How Many Days in Atlanta? A 3-Night, 4-Day Route

The big picture: two days downtown, then Sweet Auburn and Midtown

Three nights and four days is a good length for Atlanta. This route puts Centennial Olympic Park on the first evening, the Georgia Aquarium and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights on day 2, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, Sweet Auburn and the Beltline's Eastside Trail on day 3, and Midtown's High Museum of Art or Atlanta Botanical Garden plus Piedmont Park on day 4. With one more day, you can add Oakland Cemetery.

MARTA rail is the backbone of the trip. There are Red, Gold, Blue and Green lines, and a trip costs USD 2.50 regardless of distance. Downtown, the Atlanta Streetcar (USD 1 a ride) runs to 12 stops, including stops near the King national historical park and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Check the days of the week first. The High Museum of Art and the Atlanta Botanical Garden close on Mondays, and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights lists hours only for Tuesday to Sunday. If your trip includes a Monday, move the free King national historical park or a park-focused day to it.

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Day 1: Airport → Peachtree Center → Centennial Olympic Park

MARTA's Airport Station at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is inside the Domestic Terminal, between the North and South baggage claims. If you arrive at the International Terminal, take the free shuttle from the arrivals level to the Domestic Terminal baggage claim (runs 24/7, about 15 min), or ride the airport's Plane Train to the Domestic Terminal Baggage Claim stop.

Red and Gold line trains start at the Airport Station and take about 17 min on average to Peachtree Center (about 16 min to Five Points, 20 min to Midtown). A trip costs USD 2.50; tap a contactless credit or debit card, a mobile wallet or a Breeze card at the faregates. Trains run 4:45 a.m.-1 a.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m.-1 a.m. on weekends. After 8:30 p.m., if you are going to Buckhead, Medical Center, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or North Springs, you may need to take a Gold (Doraville) train and change to a Red train at Lindbergh Center.

After checking in, head to Centennial Olympic Park in the evening. Built as the gathering place of the 1996 Olympic Games, it is open daily 7 a.m.-10 p.m., and the Fountain of Rings shows also run at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Alcohol, glass containers, biking and skateboarding are not allowed in the park. The Visitor Information Center is temporarily closed while the park is restored (park's official information, checked 13 October 2026).

Day 2: Georgia Aquarium → Civil and Human Rights center → park stroll

Start the morning at the Georgia Aquarium, across from Centennial Olympic Park and known for its whale sharks and beluga whales. General admission includes the Dolphin and Sea Lion Presentations, with a free reservation on the day of your visit, first come, first served. Prices and hours vary by date, so check the official site; with a timed-entry ticket, enter within one hour of your selected time. Children 2 and under enter free.

After lunch, visit the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, a museum on the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and the history of human rights worldwide. It is open Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 12-5 p.m., and closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Anytime general admission is USD 28 for adults (13-64), USD 22 for ages 7-12 and USD 23 for seniors (65+), plus tax. Photography is not permitted in the A Committed Life gallery, which shows the King Collection.

Both are walkable from Civic Center or Peachtree Center stations on the Red and Gold lines (10-15 minutes to the aquarium; the center is 8 minutes south of Civic Center station). Finish the day with a stroll through Centennial Olympic Park. The fountain shows run at 12 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., so catch one today if you missed it on day 1.

Day 3: King national historical park → Sweet Auburn → Beltline

In the morning, take the streetcar or MARTA bus routes 3 or 99 to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park; no train stops at the park. It preserves the places where Dr. King was born, lived, worked, worshipped and is buried. Entry is free, and it is open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (closed January 1, Thanksgiving Day and December 25). Start at the temporary visitor center in Historic Fire Station No. 6 (39 Boulevard NE).

The Birth Home is closed for renovations, but rangers give Birth Home presentations in the bookstore next door several times a day. They take 15 people each, first come, first served, and fill quickly, so check the schedule early at the visitor center. Rangers lead talks daily at Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King preached, and from the plaza by the "I Have a Dream" World Peace Rose Garden, with its 185 roses, you can see the crypts of Dr. and Mrs. King across the street.

Walk Sweet Auburn along Auburn Avenue, where the park is, and Edgewood Avenue, lined with street art, restaurants and bars. In the afternoon, head to Historic Fourth Ward Park, which reclaimed 17 underused acres beside the Beltline's Eastside Trail. Opened in 2012, the Eastside Trail runs from Piedmont Park south to Irwin Street in Inman Park, with public art along the way. Follow the trail to Inman Park and its streets of Victorian homes.

• The Beltline is a shared trail where no mode has the right of way. Pass on the left and walk no more than two side by side
• In an emergency, call 911; the mile marker numbers on the light poles help responders find you quickly

Day 4: Arts Center → High Museum or Botanical Garden → Piedmont Park

Start the last day at MARTA's Arts Center station. Right across the street is the High Museum of Art at the Woodruff Arts Center. It is open Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 12-5 p.m., and closed Mondays. The last ticket is issued one hour before closing; general admission is USD 23.50 (plus USD 2.09 in fees), and children 5 and under enter free.

If you prefer gardens, choose the Atlanta Botanical Garden instead. The 30-acre garden has a canopy walk above the trees and indoor conservatories (orchids and a tropical rotunda). It is open Tuesday-Sunday 9 a.m.-7 p.m., closed on most Mondays, and takes cards only. The average visit is 1.5-2 hours.

Next door, Piedmont Park covers more than 189 acres, with a lake and large fields, and is open daily 6 a.m.-11 p.m. On a Saturday, the Green Market runs 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (from the last weekend in March to the second weekend in December; until 12 December in 2026). After the park, take MARTA to the airport. The Red and Gold lines link the Airport Station and Midtown, about 20 min on average.

One more day: Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta food and where to stay

With an extra day, add Oakland Cemetery just east of downtown. Opened in 1850 as Atlanta's first cemetery, it spreads over 48 acres; author Margaret Mitchell, golfer Bobby Jones and Mayor Maynard Jackson are among those buried here, and it is also an arboretum and an outdoor sculpture museum. Entry is free, and the grounds are open from dawn to dusk year-round. The visitor center is open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and the paid walking tour leaves daily at 10:30 a.m. Some days close early for events, so check the official notices. From King Memorial station, exit to Decatur Street.

Use spare time for Atlanta's food: Southern comfort cooking, smoky barbecue, Buford Highway with restaurants from around the world including Mexican taquerias, and brewery tours in places such as Decatur. The 140-acre Atlanta State Farmers Market, run by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, has most vendors open daily 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

For a first visit, downtown (the Centennial Olympic Park area) is convenient: the Georgia Aquarium and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights are within walking distance, close to Peachtree Center and Civic Center stations. For parks and museums, look at Midtown near Midtown and Arts Center stations; for walks and street art, look at Old Fourth Ward and Inman Park on the Eastside Beltline.

Passes, budget, when to go and final checks

One MARTA fare (USD 2.50) includes up to four transfers between buses and trains. Unlimited passes cost USD 9 (1 day, 24 hours), USD 14 (2 days), USD 16 (3 days) and USD 19 (4 days), and a streetcar-only 1-day (24-hour) pass costs USD 3. The King national historical park, Centennial Olympic Park, the Beltline, Piedmont Park and Oakland Cemetery are free. On top of that, add the National Center for Civil and Human Rights (USD 28 for adults, plus tax) and the High Museum of Art (USD 23.50, plus fees). Georgia Aquarium prices vary by date, so check the official site, and check booking sites for accommodation and food, which vary by date.

April-May and October are best for walking. According to WMO World Weather Information Service — National Weather Service (USA) normals for Atlanta (WMO city data), 1981–2010, April averages a high of 23°C and a low of 11°C, May 27°C and 16°C, and October 23°C and 12°C, with 85-93 mm of rain a month across those three months. June-August are hot, with average highs of 30-32°C, and July is the wettest month at 134 mm. December-February are cool, with average highs of 11-14°C and lows of 1-3°C.

• In June-August, carry water and an umbrella, and check pollen counts and air quality before you go out
• On MARTA, each rider needs their own card or payment method, and passing cards back is not allowed. Tap the same card to get your transfers (a bank card and a mobile wallet count as different payment methods even on the same account)
• Cash on buses must be exact change and does not include transfers
• Check the U.S. government's official information on entry requirements before you travel

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