Atlanta in 2 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
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2 days is enough for downtown’s big three and the free MLK Park
This route covers the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, and Centennial Olympic Park on Day 1, then the free Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park and Sweet Auburn on Day 2, closing on the BeltLine. Want Midtown and the High Museum too? See the 3-day itinerary . The full logistics and prices behind every stop here are in our Atlanta guide .
Book these before you go
- A timed Georgia Aquarium ticket for Day 1; watch for the aquarium’s recurring $20 Tuesday promo before paying the normal $55-65 dynamic price.
- A timed National Center for Civil and Human Rights ticket for Day 1 if you’re adding it.
- A room booked ahead if your dates land on Dogwood Festival weekend (about April 10-12, 2026) or Shaky Knees (September 18-20, 2026), when rates spike.
Day 1: Downtown’s Big Three
Start at the Georgia Aquarium, one of the world’s largest, home to whale sharks, beluga whales, and manta rays. Dynamic pricing runs $55-65, but check first for the aquarium’s recurring $20 Tuesday promo, it can more than halve the cost. Next door, the World of Coca-Cola runs $21-26 and includes a tasting room of 100-plus global flavors plus the Vault. Centennial Olympic Park, built for the 1996 Olympics, is free to walk, and its Fountain of Rings costs nothing to see. If you have the afternoon, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights ($26-28) covers the wider civil rights and human rights story, including a visceral lunch-counter sit-in simulation, a ticketed complement to Day 2’s free MLK sites.
| Day 1 cost (USD, per person) | Detail |
|---|---|
| Georgia Aquarium | $55-65 (or $20 on its Tuesday promo) |
| World of Coca-Cola | $21-26 |
| Centennial Olympic Park | free |
| National Center for Civil and Human Rights (optional) | $26-28 |
| MARTA rides | ~$2.50 each |
Tight on budget? Skip one of the three paid tickets, the Fountain of Rings and the park itself are free regardless of what you pay for inside.
Day 2: The MLK National Historical Park and Sweet Auburn
Take the Atlanta Streetcar’s downtown loop or MARTA up to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, run by the National Park Service and free to enter. The Birth Home is currently closed for renovation, so instead of a house tour, a free ranger presentation runs in the adjacent bookstore. Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King, his father, and his grandfather all preached, is a living, active congregation with free ranger “Church Talks.” The King Center holds Dr. King’s and Coretta Scott King’s tombs in a reflecting pool, also free, and Sweet Auburn’s historic streets cost nothing to walk. Grab a soul food lunch at Mary Mac’s Tea Room or Busy Bee Cafe, both documented Atlanta institutions. In the afternoon, head to the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail, free, and browse Ponce City Market or Krog Street Market, both free to walk even if you don’t buy anything.
| Day 2 cost (USD, per person) | Detail |
|---|---|
| MLK National Historical Park | free |
| Ebenezer Baptist Church Talk | free |
| The King Center | free |
| Sweet Auburn streets | free |
| Soul food lunch | at a named Atlanta institution, price varies |
| BeltLine + Ponce City Market/Krog Street Market | free to browse |
| Streetcar or MARTA | check current fare before you board |
Getting around on 2 days
MARTA runs from inside the airport terminal, about $2.50, 20-25 minutes to downtown or Midtown, so there’s no need for a rental car on a trip this short. Downtown and the Sweet Auburn area are walkable or a short streetcar ride apart. Factor Atlanta’s roughly 8.9% sales tax onto the tickets and meals above.
Money tip: if Day 1 doesn’t land on a Tuesday, consider swapping the Aquarium in for the Coca-Cola stop instead, or vice versa, rather than paying full price for both. And whichever day you fly in, take MARTA from inside the airport terminal rather than a $30-plus rideshare into downtown.