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Questions - Rhodes & Athens end of Feb/early March 2024

Hi! I am planning to visit Greece for 5 days at the end of February/beginning of March 2024. I will be in Istanbul for 9 days for a work event, and am planning to go to Greece for 5 days after and then fly home from there.

I plan to first visit Rhodes - the island where my family came from. I was thinking to spend 3 nights there (Feb 29-March 3rd) and then fly to Athens (March 3rd-5th) for 2 nights, heading home on March 5th. I was originally planning to only go to Rhodes, but after seeing that all flights to and from Rhodes seem to connect through Athens, I figured I'd do 2 nights there as well. However, I wanted some input on this, as someone who has never been to either.

I am thinking 3 days in Rhodes will be good, but wondering if I should nix time in Athens and spend it all in Rhodes? I plan to mainly spend time in the Old City and port area, checking out historical sites and sites that were connected to my family, as well as explore food and markets. On the flip side, I am okay with the stop in Athens being short and just seeing some main sights on my full day there. I am usually of the "a short visit is better than no visit" mindset when I travel but definitely looking for input on if it's "worth" it from other's POV.

Lastly, I'm wondering how safe these places typically are for female solo travelers, as it's very likely I'll be solo on this portion of the trip. Particularly for Athens, I'd be interested in recommendations for neighborhoods I should look to stay in as a solo female first time visitor. Thanks in advance!

Posted by
2216 posts

3 nights in Rhodes is only 2 days. I wouldn't even call it a visit. just a short passage. And since your family came from Rhodes, why not spend more time there?

My opinion is that traveling without taking the time to visit is not traveling but only moving around. So since you are asking Athens or not Athens, and how many nights. I would say 3 nights minimum or nothing. But it's your journey, not mine. So it's up to you

Speaking of safety, Greece is a safe country, even for a solo woman.

Most of the things to do or see in Athens during a short stay are in a small and mostly pedestrian area which is roughly in the Plaka / Makrygianni districts and near Syntagma Square or Monastiraki Square. It's a perfectly safe area even in the middle of the night.