film, music, craft and family shows, plus a monthly market. Outdoors, the usual names are Farnham Park, Frensham Ponds, Bourne Woods and Alice Holt Forest. Surrey Live says Farnham Park has miles of paths and good play areas.
One local issue to know about is the long-running East Street redevelopment, which Surrey Live describes as a continuing talking point.
Schools
Surrey County Council is the admissions authority, so check catchment and admissions rules with it directly before you commit to an address. Ofsted has also moved to new report cards, so look at current gradings too. What follows is from the inspection reports listed at the time of writing.
Weydon School, Weydon Lane (GU9 8UG): a secondary academy for ages 11 to 16, lead school of Weydon Multi Academy Trust, rated Good in July 2023.
Farnham Heath End School, Hale Reeds (GU9 9BN): also part of Weydon MAT, rated Good in February 2025. In 2025, 40.1% of its pupils achieved grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths, against 55.1% across Surrey and 45.4% across England, according to the Good Schools Guide.
Highfield South Farnham School, Weydon Lane (GU9 8QH): a primary of about 479 pupils, rated Outstanding. Its trust says it is the seventh best-performing primary in Surrey.
St Peter's CofE Primary, Little Green Lane, Wrecclesham (GU9 8TF): rated Good in May 2024.
The Abbey School, Menin Way (GU9 8DY): a special school rated Outstanding in July 2024.
The train
Farnham is on the Alton line, run by South Western Railway, with services towards Woking, Clapham Junction and London Waterloo. Branch lines run to Ascot and Guildford. The Alton line leaves the main line at Brookwood and runs via Aldershot and Farnham.
Trainline's sample times show direct Farnham to Waterloo trains taking about an hour to 1 hour 3 minutes, with an average of 1 hour 6 minutes including changes. The last train is around 23:00. Check the current timetable and season ticket prices with South Western Railway or National Rail before you plan a commute around them.
Neighbourhoods
The Neighbourhood Plan names the areas around the centre: Firgrove, Hale and Heath End, Moor Park, Shortheath and Boundstone, Upper Hale, Weybourne and Badshot Lea, and Wrecclesham and Rowledge. It also seeks to stop Farnham merging with Aldershot, and Badshot Lea with Weybourne, and Rowledge with Wrecclesham. The Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty reaches into the plan area to the south-east, around The Bourne and Moor Park.
Agents offer their own colour, which is opinion rather than fact. Areahive says South Farnham suits families who want good schools and Lower Bourne is a quieter village feel. Bridges calls the villages around the town, including Frensham, Rowledge and Crondall, a haven for dog walkers. MoveIQ says the old centre is Georgian with Victorian terraces elsewhere.
What homes cost
Sold-price figures differ by source, so treat them as a range. Over the last 12 months:
Rightmove: £623,721 on average, with detached homes, the majority of sales, at £942,516.
Zoopla: £649,882 overall. Detached £960,630, semi-detached £564,195, terraced £431,933, flats £302,769.
OnTheMarket: £698,000, down 0.5% over 12 months.
Around the station, Rightmove's average is £640,952, though most sales there were flats at about £343,571.
Rents are asking prices that move daily, so use them as a guide. On Rightmove, one-bed flats run from about £1,050 to £1,300 a month, a two-bed flat on St George's Road was listed at £1,500, and terraced houses range from about £1,300 to £2,300 (£1,850 in Wrecclesham). Newer town-centre apartments such as Brightwell's Yard are around £2,240 to £2,263.
Council tax matters too. Waverley's own figure for a Farnham Town Band D home in 2026/27 is £2,602.91, up from £2,481.23 the year before. Local government in the area is changing, with a new West Surrey Council replacing Waverley, so check who bills you when you move.
Who it suits
Farnham suits buyers who want a historic centre with independent shops, good green space on the doorstep and a direct line to Waterloo, and who accept that a detached family home here costs close to £1 million on the figures above. Flats and terraces offer a cheaper way in. If schools drive the move, check admissions rules before you choose a street.
