Main airports: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) (website: www.atlanta-airport.com) is 16km (10 miles) south of the city (travel time – 20 minutes). With almost 80 million passengers using the airport in 2002, the airport is the busiest in the world (2002 passenger rankings), although most of those passengers are domestic. To/from the airport: The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transport Authority (MARTA) operates rapid rail services every 10 minutes (0430-0100), from the airport to the city centre (travel time - 15 minutes) and throughout the metropolitan area. Taxis, shuttle vans, and limousines are also available. Facilities: Business centre, car hire and currency exchange.

From Atlanta to London is nine hours, to New York is two hours 10 minutes and to Washington, DC is one hour 40 minutes.

The Amtrak (tel: (800) 872 7245 (toll-free); website: www.amtrak.com) 'Crescent' service, linking New York City with New Orleans, stops in Atlanta, while the ‘Silver Service/Palmetto’ service between New York City and Miami stops in Savannah; see the New York section for approximate travel times on these lines. Bus 23 runs to the Amtrak station in Atlanta, 1688 Peachtree Street; a taxi is required to get to the Amtrak station in Savannah, which is situated some 5 km (3 miles) southwest of the city, at 2611 Seaboard Coastline Drive.

Greyhound (tel: (800) 231 2222 (toll-free); website: www.greyhound.com) has terminals in Atlanta, Hapeville, Marietta and Norcross.

From Atlanta to Dallas is six hours, to New Orleans is nine hours, and to Seattle is 53 hours. All times are based on non-stop driving at or below the applicable speed limits.

From Atlanta to Chattanooga is two to four hours, to Mobile is six to 10 hours, to St Petersburg is 12 to 16 hours.

The public transport system in Atlanta is excellent. The most economical transport is the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transport Authority (MARTA) (website: www.itsmarta.com), which consists of 74km (46 miles) of rapid rail and 2373km (1475 miles) of bus lines operating Mon-Sat 0500-0100 and Sun 0630-0030. Daily and weekly travel passes are available. Car hire: Cars and motorcampers can be hired for touring the Atlanta area. Local companies can be contacted through the Atlanta classified telephone directory.