Back to Tirana (Albania) & COVID-19 PCR Test
From Vlorë, we take a bus for 500LEK/person to Tirana. The ride takes 2h30 I think (I fell asleep so I can’t really tell). We get dropped off at the South Terminal and a taxi takes us to our hotel in downtown Tirana.
Our other accommodations in Tirana were off the beaten path, so we’re thrilled to have a hotel right in the city center this time, as it lets us reach even more restaurants and enjoy more of the vibe. The cafés are always packed, and Albanians, a bit like Turks, love spending hours at the café.
JB is a bit stressed because we need to get a PCR test and must test negative to be able to return to France. We also need to print our declaration and justify our compelling reason. Returning to France is pretty simple: since we’re French, have an address in France, and soon a negative PCR test, it’s easy.
We gave you the address of our PCR testing center in Tirana here.
The nurse and the girl at the front desk are super super happy to speak French with us. A real conversation for one, and just a few words for the other, but you can tell they’re delighted to see (or see again?) tourists in Albania and hear such a beautiful language ^^
Just below our hotel, we notice two restaurants that have copied/pasted the branding of KFC and Starbucks. It cracks us up; we even wanted to try their food, but this TFC sells kebabs and falafel. Their dining area is full of smoke, so no thanks.
Instead, we find an alley inside an old fortress, full of trendy restaurants. Time for me to have raw shrimp marinated in lemon (I love it; it’s an Albanian specialty I absolutely must try before leaving Albania).
Right next door is the most beautiful mosque in all of Albania. But it’s under renovation, so no chance to visit, bummer. It reminds us a lot of Istanbul.
The results are in: we both tested negative for COVID. What a relief! It’s no surprise since we’re always careful and, above all, we’re antisocial and don’t talk to anyone 😀
Tirana – Paris
Due to the curfew, we head to the airport in the afternoon (1000LEK by taxi). We have dinner and spend the night at the hotel right across from the airport. Well, “the night” is an understatement because our flight is at 4 AM. Tough! We get rid of our last LEK at the souvenir shop (open). I think they have few flights anyway and are used to serving travelers leaving at 4 AM or 6 AM.
In any case, the Tirana airport lounge is still open, and thanks to our card American Express Business , and Priority Pass, we can have breakfast for free.
For the first time in our lives, we take a propeller plane. The ceiling height is about 1m90. I can’t even tell you the racket it makes.
We sit at the level of the propellers, and I have an irrational fear that they’ll come off and cut us in half 😀 horrible!
You can tell the engine has to work really, really hard to function properly.
Layover in Belgrade (first time we set foot there) allowed because we have a negative PCR test, then a second flight to CDG. They give us some crappy cookies and a bottle of water, that’s it.
At CDG, we’re appalled to see that Indian planes and Indian tourists are still happily landing here (and showing up at the counter “without a PCR test”!), despite the terrible situation over there. The organization is pretty chaotic, and I sense we’re going to be blown away when we compare it to our arrival in Bangkok in a few weeks.
As for us, checking our PCR tests takes half a second. Arriving in Paris, I isolate in a hotel room (and survive on Uber Eats), while JB goes straight back to Tours to his mom’s (and enjoys home-cooked meals). No one enters my room, not even the housekeeper. I have to leave my trash outside the door, and they put clean laundry on a table across from my room. My hotel is called Rose Bourbon (Booking link), very affordable (50€/night) thanks to the absence of tourists. The bed is cozy and the bathroom is spacious enough. There’s even a small desk. It’s right next to a metro, a Franprix, and the Post Office.
JB and I will meet up a week later in the South, at JB’s grandmother’s place.
Planning a trip to Albania? Our partner Get Your Guide offers entry tickets and guided tours with French-speaking guides at very reasonable rates. Click here to see what they offer and book online.
