This text, aimed at final-year undergraduate students and new postgraduates in physics, provides a broad introduction to surface physics, covering key areas of surface studies. Techniques are described that are used to determine which atoms are present on a surface and in what quantities, and to determine their relative arrangement. New results and theoretical advances are included, which provide fresh insights into the phenomena that occur at surfaces. Selected case studies are presented with particular reference to the (lll) surface of elemental silicon to illustrate the application of relevant techniques to the electronic, vibrational, and adsoption properties of surfaces.