Destination guide
Panama City
A capital with a glass skyline on one side of the bay and a 350-year-old walled quarter on the other, joined by the canal that put both of them there.
Panama City is the only capital in the Americas with a rainforest inside its city limits and a working interoceanic canal at the end of a metro line. Most visitors give it two days on the way somewhere else, which is roughly half what it takes.
The city divides cleanly for planning: Casco Viejo, the restored colonial quarter where most of the eating and drinking happens; the canal and the causeway, which are the engineering; and everything reachable in under three hours, which is where the rest of this site begins.
- Getting there
- Tocumen (PTY) is the main hub; Albrook (PAC) handles domestic flights. Metro Line 2 reaches Tocumen.
- When to go
- December to April is dry. The canal and the museums work in any weather.
- How long
- Two days for the city itself. Three if you want the canal without rushing it.
- Getting around
- The metro is quick, cheap and safe. Uber works well. Driving in Casco is not worth it.
Start here
If you only read three
The three guides that answer most of what people ask before a first trip.
Panama City in Three Days
A tested itinerary covering the old quarter, the canal and the causeway.
Read the guide
Casco Viejo Walking Guide
The old quarter on foot — the route, the plazas and where to stop.
Read the guide
The Canal at Miraflores
When ships actually transit, what the ticket covers, and how to time a visit.
Read the guideThe old quarter
Casco Viejo is the reason the city is on the UNESCO list, and the one part of it built for walking.
The canal and the causeway
The engineering half of the city — and the half most people get the timing wrong on.
Getting out of the city
Almost everything else on this site is a day trip or a short flight from here.