ATLAirport Guide

An eight-hour layover at ATL: going into Atlanta and back

MARTA reaches Five Points in 17 minutes. Count back from ATL's two hours before a domestic flight, or three before an international one, to your train.

The orange phoenix mural on the grey concrete front of MARTA's Five Points Station in downtown Atlanta, with flagpoles and a flower planter in the plaza.
The phoenix mural at Five Points Station, downtown Atlanta

Eight hours gives you a real afternoon in Atlanta, as long as you’ve fixed the return before the first stop. MARTA reaches Five Points in 17 minutes, and Discover Atlanta calls the ride straightforward for anyone staying near Peachtree Center, Five Points or Midtown. ATL’s own advice sets the limit: plan to be at the airport at least two hours before a domestic departure and three hours before an international one.

The ride and what it costs

Station Weekday minutes from Airport Station Saturday and Sunday minutes
Five Points 17 17
Peachtree Center 18 19
Midtown 22 23

On weekdays, some trips on MARTA’s Gold Line timetable run two minutes longer than the table shows. A ride is $2.50 each way, so a round trip is $5, because MARTA’s transfers don’t cover a round trip. A 1-Day Pass costs $9.00, and it’s cheaper than single rides only from your fourth ride. Every first and last train is in the MARTA guide.

ATL publishes no left-luggage or locker service, so ask a Customer Experience Representative at the west crossover about your bags before you head for the train.

Count back from your flight

Take your departure time from your airline’s app, since our flights page doesn’t show live departures, and subtract ATL’s two hours, or three for an international flight. Then subtract the Five Points ride.

Your 6:00 p.m. flight At the airport by Leave Five Points by
Domestic 4:00 p.m. 3:43 p.m.
International 3:00 p.m., at the International Terminal 2:28 p.m., after the 15-minute shuttle from the Domestic Terminal

The table uses the 17 minutes most weekday trains take from Five Points to the airport. Fifteen weekday Gold trips and every Saturday and Sunday trip take 18 minutes, so leave Five Points a minute earlier on those.

Aim for a train earlier than the table says, because from the 7:07 p.m. departure on, MARTA’s weekday timetable spaces Gold trains from Five Points 12 to 23 minutes apart. MARTA says the International Terminal shuttle runs 24 hours a day. ATL’s ground transportation page says it leaves approximately every 15 minutes. From the Domestic Terminal you pick it up at the Ground Transportation Center’s west curb, out door W-1 or W-2. Leave extra room in the international row for the wait.

Back through security, the hour picks your checkpoint

ATL says passengers can reach every concourse and gate from any checkpoint. The Domestic Terminal Main checkpoint is the only one open 24 hours. The other Domestic Terminal checkpoints close at 9 p.m. and the International Terminal’s closes at midnight, so if you’re returning after 9 p.m. for a domestic flight, you’ll usually use Main.

ATL’s live board grades each checkpoint’s wait, from Low (0 to 15 minutes) up to Extended (60 minutes or more). The busiest times usually fall between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. and on the days around holidays and long weekends, ATL says. The guide to security waits explains the lanes, and each checkpoint’s hours are on the security page.

If your layover runs into the night

The last train to reach Airport Station arrives at 2:06 a.m. on weekdays and at 1:54 a.m. on weekends, on MARTA’s Gold and Red timetables. It leaves Five Points 18 minutes earlier. Add ATL’s two hours to the arrival, and a domestic flight has to leave after 4:06 a.m. on weekdays or 3:54 a.m. on weekends for that train to be enough.

If you’d rather sleep than tour, the Hilton Atlanta is joined by skywalk to Peachtree Center and its MARTA station. Back at the airport, several hotels sit on the free, round-the-clock SkyTrain.

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