--- title: "One day in Atlanta before your flight home: a MARTA day plan" description: "Pick a MARTA stop near Peachtree Center, Midtown or the King sites, then count back from ATL's two-hour domestic and three-hour international advice." url: "https://atlairportguide.com/guides/one-day-atlanta-before-flight-home/" updated: "2026-11-15" airport: "ATL" type: "guide" --- > Independent guide, not the official ATL website. All pages: https://atlairportguide.com/llms.txt # One day in Atlanta before your flight home: a MARTA day plan and when to leave Pick a MARTA stop near Peachtree Center, Midtown or the King sites, then count back from ATL's two-hour domestic and three-hour international advice. Published November 15, 2026 ![The High Museum of Art in Midtown Atlanta seen from its ramp walk across the lawn.](https://atlairportguide.com/images/atl/high-museum-arts-center-v3.webp) High Museum of Art The Red and Gold lines both end inside the Domestic Terminal, so the ride back to your flight is one train. ATL asks you to be at the airport at least two hours before a domestic departure and three hours before an international one. MARTA prints the average ride to Airport from every station, so choose your stops, then count back from your flight. ## Pick a cluster of stops | Stop | MARTA’s average travel time to Airport | What’s close, per Discover Atlanta | | --- | --- | --- | | Peachtree Center | 17 minutes | The Hub food hall at Peachtree Center. About a half-mile walk to Centennial Olympic Park, then the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights | | Midtown | 20 minutes | About a half-mile walk to Piedmont Park, past bars and restaurants | | Arts Center | 22 minutes | High Museum of Art and the Woodruff Arts Center, with the Center for Puppetry Arts less than a half-mile away | | King Memorial | 19 minutes | Oakland Cemetery, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park and The King Center. It’s on the Blue and Green lines, so change at Five Points | Our [first-day guide](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/first-day-atlanta-after-long-flight/) lists what else sits near the downtown stops, and our [Midtown guide](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/atlanta-airport-midtown/) covers the MARTA stops and fares to Midtown. The Atlanta Streetcar links downtown sights, and it’s a separate fare. MARTA’s fare page lists it at $1.00 with no transfers. Discover Atlanta says it runs about every 15 minutes. Its stops are Centennial Olympic Park, Woodruff Park, Municipal Market (also called Sweet Auburn Curb Market) and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. Discover Atlanta’s neighborhood route names Municipal Market for lunch at Metro Deli Soul Food or Miss D’s Pralines. ## Count back from your flight | Step | What to allow | | --- | --- | | At the airport | At least two hours before a domestic departure and three hours before an international one, per ATL’s security page | | Security | ATL’s live wait times run from Low (0–15 min) to Extended (60+ min). The busiest times are usually 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and the days before and after holidays and long weekends | | MARTA | The average travel time to Airport in the table above, plus the wait for a train. The Airport Station is between the North and South baggage claims in the Domestic Terminal | Our [security wait times guide](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/security-wait-times-at-atl/) explains the bands, and our [guide to how early to arrive](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/how-early-arrive-at-atlanta-airport/) covers airline cutoffs and when checkpoint hours decide your time. MARTA’s trip planner and On the Go app show real-time train schedules, and Discover Atlanta’s local says trains run less often on weekends than on weekdays. ## Late flights and the International Terminal ATL lists Domestic Terminal Main as open 24 hours. The North, Lower North and South checkpoints stop screening at 9:00 p.m., and International Terminal Departures runs 4:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. Our [security page](https://atlairportguide.com/security/) has every checkpoint’s hours. MARTA ends at the Domestic Terminal. If you’re flying from the International Terminal, MARTA says the free shuttle between the terminals operates 24/7 with 15 minutes of travel time, and it boards outside Baggage Claim of the Domestic Terminal. Our [MARTA rail page](https://atlairportguide.com/transport/marta-rail/) has the station and the fares. ## Your bags ATL publishes no left-luggage desk or lockers. MARTA’s and Discover Atlanta’s pages don’t say where to leave a bag for the day either, so ask your hotel before you check out. Our [guide to leaving a bag](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/where-leave-bag-at-atlanta-airport/) covers what ATL does list and the off-site storage companies. ### Sources - Our [MARTA rail page](https://atlairportguide.com/transport/marta-rail/), [security page](https://atlairportguide.com/security/), [first-day guide](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/first-day-atlanta-after-long-flight/), [Midtown guide](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/atlanta-airport-midtown/), [security wait times guide](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/security-wait-times-at-atl/), [how early to arrive guide](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/how-early-arrive-at-atlanta-airport/) and [guide to leaving a bag](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/where-leave-bag-at-atlanta-airport/) - Discover Atlanta’s guide to exploring Atlanta on MARTA - Discover Atlanta’s guide to MARTA by station - Discover Atlanta’s one-day neighborhood route - MARTA’s airport, fares and stations pages - ATL’s passenger security and security wait times pages