Welcome to Atlanta

Atlanta, the state capital of Georgia, is a vibrant city known for its rich history, diverse culture, and significant role in the Civil Rights Movement.

The city’s heart is downtown. Centennial Olympic Park is a green space surrounded by the Georgia Aquarium, CNN’s global headquarters, the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, the Centre for Civil and Human Rights, the College Football Hall of Fame, and Coca-Cola has its international headquarters where you can visit the World of Coca-Cola to learn about its history, all within walking distance. Beyond Centennial Olympic Park, discover other top attractions, including the High Museum of Art, Zoo Atlanta, and Atlanta Botanical Garden.

Atlanta was a major centre for the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. It is home to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, which includes his childhood home and church.

Named initially Terminus, Atlanta began as a railroad junction and grew rapidly due to its strategic location.

Atlanta is home to four Major League Sports Teams: the Atlanta Braves (MLB), Atlanta Falcons (NFL), Atlanta Hawks (NBA) and Atlanta United (MLS).

The city hosts numerous festivals, including the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, the Atlanta Jazz Festival, the AC3 Festival, the Imagine Music Festival, Music Midtown, Shaky Knees, and Sweetwater 420 Fest.

Atlanta is a significant economic hub with a diverse economy that includes finance, technology, and media sectors.

Atlanta boasts a variety of neighbourhoods, each with its unique character. From the artsy vibe of Castleberry Hill to the eclectic atmosphere of Little Five Points.

The city is becoming a foodie destination, with a wide range of cuisines and many award-winning restaurants.

If you research online before arriving or walking around Atlanta, you will not take long to realise that there are many streets with “Peachtree” in their name, with Peachtree Street being one of the most common.

Atlanta Stadium, usually known as Mercedes-Benz Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in the downtown area of Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It opened in August 2017 as a replacement for the Georgia Dome. Atlanta Stadium is the home stadium of the Atlanta United FC, which plays in the Major Soccer League, and the Atlanta Falcons, which plays in the National Football League. It has a capacity of 75,000 for the World Cup and features a retractable roof and a giant circular video board.

Atlanta is a football city and is claimed to be the soccer city of the South. I expect all matches here to be attended by enthusiastic and knowledgeable fans as Atlanta United FC has the highest average attendance of any MLS team, at over 47,000.

Atlanta Stadium will host eight games in total: five Group Games, a round of 32, a round of 16 and a semi-final:

June 15 Group stage     H4 v H3
June 18 Group stage     A4 v A2
June 21 Group stage     H3 v H1
June 24 Group stage     C3 v C2
June 27 Group stage     K3 v K2
July 1 Round of 32        3rd Group E/H/I/J/K v Winner Group L
July 7 Round of 16         Winner Match 88 v Winner Match 86
July 15 Semi-final          Winner Match 100 v Winner Match 99

Atlanta is served by Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which has held the title of the World’s Busiest Airport by Passenger Traffic since 1998. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Delta Airlines fly directly from Heathrow in London. Virgin Atlantic also flies directly from Manchester, and Delta Airlines also flies from Edinburgh, which means there are plenty of flight times to choose from when travelling from the UK.

Atlanta is worth considering as a gateway to the rest of the US. It’s a Delta Airlines hub airport that is also served by many domestic US airlines.

Flying into or out of Atlanta to any of the other World Cup Host cities, you have the choice of most US domestic airlines, including American Airlines (AM), Delta Airlines (DE), United Airlines (UN), Aeromexico (AE), Air Canada (AC), Alaska Airlines (AL), Frontier Airlines (FR), JetBlue Airways (JB), South West (SW)Airlines, Spirit Airlines (SP), WestJet (WJ).

If you are driving, the nearest stadium within the Eastern Region of Stadia is Miami (650 miles), and the furthest is Toronto (948 miles).

For all other Stadium to Stadium driving distances, please see the Distance Chart.

There are long-distance buses if you still want to travel by road but do not drive. The two nationwide Bus Companies are Greyhound and FlixBus, both owned by FlixBus. The distances are vast, and journeys may involve multiple changes.

The leading train company is AMTRAK, and whilst it is OK for East Coast and West Coast journeys, the travel times can get long once you head inland. A direct train from Atlanta to New York (861 miles) takes just under 19 hours.

Atlanta to/from	AM	DE	UN	AE	AC	AL	FR	JB	SW	SP	WJ
Boston (BOS)		X					X	X		X
Dallas (DFW)	X	X					X			X
Dallas (DAL)		X							X
Guadalajara (GDL)		X		X
Houston (IAH)		X	X				X			X
Houston (HOU)		X							X
Kansas City (MCI)		X							X
Los Angeles (LAX)	X	X					X			X
Mexico City (MEX)		X
Miami (MIA)	X	X					X		X
Monterrey (MTY)		X		X
New York (EWR)		X	X				X			X
New York (JFK)		X					X	X
New York (LGA)		X					X	X	X	X
Philadelphia (PHL)	X	X					X		X	X
San Francisco (SFO)		X	X				X
San Jose (SJC)		X
Seattle (SEA)		X				X
Toronto (YYZ)		X			X
Vancouver (YVR)											X

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is Atlanta’s principal public transport operator. MARTA will get you from the Airport to Downtown Atlanta in 20 minutes and further afield to Mid-Town and Buckhead. Click here for the MARTA website.

When flying into Atlanta, the MARTA station is located at the domestic terminal. If you have arrived from outside the US, you must catch the shuttle bus from the International Terminal at Bus Stop 3 in front of the Terminal. The journey takes about 13 minutes and drops off at the entrance to the Domestic Terminal, where the MARTA station is just inside the doors. The return shuttle journey is from Bus Stop 1.

Taxis, as well as Uber and Lyft, operate in the city.

Electric bikes and scooters are available to rent throughout the city. Three companies currently offer this service in Atlanta: Bird, Lime, and Spin.

There is currently a Nighttime Riding Restriction for rented scooters and e-bikes.

No devices can be rented from 9:00 PM to 4:00 AM.

Due to the number of Conventions Atlanta hosts, including being home to America’s Mart, the largest static showrooms for retail suppliers, there are plenty of options in the Downtown Area, from Airbnb and Sonder to Premium hotels, either booked directly or via one of the hotel reservation booking sites. Having seen the prices for accommodation during a Superbowl, you may want to look further out from downtown in Mid-town or Buckhead, both of which are served by MARTA.

There are some RV parks on the city’s outskirts for those tackling the roads of the US.