Panama City
Read more about Panama City Show less
Panama City has grown through its position between oceans and continents. The first colonial city, the relocated fortified centre and today’s financial metropolis are three chapters in the story of the same transit point.
In Casco Antiguo, nightlife, architecture and restaurants meet. Panamá Viejo tells the story of the first city and Spanish expansion, while Miraflores shows how the canal continues to shape global trade.
The city also has an everyday life not visible from rooftop bars. Markets, Chinese-Panamanian neighbourhoods, Afro-Antillean history and food shaped by several migrations make the culture much richer than a simple contrast between old and new.
When history, canal and modern city each receive their own day, Panama City emerges as a complete destination and the best introduction to the rest of the country.
Plan your trip to Panama City
Tell us when you would like to travel and what you would like to experience. We help you put together hotels, transport and activities that suit your trip.
How booking works
Send an enquiry with your preferences. We will get back to you with a proposal and go through the itinerary with you before you decide to book.
Planning a trip to Panama City?
We help you combine the right hotels, transport and experiences into a well-planned journey.
Panamá Viejo and the city founded in 1519
Panamá Viejo preserves the ruins of the first Spanish city on the Pacific coast of the Americas. Cathedral, convents, bridges and house foundations reveal a city tied to trade routes across the isthmus.
Read more Show less Casco Antiguo and the relocated city
After the 1671 attack, the site was abandoned and the centre moved. The ruins were never built over by the new city and therefore have considerable archaeological value.
The museum and cathedral tower provide an overview of the urban plan, pre-Columbian finds and the economy of colonial transit.
Casco Antiguo and the relocated city
Casco Antiguo was founded in 1673 on a more defensible peninsula. Churches, squares and houses from different periods show how the city changed through trade, independence and canal construction.
Plaza de Francia, the cathedral, Salón Bolívar and the former walls provide different historical perspectives. Evenings fill with restaurants and music.
Restoration has also raised prices and displaced parts of the older population. Good guiding explains both the World Heritage setting and the social changes around it.
Cinta Costera, skyline and the modern metropolis
Cinta Costera follows parts of the Pacific waterfront with walking and cycling routes, parks and views towards the skyscrapers. The large Pacific tidal range changes the shoreline markedly through the day.
Read more Show less Markets, ceviche and a city shaped by migration
The modern city has grown through banking, shipping, trade and international companies. Neighbourhoods differ clearly in function, architecture and economy.
The waterfront provides a useful geographical introduction but shows only one part of the metropolis. Traffic and long distances make taxis or pre-booked transport practical between areas.
Markets, ceviche and a city shaped by migration
Mercado de Mariscos is known for ceviche, fish and seafood from the Pacific. The market is both a workplace and a popular food stop.
Chinese migration has been important since the railway and canal construction eras. Afro-Antillean, Jewish, Arab, Colombian and other communities have also shaped the city’s restaurants and commerce.
A food day can move from market to classic Panamanian cooking and a modern dinner. The city’s history becomes visible through ingredients and family traditions.
Journeys including Panama City
Miraflores and the canal close to the city
Miraflores lies on the Pacific side of the canal and shows ships being raised or lowered through the historic locks. Traffic comes in waves and a ship is not always directly in front of the viewing area.
Read more Show less Metropolitan rainforest and Amador
The visitor centre explains canal history, water levels and the importance of the route to world trade. A current passage forecast helps with timing.
The canal is much more than Miraflores, but the centre provides the clearest and easiest introduction from Panama City.
Metropolitan rainforest and Amador
Parque Natural Metropolitano protects tropical forest within the capital. Trails offer birds, sloths, monkeys and views towards the city and canal.
Amador Causeway was built with material from canal excavation and links several former islands. Walking, cycling, marine views and restaurants follow the road.
Biomuseo explains how the formation of the Panamanian isthmus changed oceans, climate and species between continents. Together these sites add nature and geology to a city day.
Book your trip to Panama City
Afro-Antillean history and the transit city
Panama’s railway and canal were built with labour from many countries, particularly the Caribbean. Afro-Antillean workers and their families became fundamental to the city’s languages, music, food and communities.
Read more Show less Three cities in one and the right number of days
Racism and unequal wage systems shaped the Canal Zone during US control. That history explains several present-day neighbourhoods and cultural traditions.
Museums, guides and food experiences should place this migration at the centre of the story rather than mentioning it only as background to the engineering project.
Three cities in one and the right number of days
Panamá Viejo, Casco Antiguo and the modern skyline lie within the same metropolis but represent different periods and should not be compressed into one rapid panorama tour.
Three nights are enough for the canal and historic centre. Four or five provide room for museums, market, nature and an evening without an early transfer the next day.
Panama City combines easily with Guna Yala, Bocas del Toro, Boquete and the Pacific coast. Flight times and traffic must still be allowed plenty of time.
See trips to Panama City
Flights and hotels
Flights and hotels for Panama City can be booked as one coordinated arrangement, with trip length, budget and standard considered together from the outset.
We match the flights to your hotel location and travel dates rather than selecting each element in isolation. This makes planning easier and reduces the risk of poor connections or impractical arrival times.
Where useful, we can also add transfers, extra nights or other practical elements that make the journey smoother.
Book flights and hotels for Panama City as one coordinated arrangement. We match the flights with accommodation that suits your budget, preferred location and trip length. Transfers can also be added.
Flights
For flights to Panama City, we look at more than the lowest fare. Journey times, connections, ticket rules and arrival times often affect the trip more than they first appear to.
This may be a straightforward return journey, but it can also involve flying into one city and home from another or adding stops along the way. For more complex itineraries, we can also assess air-pass and multi-flight options.
A good choice when accommodation is already arranged or when you plan the rest of the journey independently.
We help you find the right flights to Panama City, for both straightforward journeys and more flexible itineraries. A good choice if you want to arrange the rest of the trip yourself.
Hotels
Hotels in Panama City should be chosen on more than price and star rating. Location, neighbourhood, standard and the purpose of the journey often determine whether a property actually works well.
In some places a central hotel is best; elsewhere quiet surroundings, views or character matter more. We therefore suggest options that fit the way the journey is planned.
That can mean good-value mid-range hotels or more distinctive properties where the accommodation becomes part of the experience.
We help you book hotels in Panama City according to neighbourhood, standard and budget. Whether you want to stay centrally or somewhere quieter, we find an option that fits.
Guided tours
Guided tours in Panama City work best when the subject, pace and level of detail reflect what you genuinely want to see and understand. Your focus might be a city, wildlife, culture or a particular practical excursion.
A good guide does more than identify landmarks. They provide context, explain telling details and draw attention to things that are easy to miss when exploring independently.
We help you choose the type and format of tour that best suits your interests.
Discover Panama City with a private tour shaped around your interests. We help choose the right guide, content and format.
Images from Panama City
Show all photos (10)Show less
10 quick facts about Panama City
- Panama City was founded in 1519 as the first European settlement on the Pacific coast of the Americas.
- The original city was destroyed after Henry Morgan’s attack in 1671.
- The city centre moved in 1673 to the peninsula now known as Casco Antiguo.
Show all facts (10)Show less
- Panamá Viejo and Casco Antiguo represent two different stages in the history of the same city.
- The Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal lies within the metropolitan area.
- Cinta Costera follows a shoreline where the Pacific’s large tidal range is clearly visible.
- Parque Natural Metropolitano protects tropical forest in the middle of the city.
- Amador Causeway was built with material excavated during canal construction.
- Railway and canal construction brought large groups of workers from the Caribbean and other parts of the world to the city.
- Panama City is both the national capital and one of Latin America’s major centres for shipping, finance and logistics.