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!