Atlanta, Georgia Hotels and City Guide

Atlanta - Getting There

Atlanta Airport Information

Atlanta’s main airport is ATL (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport), which is the busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger traffic.More than ninety million passengers travel through the airport each year. Additionally, passengers can travel via the Dekalb-Peachtree Airport or the Brown Field airport.There are also plenty of private facilities in the area.The majority of individuals, though, come in through ATL.It is easily accessible via MARTA, bus, or car.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is a legendary airport for more than one reason. If you measure the amount of passenger traffic that comes through here, as well as the number of aircrafts serviced here, it is the busiest airport in the world. Many major airlines have stepped up in recent years and made this airport their hub, so chances are, even if you aren’t vacationing in Atlanta, you might be flying through the airport, anyway. Nicely wedged between three different highways, the airport is only a mere 10 miles from downtown, which helps to keep taxi prices down, although there is a rapid transit MARTA line which connects the airport with downtown, and that will only cost you about $2. You can also get to several other parts of town via the airport MARTA line, including fashionable Buckhead, Midtown and Sandy Springs. The airport is made of two main terminals. Thankfully, you don’t have to exit out through security and then go back through to go from one terminal to the other. There is a one mile underground mall that connects the two terminals. You can either choose to walk the distance or you can take a series of moving walkways that will get you most of the way there, or you can take a free transit system if you choose.

While the city planners still haven’t figured out a way to deal with the ever increasing car traffic on the highways and byways of Atlanta, the airport planners have fared far better. At last count, there were over 200 concessions throughout the airport, which means that if you are ever stuck here for any period of time, you will have quite the choice of entertainment, food and drink. There are also quite a few sit down restaurants that feature full table service, as well as bars, cafes and quick service restaurants, as well. If you are an international visitor to the Atlanta area, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding one of the many Bureau of Exchange throughout the airport. You may have to change over a little money here if you don’t have any American cash, but in most cases, the exchange places downtown will offer better rates, so only change what you need to here. If you are a business traveler and you need special assistance, head to the atrium for everything a business traveler could ever need. There are banks of pay phones throughout the airport, both in the pre-security ticketing area and in the secure terminals. Wireless Internet is a fairly new addition to Atlanta’s airport. At the time of this writing, you can pick up a decent wireless signal over nearly 6 million square feet of the airport, which can be a great relief for those that need to send that important email sooner rather than later. Best of all, you can even get a quality wireless signal in places that you wouldn’t expect, such as the Transportation Mall located underneath the airport. The Transportation Mall is the area where most folks park their cars, get taxis or get a bus to downtown. In fact, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has become one of the best hot spots in the entire city. One other note about the wi-fi here, when you log on, you will likely be asked to pick a provider. This is because the wireless system here is actually maintained by the airport and several different providers are allowed to use the system at once, so there is a natural competition here that keeps prices down and quality up. This is one of the only airport-based wi-fi systems in the world that does this.

As the laws that govern airports in the United States are constantly changing and being refined, it is important that you check the website for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport before you leave for your trip. There will be specific rules stated that tell you what you can bring on board your flight and what you can’t. All of your belongings will likely be x-rayed and if you are planning on bringing film with you, you can ask the people at security to check it by hand. You may also want to pay attention to the rules regarding liquids and gels as they tend to change the most often.

Guide dogs are welcome at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and since many people travel with their pets these days, there are several areas around the airport, including Poochie Park, where owners can take their pets if they need to be walked before their flight. Scoopers and clean up materials are always provided free of charge.

Weather delays at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport aren’t common, but since Atlanta serves as such a major hub for the rest of the nation, a delay in Chicago or a windstorm in Seattle can cause a ripple effect that can delay your flight for hours. Make sure you call ahead to your airline on the morning of your flight to see if there are any issues or use the web to check the status of your flight. A little pre-planning can really go a long way.

Getting Into Atlanta from ATL

Taxis

There is a flat rate charged by taxi services to and from downtown of $32. There are different rates in place if you can fit two or more people in a cab, but be sure you ask what they are before you hop in.

Shared Ride Services

ATL is served by MARTA, and a ticket downtown will cost you less than two dollars. It takes just about a half-hour to get from the airport to downtown Atlanta.

Rail

As well as being a well known airline hub, Atlanta is also a great place to catch an Amtrak train. There are daily trains that leave from Atlanta to destinations like New Orleans, points all through South Carolina and North Carolina, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Philadelphia and even New York. Trains tend to be a bit more expensive than the bus, but they provide a scenic way to see much of the east coast and the American south and they provide significantly more room to walk around than any bus or plane. There is also a bus service operated by Amtrak, known as Thruway, that connects the city to destinations throughout Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. They are priced very low and can make for a great day trip if you wish to explore more of the region outside of the Atlanta metro area.

Bus

Greyhound has more road routes than anyone, and if you are able to buy your ticket ahead of time (21 days) or if you are able to travel with another person, you can get from one end of the country to the other for well under $100. Be prepared to arrive at the station at least an hour before you bus leaves and be prepared for a trip that can last days if you are covering thousands of miles. Still, no other form of transport is more cost effective and allows you to see more of the United States. There are daily buses to most major cities from Atlanta, including Chicago, New York, Boston, Miami, Orlando, New Orleans and points farther west, as well. One word of advice, bring a pillow with you if you plan on traveling on a bus for long distances.

Car

Essentially every car rental company you could ever want to use has an office inside the airport, although a handful of them have off-site lots you may need to be shuttled to. Atlanta isn’t a particularly expensive city to rent a car in, and gas prices here are often below the national average, but unless you enjoy sitting in traffic for hours at a time, do everything you can to leave the car at home and use transit while you are here.

If you look up Atlanta on Google Maps, you’ll see something that resembles a spider’s web. That is because many main highways, including Interstates 75, 85 and 20, as well as many major state highways all converge in Atlanta. Unlike other cities, Atlanta does have a fully functional beltway that encircles the city, which does help to prevent traffic that is just passing through the city from flowing through downtown, but the traffic here is still legendarily bad. In fact, the only two spots on the map that are considered to have traffic this bad are Los Angeles and Houston. Still, Atlanta is less than a day’s drive from most major cities throughout the south, which means that many people still hop in the car and drive here for vacation. Parking is plentiful throughout the city and especially by major tourist attractions, but getting from point A to point B can be difficult when you consider the fact that the surface streets don’t follow a grid system and the hills make it difficult to see what is over the next horizon. The best advice if you are coming by car is to leave your automobile parked at your hotel and use a combination of transit, taxis and walking to get around. Trust me, you’ll be much better off.

Hotels in Atlanta, Georgia