Panamá City Travel Guide

  Afro-Panamanian Beauties
by mikey_e
 
  • Afro-Panamanian Beauties
      Afro-Panamanian Beauties
    by mikey_e
  •   Panamá City
    by mayadoc
  • The locks and containers
      The locks and containers
    by mikey_e
  • The Kings and Queens in the Gazebo
      The Kings and Queens in the Gazebo
    by mikey_e
  • The Cinta Costera
      The Cinta Costera
    by mikey_e
 

Pro

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  Local, untouristy and very friendly. 


Con

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  Noisy, moderate pollution, TRAFFIC 


In a nutshell

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  Latin America Charm with Unique Sights 

 

Explore Panamá City

Things to Do  

Casco Viejo

Casco Viejo, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:  We set aside Sunday to visit Casco Viejo, the old part of the city. I printed a walking tour from Frommers to use as our guide, the area isn't huge but if you stop at the art market, poke around in the shops or Panama Canal Museum, the visit can take several hours. The... 

Daytrip-Jungle Land Panama

Daytrip-Jungle Land Panama, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:  A definite must do excursion in Panama! They picked us up at our hotel in Panama City and took us to Lake Gatun, a manmade lake that was created to assist in the building of the Panama Canal. We hopped on a boat and went through the lake and part of the Panama Canal, made a... 

Portobelo

Portobelo, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:  Portobelo was a bit of a disappointment, perhaps it would have been a little more interesting if we had a real guide but really there isn't much left. The Spanish fort which lines the bay here dates to the 17th and 18th centuries. The fort that we walked around, San Geronimo... 

Monkey Island

Monkey Island, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:  There are so many trips that include monkey island but none of the tour descriptions actually said what it was. As far as I can tell no one gets off the boat at Monkey Island, instead guides will pull their boats up to the island laden with peanuts and other appealing monkey... 

Amador Causeway

Amador Causeway, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:  We headed over to the Amador Causeway on Sunday afternoon after visiting Casco Viejo and before heading to the airport for our flight back. The Causeway connects three islands to the mainland. There are a lot of restaurants but I hadn't read up on them so we asked our taxi... 

Isla Grande

Isla Grande, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:  Panama is not really a beach vacation kind of place, Panama City is on the Pacific side of the country, Colon is on the Caribbean side but almost everyone says you don't even want to visit Colon. The guidebooks suggest that the good beaches are on islands I read the reviews... 

Hotels  

Hotel Plaza Paitilla

 5 Reviews and 72 Opinions  If you're used to staying in hostels or other South American hotels...you'll have no problem with... 

Marriott Panama

 3 Reviews and 172 Opinions  We couldn't stand Hotel Veneto so we moved to this hotel. We did not pick this one originally... 

Restaurants  

Lenos Y Carbon: Steaks and seafood on the Causeway

Lenos Y Carbon: Steaks and seafood on the Causeway, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:  We asked our taxi driver for a recommendation on the Amador Causeway and he took us to Lenos Y Carbon. On a Sunday afternoon at 2:15pm there was still a 25 minute wait for a table and once we did get seated no fewer than 5 people stopped by to take our order so it seemed a... 

Las Tinajas: Folklore show and Panamanian food

Las Tinajas: Folklore show and Panamanian food, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:  Las Tinajas was right around the corner from our hotel and I figured it would be a nice night out on a Saturday night when we had nowhere to be the next morning. Most people go for the dinner show which starts at 9pm on Tuesday-Saturday, we got there right around 9pm and... 

Transportation  

Taxis

Taxis, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:  There are taxis everywhere in Panama City, you'll never have a problem getting one, just wave your hand and there will be one in a second. They will sometimes stop to pick up other fares along with you, they will honk at you if they think you are looking for a taxi.We took... 

Taxi from the airport

Taxi from the airport, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:  Although I'm sure there's some way to get to the city on public transportation, we opted to take a taxi from Tocumen airport (PTY) which is the international airport. We went outside the terminal to the taxi ranks and asked what the fare was from someone official looking,... 

Shopping  

Souvenir shops: Local crafts

Souvenir shops: Local crafts, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:  While we were visiting with the Embera tribe one of the demonstrations were the crafts that they sell. You can find them at souvenir shops in Panama City but usually with an extremely high markup, it seemed like it was 2-3 times more expensive to buy at many of the shops in... 

Albrook Mall: Biggest Mall in the Country

Albrook Mall: Biggest Mall in the Country, Panamá City

 ZeekLTK Says:  The Albrook Mall is the biggest mall in the entire country. It's a huge shopping outlet with tons of different stores as well as interesting decorations throughout the mall that serve as landmarks to help guide you around. There is also a large food court with a wide variety... 

Local Customs  

Litter, litter, everywhere

Litter, litter, everywhere, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:  Panama City and most of the places we visited were covered in litter, you'd go out into the jungle and the amount of litter is amazing, along the roads there are piles of trash. One of our guides explained to us that in some areas trash collection is free and in some areas... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Using credit cards

Using credit cards, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:  The first two transactions I made in Panama were for my airline ticket with Copa Airlines and my excursion with Jungle Land Panama and both were marked for fradulent activity. This was easy enough to solve while still in the US and fortunately it did not happen while we were... 

What to Pack  

Packing for Panama City

Packing for Panama City, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:   Water shoes, I used them on two of the excursionsSwimsuit, I wished I had packed two as nothing seemed to dry in Panama.Hat to keep your head from burning Sunscreen is an absolute must for me in tropical climates, bug spray is another good item to pack if you are heading... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Some Experience

Some Experience, Panamá City

 Assenczo Says:  For a week of reading glossy magazines on Panama and its diverse cultural life,primeval forests and convoluted history, I never got the chance to be privy toone of the most interesting moments in Panama's existence. Fortunately andmagically it happened on the last day when... 

Sports & Outdoors  

Volleyball

Volleyball, Panamá City

 Art77 Says:  I was surprised not to see people playing (beach) volleyball on the beaches around Panama CityMaybe somebody knows the good spots ? Please let us know ! We are very enthusiastic and would like to play as often as possible, or at least on week-endsArt77Email:... 

Favorites  

Movie featuring Panama

Movie featuring Panama, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:  "The Tailor of Panama" was filmed in Panama including Panama City, Lake Gatun and Gamboa. It's an adapatation of a John Le Carre novel and stars Pierce Brosnan, Geoffrey Rush and Jamie Lee Curtis. I'm sure the Panama tourism bureau isn't promoting this film, while it does... 

When to go

When to go, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:  We visited at the end of March, it was extremely hot and humid during the day but being near the water on a couple of the days made it feel slightly less hot. One of our guides said the rainy season would be starting soon and that would be a time when you wouldn't want to... 

Money matters

Money matters, Panamá City

 Dabs Says:  Panama seems to still be a largely cash society, some of the restaurants did take credit cards as did some of the tours but mostly we paid cash for things including the Embera tour and most of our meals. The US dollar is the legal currency, sometimes you will get back... 

 
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The Place

Plan a Panamá City vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Panamá City locals

Experience Panamá City
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The People

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Advice from the Locals
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 Panama City - Panama City is located between the Pacific ocean and some of the world's most spectacular tropical rain forests. The sizable Parque Natural Metropolitano (Metropolitan Nature Park), stretching from... 

92 members live in Panamá City

 

Questions and Answers

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Q:  We are arriving in November and need to go to Coronado Bay directly on arrival, and want to take a taxi. What should this cost us... 

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A: Coronado Bay is a private condo resort is a good hour plus from Tocumen International Airport. Taxis in most parts of Panama do not have meters. You will have to... 

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Top Panamá City Writers

1

It's Carnaval time

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 I would highly recommend Panama City to anyone who wants to see authentic culture prior to the hoard of tourists coming in and commercializing it. Due to the canal, it has a very modern and western...... 

2

Panama City

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 When I moved to Los Buzos, in Los Santos Province near the town of Cambutal, on Nov 20, 2008. I bid farewell to Panama City my home of over 14 months. I had some good times during our stay but I was... 

3

LA CIUDAD DE PANAMA

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 and its many constrasting faces . . 

4

PANAMA CITY - COUNTERPOINTS IN THE TROPICS

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 Though different people in David and Chiriqui province may think differently, Panama City, in many ways, is Panama. Economic and political power are both centered here. The city is an interesting mix... 

5

Panama City - a city of contrasts

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 Looking at pictures of the city you would think it is a modern city where inhabitants lead a style of life similar to Western standards. And this is true about the wealthy inhabitants of the more... 

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