Shopping · Panama City · Panama
Shopping in Panama City
Shopping streets, markets and souvenirs worth the suitcase space.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Kiam-shim, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Panama City is known for large malls with competitive prices, as well as Indigenous crafts such as Guna molas and Emberá baskets, Panama hats and specialty coffee. Best souvenirs: Molas, Panamanian coffee and Emberá baskets and carvings.
Key facts
- Shopping areas
- 3
- Markets
- 2
- Top souvenir
- Molas
Where to shop
Multiplaza and Albrook Mall
Huge malls with international brands, department stores and food courts.
Casco Viejo
Boutiques, craft shops and specialty coffee and chocolate stores in the old town.
Avenida Central
A pedestrian street of discount and everyday shops in Santa Ana.
Markets
Mercado de Mariscos
The fish market at the start of the Cinta Costera, with ceviche stalls outside.
Casco Viejo craft stalls
Guna vendors sell molas and beadwork around the Plaza de Francia and the old town's plazas.
What to buy
Molas
Hand-stitched reverse-appliqué textile panels made by Guna women, with geometric and animal designs.
Panamanian coffee
Beans from Boquete and the Chiriquí highlands, including the prized Geisha variety.
Emberá baskets and carvings
Finely woven palm-fibre baskets and tagua-nut carvings.
Seco Herrerano
The national sugar-cane spirit, sold in supermarkets.
Panama hats
Woven hats; the traditional Panamanian sombrero pintao has black-and-white striped weaving.
Streets and markets worth a wander
Market · Casco Viejo
Mercado de Mariscos
The city's fish market, at the start of the Cinta Costera near Casco Viejo, sells the morning catch downstairs, while an upstairs restaurant and stalls outside sell cups of ceviche made with corvina, shrimp or octopus and fried fish.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Iconic
Street · Santa Ana
Avenida Central pedestrian street
The pedestrian stretch of Avenida Central between Plaza 5 de Mayo and Casco Viejo is the city's busiest local shopping street, lined with discount stores, street vendors, fruit stalls and old buildings.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
Food and drink to take home
Edible souvenirs travel best when they are dry or sealed: consider Patacones, Carimañolas, Geisha coffee and Seco Herrerano. Almost every restaurant and fonda; they come with fish, ceviche and meats. Check your home country's rules on bringing food and drink back.
Shopping by neighbourhood
| Area | Price level | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Casco Viejo | $$$ | Restored colonial streets, rooftop bars and boutique hotels |
| El Cangrejo | $$ | Restaurants and cafés around Vía Argentina |
| Marbella and Calle Uruguay | $$$ | Bars, clubs and business hotels near the financial district |
| Punta Paitilla and Punta Pacífica | $$$$ | Towers, ocean views and the Multiplaza mall |
| Costa del Este | $$$ | Planned modern district of offices, malls and parks |
Paying and bargaining
Prices are in USD. Tip about 10% in restaurants if service is not included. Taxi drivers do not expect tips; tip guides and drivers on tours a few dollars per person.
When to shop
Shops and markets are quietest in May–June and September–October; the busiest months are the peak holidays.
- January: Panama Jazz Festival (usually January)
- October: Festival del Cristo Negro in Portobelo (21 October)
Staying near the shops
$$$$ · Best for luxury, shopping and families
Punta Paitilla and Punta Pacífica
Towers, ocean views and the Multiplaza mall
Questions travellers ask
+What should I buy in Panama City?
Molas, Panamanian coffee, Emberá baskets and carvings and Seco Herrerano.
+Where is the best shopping in Panama City?
Multiplaza and Albrook Mall: Huge malls with international brands, department stores and food courts.
+What are the best markets in Panama City?
Mercado de Mariscos and Casco Viejo craft stalls.