Photo: Chuck Koehler from Cartersville, GA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Stuck at Hartsfield-Jackson for a few hours? With six hours or more between flights, you can get out and see Atlanta. MARTA trains leave from right outside baggage claim at the Domestic Terminal and reach downtown in about 20 minutes for $2.50, with the Georgia Aquarium, the Civil Rights museum and Dr. King’s neighborhood all a short walk from the stations. With less time than that, stay inside and walk the art-lined tunnels between concourses, or grab a nap room. Here is what you can realistically do with the time you have.
- Train to downtownMARTA Red or Gold line from Airport station, about 20 minutes
- Fare$2.50 a ride; tap a contactless bank card or phone at the gate
- Train hoursWeekdays 4:45 a.m. to 1 a.m.; weekends 6 a.m. to 1 a.m.
- Our rule of thumbSix hours or more between flights before you leave the airport
How Much Time Do You Need?
The train is the easy part. What eats your layover is the walk from your gate to the train, and the trip back through security, which can be quick on a Tuesday morning and slow on a holiday weekend. Here is how we would use the time:
| Time between flights | What we would do |
|---|---|
| Under 4 hours | Stay inside security. Eat, walk the art tunnels, or book a nap room. |
| 4 to 6 hours | Probably still stay put. With carry-on bags only and a short security line, the Delta Flight Museum is the one outing close enough to try. |
| 6 to 10 hours | Take MARTA downtown for one or two stops, like the aquarium and Centennial Olympic Park, or the King historic district. |
| Overnight | Stay downtown or in Midtown and have dinner out. Take an early train back. |
Two things change the math. If you are arriving from another country, you clear customs in Atlanta first, which takes its own time. And if you leave the airport, you go back through security, so plan to be back at the checkpoint at least two hours before your next flight. The airport posts current checkpoint wait times on its website.
Things to Do Inside the Airport
Walk the art tunnels
The underground walkways between the concourses are lined with art from the airport’s art program, including Steve Waldeck’s Flight Paths between Concourses A and B. Walking from one concourse to the next instead of riding the Plane Train is the best free way to kill an hour and stretch your legs.
Ride the Plane Train
The automated train runs a 3-mile loop between the terminals and all the concourses, around the clock. If you have time to burn, ride it end to end and watch the concourses go by.
Take a nap
Minute Suites rents small private rooms with a daybed past security in several concourses, by the hour. Locations and showers vary by concourse, so check minutesuites.com and book ahead on busy days.
Eat like you are in Atlanta
Most concourses have local Atlanta restaurants and Southern food, so you can get a taste of Atlanta without leaving security. The airport’s online directory lists what is open in each concourse.
Near the Airport: Delta Flight Museum
The Delta Flight Museum sits on Delta’s campus right next to the airport, so it is the closest real attraction to your gate. Its historic hangars hold vintage airliners and a century of airline history, and you can walk through Ship 6301, the first Boeing 747-400 ever built, out onto its wing. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and closed on Wednesdays, and the hangars and 747 close on some other days for events, so check the calendar and buy tickets on deltamuseum.org before you go. Take a rideshare to 747 Woolman Place, Atlanta.
Downtown Atlanta by MARTA
Airport station is at the end of the Domestic Terminal, next to baggage claim. Every train heads north toward downtown; Red and Gold line trains share the track as far as Lindbergh Center, so take whichever comes first. Use Peachtree Center station for the aquarium area, Five Points for the State Capitol, and Arts Center for the High Museum.
Centennial Olympic Park and the aquarium
The best layover stop. The Georgia Aquarium (whale sharks and a walk-through tunnel; buy timed tickets online), the World of Coca-Cola, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and the College Football Hall of Fame all surround the park. A short walk from Peachtree Center station.
Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park
Free. Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King preached, and the Auburn Avenue blocks where he grew up. The visitor center, Ebenezer and Freedom Hall are open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Combine it with lunch at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, selling food since 1918.
Georgia State Capitol
Free self-guided visits to the gold-domed Capitol and its museum, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Expect a security screening. Near Five Points and Georgia State stations.
High Museum of Art
The Southeast’s leading art museum, right at Arts Center station in Midtown, a few stops past downtown on the same train. It is free on the second Sunday of each month from noon to 5 p.m.
For more ideas once you are downtown, see our full guide to things to do in Atlanta, the list of free things to do in Atlanta and our indoor things to do in Atlanta for a rainy layover.
Sample Layover Plans
6 hours
Train to Peachtree Center (30 to 45 minutes door to door from your gate). Walk to Centennial Olympic Park and spend about two hours at the Georgia Aquarium or the Civil Rights museum. Train back with at least two hours to spare before your flight.
8 to 10 hours
Aquarium or World of Coca-Cola in the morning, lunch at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, then the free King historic district in the afternoon. Head back to the airport by late afternoon.
Overnight
Stay downtown or in Midtown. Spend the evening at Ponce City Market or Krog Street Market on the BeltLine, then catch the first trains back in the morning; they start at 4:45 a.m. on weekdays.
Common Questions
Can you leave the Atlanta airport during a layover?
Yes. If your connection is long enough, you can leave and come back, but you will have to go through security again. On international arrivals you clear customs in Atlanta first. We would only leave with six hours or more between flights.
How long does it take to get from the Atlanta airport to downtown?
About 20 minutes on MARTA from Airport station, at the Domestic Terminal next to baggage claim, to the downtown stations. Allow extra time to walk from your gate to the train.
How much is MARTA from the Atlanta airport?
A ride is $2.50, and you can tap a contactless bank card or a phone at the faregate.
What is there to do at the Atlanta airport during a short layover?
Walk the art-lined tunnels between concourses, ride the Plane Train, eat at the local restaurants in each concourse, or rent a private nap room at Minute Suites past security.
What is the closest attraction to the Atlanta airport?
The Delta Flight Museum, on Delta’s campus next to the airport. It is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and closed Wednesdays, and you can walk through the first Boeing 747-400 ever built.
Sources we checked
Facts on this page were checked against official sources. Hours, prices and exhibits change, so confirm before you go:
- MARTA: fares: $2.50 fare, contactless payment
- MARTA: train hours and airport station service
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: Plane Train, art program, checkpoint wait times, dining
- Delta Flight Museum: hours and admissions: hours, Wednesday closure, address
- Minute Suites: Atlanta airport: nap rooms past security
- National Park Service: Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park: hours, free admission
Spot something out of date? Email Contact@n-georgia.com and we’ll check it against the official source. Read how we research our guides.