Panama City

Introduction

Panama City, also called Panama, is the capital of the Republic of Panama and its largest city. It sits at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of Panama, and serves as the country's political and administrative center as well as a hub for banking and commerce.

Before you go

Panama City is the administrative and economic hub of Panama, where recent skyscrapers stand alongside well-preserved historic neighborhoods. Spanish is the official language and the most widely used in everyday life, though English is frequently used in tourism and business. The city's tropical climate brings warm temperatures all year, with a dry season from December to April that is the best time for outdoor activities, and a rainy season from May to November with afternoon showers, greener landscapes and fewer tourists. September to November sees heavier rains, while December brings pleasant days as the dry season strengthens.

Before you go, plan around safety and transport. Casco Viejo and the Panama Viejo ruins area warrant caution: tourist police are present, but do not wander too far alone, especially at night, and note that El Chorrillo borders San Felipe, so it is easy to stray into it accidentally. Stay out of El Chorrillo, Santa Ana, Curundú and San Miguel. The central neighborhoods of Marbella, El Cangrejo, Obarrio, San Francisco and the Banking Area are generally the safest, but keep an eye on your belongings even in restaurants, and avoid drinking heavily and walking back to your hotel. For taxis, find out the exact fare beforehand and carry exact change; ignore drivers outside Multiplaza, Albrook and Multicentro who approach you, and be wary of taxis at the main bus station, where you should keep your belongings with you in the back seat, lock the doors, and note the cab's registration number. Never lose your temper with drivers or police. Finally, look both ways before crossing: Panamanian drivers are aggressive when traffic allows and will not slow for you, so wait for a break, then keep going once you start.

Getting there

Getting around

Getting around Panama City is easiest by metro or taxi. The metro, opened in 2014, is the preferred way to reach the places it serves, though many points of interest remain off the network. Line 1 runs roughly half underground and half elevated, with the underground stretch from Albrook to El Ingenio; Line 2 serves the northern suburbs. Further lines are planned. You need a reloadable transit card to ride, since the metro and MetroBus do not accept cash; buy or top one up at metro stations, malls, or the airports. MetroBus buses are modern and air-conditioned, marked by orange signs at stops, and serve most neighbourhoods and the main terminal. The old decorated "diablo rojo" buses were phased out of the main city routes and now mostly link the city with outlying suburbs.

Taxis are among the easiest ways to get around, but they have no meter: fares are set by the authorities according to the sections you start and end in, with a surcharge for each additional passenger and for calling a cab, and drivers are required to show you a fare table on request. Drivers frequently try to overcharge visitors, so asking locals what a fare should be and negotiating helps. Drivers do not expect tips and may pick up other passengers along the way. Uber and inDrive are also available. Driving yourself is notoriously difficult, with continuous weekday traffic jams, intersections missing signals, and worse congestion around holidays like Carnival; short trips are often quicker on foot. The historic Casco Viejo is walkable, but the city is large and spread out, so you will rely on transit or taxis for most journeys.

Where to stay

Budget travellers cluster in Casco Viejo, the old quarter, where hostels occupy restored colonial buildings. Luna's Castle Hostel sits in a Spanish colonial mansion at the water's edge, with a communal kitchen, free breakfast and coffee, a movie theatre, an outdoor courtyard and views over the Bay of Panama and the modern skyline; its rooms above the bar are loud, and private rooms can't be reserved, so have a backup in mind. Hospedaje Casco Viejo, in the heart of the old quarter, offers rooms with private bathrooms and balconies, a kitchen, free wifi and coffee, and online reservations. Panama House Bed & Breakfast occupies a house on a busy street, so ask for a room toward the back; breakfast and internet access are included. Hostel Mamallena and Hostal Miami provide further budget options, the latter with a shared kitchen and wifi.

For something more comfortable, the Magnolia Inn in Casco Viejo is a restored French colonial mansion with deluxe private rooms and hostel-style rooms, air conditioning, free wifi, a fully equipped kitchen and a dining room. At the top end, Las Clementinas Chambers, Café & Bar in Casco Viejo is a small boutique hotel whose six rooms are full apartments with kitchens, high ceilings and wrap-around balconies, some facing the plaza or the ocean, with a rooftop terrace above and a café and bar below. The Bristol Hotel offers luxurious modern rooms with an on-site bar and restaurant, while the InterContinental Miramar is a luxury high-rise overlooking Panama Bay with upscale dining, a pool, tennis courts and a marina. The Courtyard Panama Multiplaza Mall, on Vía Israel by the Multiplaza Pacífica Mall, has a restaurant, bar, gym, pool and meeting space.

Food & drink

For budget eating, head to Via Argentina, where Spanish sandwich shops serve excellent sandwiches, coffee and churros — try Manolo's Churreria for churros rellenos, pastries filled with dulce de leche and rolled in sugar, or Del Prado. El Trapiche, also on Via Argentina, serves traditional Panamanian food and excellent breakfast. Chinese restaurants are abundant and some are very affordable, especially around El Dorado. Niko's Cafe, owned by Greeks, has several locations and is open around the clock with sandwiches and hot food all day, while Don Lee is a Panamanian chain worth trying for Chinese fast food. In Chanis, Doraditos Rosticería Y Pizzería is always full and can take an infuriating amount of time to order, but locals fill it for the cheap prices and the rotisserie chicken with two types of chimichurri. Near the entrance to Casco Viejo, the main fish market has restaurants upstairs serving very fresh fish cheaply.

For mid-range meals, Lung Fung on Transistmica Avenue serves some of the city's best Chinese food, with dim sum any day of the week and long lines on weekends. La Pampa Marbella on Balboa Avenue is an old-school Spanish place specializing in seafood, with excellent paella. Van Gogh, near the Via Venteo Casino, is a well-regarded Italian restaurant with great food, service and atmosphere, and Capital Bistró Panamá in San Felipe offers skyline views, chillout music and large sofas on its upper terrace. Splurge on seafood at La Casa del Marisco in the banking area, or dine on the terrace at the Atlantic & Pacific Co. Restaurant atop the Miraflores Visitor Center, where you can watch ships pass through the canal at night. To drink, try Panamanian and Cuban coffee, join locals at Taberna 21 for cheap beer and Spanish tapas, or head to Calle Uruguay for bars and discos. Keep an eye out for Panama Restaurant Week, which doesn't happen every year but offers special menus at lower-than-normal prices when it does.

What to see and do

The Panama Canal is the single most iconic thing to see in the city, and there are several ways to experience it. The easiest option from Panama City is the Miraflores Visitor Center at the Miraflores Locks, the most visited spot along the canal, with an air-conditioned museum, a movie theater, a restaurant, a gift shop, and a viewing platform where you can watch ships pass through the century-old locks. Check the visitor center's website for ship transit times so you actually see vessels during your visit. To see the expanded canal with its new locks and much larger ships, head to the Agua Clara Visitor Center on the Caribbean side. You can also book a luxury train ride along the canal or a boat ride on it. For a more unusual experience, you can work as a linehandler, helping a sailboat cross the canal; boats are legally required to carry five crew members through the locks, and owners recruit volunteers in exchange for the experience, food and drinks. The process takes two days with long waiting times, and you sleep on the boat.

Casco Viejo is the historic part of town, packed with colonial-style government buildings, cathedrals and museums, including the Canal Museum and a small Panama History Museum. It is under massive renovation, with crumbling shacks beside beautifully restored colonial buildings, and you can find inexpensive walking tour guides if you look. The area hosts eclectic events from operas and musicals at the national theatre to block parties and fashion catwalks in the open plazas, and offers some of the finest dining in the city. From the airport, take a Metro bus to the 5 de Mayo stop, then walk south on Avenida Central, a pedestrian mall with shops and markets that leads directly to the old town. Together with the archaeological site of Panamá Viejo, Casco Viejo is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list; both are listed a second time as part of the Colonial Transisthmian Route of Panamá. Panamá Viejo holds the ruins of the original city sacked by the pirate Henry Morgan, left unrestored within a national park. It is well worth the visit, but read the safety warnings and ask park employees where it is safe to go, as the park is surrounded by a dangerous area.

• Amador Causeway (Calzada de Amador) — connects the islands of Naos, Culebra, Perico and Flamenco to the mainland, with views of Panama City, the Puente de las Americas and the islands of Panama Bay. Panamanians come here on weekends to jog, cycle, roller-blade, or eat and drink at the restaurants and bars. Bikes of many varieties, including recumbents and multi-person bicycles, are available to rent, and you can arrange early-morning ferry day trips to surrounding islands.
• Punta Culebra Nature Center — run by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute on Culebra Island, with fish tanks of Pacific, Caribbean and freshwater life, a small pool with a sea turtle and little sharks, a touch tank for children, and a little forest where a family of sloths lives.
• Biomuseo — designed by the architect Frank Gehry, with a metrobus stop right in front of the building.
• Mi Pueblito — a museum on the slopes of Cerro Ancon showcasing the different ethnicities of Panama, with artisans producing curios. It sits across the highway from El Chorrillo, so be mindful.
• Cerro Ancón — the tallest peak in Panama City, reached by a fairly well-trafficked paved road used by local hikers and cyclists, about a 15-minute walk from the trail head near Mi Pueblito. The summit has viewpoints over Casco Viejo, the new town and the canal.
• Parque Natural Metropolitano — the second highest peak in the city, with a few short easy trails and a viewpoint over the city and the Miraflores locks. Butterflies, turtles and coatis are easy to see, and agoutis, sloths and monkeys live there too.
• El Chorrillo — a neighbourhood a few minutes by taxi, bus or foot from Casco Antiguo, with strong community spirit and a street culture of mural art, boxing and football. Admire the colorful urban murals, visit the Maracaná Stadium, or join a guided community tour. Visit with local guides or in a group, as some parts may not be safe for solo tourists.
• Museo Libertad — dedicated to the history and advancement of human rights in Panama and around the world. Displays are in Spanish, but tours in English can be arranged in advance.

When to go

Panama City is warm year-round, so your choice of season is mostly about rain rather than temperature. The dry season runs from December to April, bringing dry, warm weather that suits beach holidays and outdoor activities. December sees the dry season strengthen, with pleasant days and moderate temperatures. This is the peak travel period, so expect more visitors.

The rainy season runs from May to November, bringing afternoon showers and fewer tourists. In the early part of the season, afternoon rainfall is common while mornings are typically sunny and fairly warm, and the landscape is greener. Later, the rains grow heavier, though there are still plenty of sunny hours for sightseeing, and tourist numbers remain lower than in the dry season.

Three days in Panama City

Day one: Start in Casco Viejo, the historic quarter also known as San Felipe, where Spanish colonial streets reward slow wandering. From there, Panama Viejo, the original settlement, offers the older layer of the city's story. In the evening, stay in Casco Viejo or nearby Santa Ana for a feel of the old town after dark.

• Casco Viejo / San Felipe
• Panama Viejo
• Santa Ana

Day two: Turn to the Panama Canal, the waterway that shaped modern Panama. The city's modern face spreads across El Cangrejo, Obarrio, Marbella and San Francisco, with the Banking Area at its commercial core. For shopping, Multiplaza, Albrook and Multicentro are the main stops. El Chorrillo and Curund sit close to the historic centre, showing a different side of the city.

• Panama Canal
• El Cangrejo, Obarrio, Marbella, San Francisco
• Banking Area
• Multiplaza, Albrook, Multicentro
• El Chorrillo, Curund

Day three: Head out to San Miguelito or relax along the Pacific edge before your flight. Tocumen International Airport and Gelabert serve the city, so plan your last hours around them. Panamanian food and the mix of Spanish and English make the goodbye easy. The dry months from December to April suit sightseeing, while May through November brings rain.

• San Miguelito
• Pacific
• Tocumen International Airport, Gelabert