Atlanta flights and travel guide

Atlanta is where the Old South meets the New South. Antebellum mansions may be few and far between but there are plenty of historical buildings standing just streets away from post-modern skyscrapers. One of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., it has several claims to fame: the world's busiest airport (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, therefore no shortage of cheap flights to Atlanta), the world's largest aquarium (Georgia Aquarium), the world’s largest open air, roadside fruit and vegetable stand, the oldest professional dance company in America (Atlanta Ballet), the CNN Center and ... the World of Coca-Cola. 

The city retains Southern charm. Many establishments serve a traditional Southern breakfast of biscuits with gravy, eggs, grits, and meat while there are plenty of restaurants serving cuisines from around the world. 

A place such as the Road to Tara Museum, where Margaret Mitchell handed over the manuscript of Gone With The Wind to her publisher, draws many visitors each year as does the Sweet Auburn District which reflects the history and achievements of Atlanta's African Americans. 

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Atlanta climate

Atlanta experiences hot, humid summers and mild, sometimes chilly winters. Summer highs reach 32 degrees Celsius (89 degrees Fahrenheit) and above. Winter lows, 11 degrees Celsius (52 degrees F). Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year, and there is some snowfall in the winter months.

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When to fly to Atlanta

Peak Season:
Spring and fall are when most travellers book cheap flights to Atlanta. The temperatures are comfortable for sight-seeing.

Off Season:
The humid summer months are off season in Atlanta.

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Getting downtown Atlanta

Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, just 16km from downtown Atlanta, is accessible via local Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) trains and buses, downtown and shared-ride shuttle transportation services and interstate highways.

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Getting around Atlanta

Hop on Atlanta’s subway, which is run by Metropolitan Area Rapid Transit Authority, and you’ll be downtown in 15 minutes. The transit authority also runs the buses. Atlanta has notoriously bad traffic, some of the worst in the world, so you’ll want to avoid driving if you can. A nice way to avoid traffic is biking the 24km loop in Piedmont Park, or head a few kilometres northeast of Atlanta’s downtown to hike through Fernbank Forest.

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Atlanta insider information

• The Atlanta Botanical Gardens has 12 hectares of garden, an urban forest, wildflower trails, the Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory and a 929 square-metre Fuqua Orchid Center. The Garden also offers visitors a wealth of year-round special events, exhibits, and educational workshops.  
• The Arts: the Atlanta Opera has won numerous local and national awards over its 125-year history. There is also an impressive theatre tradition. There are more than 65 active performance groups. 
• The State Capitol building is topped with gold from Lumpkin County. The building has a museum that exhibits artifacts such as a collection of Georgia's state flags. 
• The High Museum of Art is the southeast's leading art museum with a diverse collection of art including 19th/20th century American, European, African and African-American paintings, decorative arts, photography, and modern and contemporary art. 
• The Sweet Auburn District was a thriving centre of black enterprise between the 1890s and 1940s. It's the birthplace of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tourists can visit his birth home, the Ebenezer Baptist Church and the King Center, where Dr. King's Nobel Prize is on show. Dr. King and his wife's crypt and gravesite are also located at the King Center. 
• Piedmont Park is situated between 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue in Midtown. For travellers arriving on cheap flights to Atlanta, the park is a place to unwind. There are woods, sports fields, Lake Clara Meed, picnic spots, walking and skating paths. The park also hosts annual events such as the Atlanta Dogwood Festival and Bark in the Park.

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Atlanta airports

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