Visiting Panamá Viejo

About Panamá Viejo

The ruins of the first city, founded in 1519 as the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific coast of the Americas, lie about 8 km east of Casco Viejo. It was sacked and burned during Henry Morgan's attack in 1671. You can climb the restored cathedral tower and visit a small museum with models of the colonial city.

Tip: Climb the cathedral tower for the contrast between the ruins and the modern skyline, then see the museum's scale model.

Plan your visit

• Time needed: 1.5–2 hours.
• Cost: Low cost.
• Book ahead: not usually needed; buy on arrival.
• Where: Panamá Viejo, planned modern district of offices, malls and parks.

Best time to visit Panamá Viejo

Panamá Viejo is outdoors, so weather matters most. The driest, most comfortable months are:

• February: 32°C (90°F) highs, about 1 rainy days, busy crowds.
• March: 33°C (91°F) highs, about 1 rainy days, busy crowds.
• January: 32°C (90°F) highs, about 3 rainy days, busy crowds.

For the view at golden hour: in mid-February the sun sets at about 18:28 local time (calculated for Panama City).

When to visit Panama City has the full month-by-month picture.

Fit it into your trip

Panamá Viejo is not on our short itineraries, so plan it as an extra once you have seen Miraflores Locks and Casco Viejo.

• No. 9 of the 15 sights in our Panama City things-to-do list.
• Day 5 of the 5-day plan.
• One of the picks in outdoors in Panama City.
• One of the picks in historic sites in Panama City.

If you like Panamá Viejo

• Casco Viejo — Casco Viejo, Half a day
• Panama Canal partial transit — Canal Zone, 5–6 hours
• Plaza de Francia and Las Bóvedas — Casco Viejo, 45 minutes
• Amador Causeway — Amador, 2–3 hours

Staying near Panamá Viejo

Stay in Costa del Este ($$$) to walk here: planned modern district of offices, malls and parks. All areas to stay in Panama City.

Questions travellers ask