Atlanta is served by MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority), +1 404-848-4711, , which operates both rapid rail and bus networks in the city of Atlanta and the counties of Fulton and Dekalb.
For out-of-town visitors, MARTA is a convenient way to travel from the airport to all stations on its network. While MARTA is incredibly safe, those who need to travel alone late at night may be better served by taking taxis, hotel buses, or renting a car, as the system often becomes empty or rowdy at nighttime and thus may feel unsafe to those who do not know the city. Most destination stations have taxi service available for local trips.
The rail network is comprised of four lines: red, gold, blue, and green. The red and gold lines run north-south, while the blue-green lines run east-west, forming a cross with Five Points station in the center.
The red and gold lines both run together (on the same rails) from a southern terminus at Hartsfield-Jackson airport through downtown and midtown Atlanta, before splitting into two branches running north, one which terminates in north metro Atlanta at the North Springs station (red line) and the other which heads north-east and terminates at the Doraville station (gold line). The blue line runs from a western terminal at Hamilton E. Holmes to an eastern terminal at Indian Creek. The green line runs east-west along with the blue line, but has a small spur to Bankhead station and only goes as far east as Edgewood/Candler Park station. The Five Points station in downtown Atlanta is the only station where passengers may change trains between the north-south and east-west lines. Trains run from 5AM until 1AM Monday-Friday, and from 5AM until 12:30AM on weekends and holidays. Trains run on all lines every 12 minutes during peak periods, reducing to every 20 minutes at night and on weekends. Note that the wait is often shorter than this for trips in the center of the city, as you will not have to wait for any specific train. For example, you could take either the red line or the gold line to get from the downtown to midtown.
The bus network comprises over one hundred different bus routes, with many routes operating approximately every 20 minutes. Bus service on some lines (generally including the most popular tourist areas) runs from 5AM until 1:30AM Monday-Friday and from 5AM until 1AM on the weekends and holidays.
Breeze Card
A single ride on MARTA costs $2.50. The fare includes transfers. MARTA uses wireless Breeze Cards to store your fare; a new card costs $1.00 but is reloadable and never expires. Breeze Cards are sold in vending machines at all rail stations or at RideStores at Airport, Lindbergh Center, and Five Points stations. When starting the journey by bus, tap the card at the fare post next to the driver. When starting the journey by train, tap the card at the fare gate; your cash-depleted card will now act as your transfer. When transferring to a bus or train, simply tap your card again. (The card uses RFID technology, so you can leave it in your wallet and just tap your whole wallet on the sensor.)
Note for Weekend Travel: MARTA has a tendency to run slower on the weekends. Typical wait times are 20 minutes for trains and up to an hour for buses. Be sure to accommodate for this.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Atlanta
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Atlanta - updated May 2024
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Atlanta Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
