--- title: "Where to stay in Atlanta by neighborhood: downtown, Midtown" description: "Downtown and Midtown hotels sit on MARTA's Red Line, Buckhead is 32 minutes from Airport, and four airport hotels are on a free 24-hour SkyTrain." url: "https://atlairportguide.com/guides/where-stay-atlanta-neighborhood/" updated: "2026-11-15" airport: "ATL" type: "guide" --- > Independent guide, not the official ATL website. All pages: https://atlairportguide.com/llms.txt # Where to stay in Atlanta by neighborhood: downtown, Midtown, Buckhead or the airport Downtown and Midtown hotels sit on MARTA's Red Line, Buckhead is 32 minutes from Airport, and four airport hotels are on a free 24-hour SkyTrain. Published November 15, 2026 ![The open lawn of Piedmont Park with the Midtown towers beyond the trees.](https://atlairportguide.com/images/atl/piedmont-park-midtown-skyline-v4.webp) Piedmont Park, Midtown Atlanta spreads out, and MARTA’s Red and Gold lines connect the airport to the areas below. Stay downtown if you want the aquarium and the stadiums close, Midtown for the arts district and Piedmont Park, Buckhead for Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza, or by the airport if you have an early flight. MARTA’s Airport Station is inside the Domestic Terminal, and the standard fare to any of these stops is $2.50. ## What the ride from the airport costs | Area | MARTA stop and average ride (MARTA’s stations page) | Taxi, one person (ATL) | Shared van, up to (ATL) | UberX average (Uber’s route pages) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Downtown | Peachtree Center, 17 minutes | $37.50 | $16.50 | $35 | | Midtown | Midtown, 20 minutes | $39.50 | $18.50 | $36 | | Buckhead | Buckhead, 32 minutes | $49.50 | $30 | $44 (North Buckhead route) | ATL’s flat taxi fares include a $1.50 surcharge, and each extra rider adds $2.00. ATL also adds a fuel surcharge of $2 or $3 a trip when gas prices pass set levels, so a fare can run higher than the table. Our [MARTA rail page](https://atlairportguide.com/transport/marta-rail/) has the late-evening change, and our [guide to every way downtown](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/atlanta-airport-downtown-every-option-what-it-costs/) compares MARTA with a taxi, a shared van and Uber. ## Downtown keeps the sights within walking distance Discover Atlanta lists the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Centennial Olympic Park and the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame under Peachtree Center. Discover Atlanta says Hotel Indigo Atlanta Downtown is a few steps from the station escalator. The Hilton Atlanta is joined by skywalk to Peachtree Center’s MARTA station, and the Embassy Suites by Hilton at Centennial Olympic Park says it is a five-minute walk from the Georgia Aquarium, with breakfast included. The [hotels page](https://atlairportguide.com/hotels/) lists the downtown hotels, and the [downtown guide](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/atlanta-airport-downtown-atlanta/) covers the trip in. ## Midtown has the arts and the parks Three Red and Gold stops serve Midtown. North Avenue is 19 minutes from Airport on MARTA’s page, Midtown is 20 and Arts Center is 22. Discover Atlanta places the Georgian Terrace by North Avenue and Loews Atlanta between the Midtown and Arts Center stations. You’ll find the Fox Theatre by North Avenue and the High Museum of Art and Woodruff Arts Center by Arts Center, and Discover Atlanta’s local puts Piedmont Park about a half-mile walk from the Midtown station. Our [Midtown guide](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/atlanta-airport-midtown/) covers the ride from the airport. ## Buckhead is a Red Line stay Buckhead’s station is on the Red Line and Lenox is on the Gold, and Discover Atlanta says both are close to Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza. MARTA gives 32 minutes to Buckhead and 30 to Lenox. After 8:30 p.m., MARTA says you may need to take the Gold train from the airport and change to the Red at Lindbergh Center to reach Buckhead. For Lenox, Discover Atlanta puts the cutoff at 9 p.m. After that, it says, MARTA often single-tracks, and Lenox riders board the Red Line train and might need to change at Lindbergh Station. Discover Atlanta puts the Grand Hyatt Atlanta and The Westin Buckhead within a short walk of the Buckhead station. Our [Buckhead guide](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/atlanta-airport-buckhead/) has the trip from the airport. ## By the airport, for early flights and late landings Four hotels sit on the free SkyTrain, which runs around the clock, so you can reach them at any hour. They’re the AC Hotel Atlanta Airport Gateway, the Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway, the Renaissance Atlanta Airport Gateway Hotel and the SpringHill Suites Atlanta Airport Gateway. The Renaissance Concourse is the closest hotel, and its shuttle doesn’t use the train. It picks up at stalls C6 to C8 on Aisle C of the Ground Transportation Center. Our guide to [hotels with a free shuttle or train](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/hotels-at-atlanta-airport-with-free-shuttle-or-train/) lists the other shuttle stalls. Our guide to [staying near ATL before an early flight](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/staying-near-atl-before-early-flight/) picks between them by departure time. ### Sources - Our [hotels page](https://atlairportguide.com/hotels/), [MARTA rail page](https://atlairportguide.com/transport/marta-rail/), [downtown guide](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/atlanta-airport-downtown-atlanta/), [guide to every way downtown](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/atlanta-airport-downtown-every-option-what-it-costs/), [Midtown guide](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/atlanta-airport-midtown/), [Buckhead guide](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/atlanta-airport-buckhead/), [guide to hotels with a free shuttle or train](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/hotels-at-atlanta-airport-with-free-shuttle-or-train/) and [guide to staying near ATL before an early flight](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/staying-near-atl-before-early-flight/) - Discover Atlanta’s guide to where to stay near the airport and along the MARTA line - Discover Atlanta’s guide to MARTA by station - Discover Atlanta’s guide to exploring Atlanta on MARTA - MARTA’s airport and stations pages - ATL’s ground transportation page and Uber’s route pages for downtown, Midtown and North Buckhead