When traveling for business or when you have a long “layover” at the airport, it is thought that there is not enough time to see new places outside the hotel room and surrounding areas. For this reason, if you are visiting Panama City, it is important to know that it is an accessible city that enables you to visit several important places in a short time. Panama City has it all, from skyscrapers to shopping centers that can be compare to those in larger cities around the world. Suggestions always leaves you wanting to know much more about our country.
City tour
Nothing better than to start a Panamanian experience than visiting the three cities: Panama La Vieja, Casco Antiguo (Old Town) and the modern city full of shopping centers and skyscrapers.
Panama Canal Visitors Center at Miraflores
Visiting Panama and not going to the Canal is like going to New York and not seeing the Statue of Liberty. The best place in Panama City to visit the Canal is this Visitor Center, located in the Miraflores Locks, just 20 minutes from downtown. Here you can find a museum with interactive exhibits on the history of the Canal, the heroes that built it, the ecosystem, as well as an interesting audiovisual projection about its construction. Outside, there is a terrace to see closely the huge ships that pass through the Miraflores locks.
A Walk Through Old Town (Casco Antiguo)
This is the most dynamic historical sector of Panama City. Here the story is shared with Spain, France and the United States. Today it is experiencing a renaissance, many buildings are being restored, there is a wide variety of restaurants and the sector is receiving new residents thanks to the restorations. There are historic buildings like 17th-century churches such as the Church of the Golden Altar, the ruins of the 17th-century convent, 16th-century dungeons, a monument to the 22,000 French who died with the construction of the canal and the museum of the Panama Canal, former headquarters of the French when they tried to build the Canal.
Time Travel Through the Ruins of Panama Viejo
Founded in 1519 by the Spaniards, it was the first city on the west coast of the Americas, functioning as the main city for the conquest of Latin America. All the treasure taken from the Inca Empire crossed here, a vibrant city of 10,000 people in the 16th century. The ruins that exist today, are the product of the attack by the English pirate, Henry Morgan, in 1671 and the fire the mayor of the city at that time ordered in order to stop the sacking of the city.
Tour the Amador Causeway
With its spectacular views of Panana City’s skyline and the Panama Canal, it is a must place to visit. This route was created to connect four small islands using rocks extracted from the Panama Canal. Here you can find many restaurants, traíls for bicycles or running, an aquarium of the Smithsonian Institute for Tropical Research, craft shops, a cruise port (soon to be open) and a yacht marina.
Ecological tours in the Metropolitan Park
It is the only tropical forest within the metropolitan area of a city. The park is only 15 minutes from the city center. Tour operators offer guided tours of the nature of the park. A professional guide is required to explain the tropical flora and fauna. There are beautiful views of the jungle and the city from the top of the park.
