Things to do · Panama City · Panama
15 best things to do in Panama City
15 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Ssaucedoc, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Panama City are Miraflores Locks, Casco Viejo and Mercado de Mariscos. Of the 15 picks below, 8 are free, 2 work on a rainy day and 5 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Miraflores Locks
- Free sights
- 8
- Good on a rainy day
- Panama Canal Museum
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miraflores Locks | Canal Zone | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Casco Viejo | Casco Viejo | Half a day | Free |
| Mercado de Mariscos | Casco Viejo | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Panama Canal partial transit | Canal Zone | 5–6 hours | Expensive |
| Plaza de Francia and Las Bóvedas | Casco Viejo | 45 minutes | Free |
| Iglesia de San José | Casco Viejo | 20–30 minutes | Free |
| Catedral Metropolitana | Casco Viejo | 30 minutes | Free |
| Panama Canal Museum | Casco Viejo | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Panamá Viejo | Panamá Viejo | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Biomuseo | Amador | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Amador Causeway | Amador | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Cinta Costera | Bella Vista and Avenida Balboa | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Ancón Hill | Canal Zone | 1.5–2 hours | Free |
| Metropolitan Natural Park | Canal Zone | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Avenida Central pedestrian street | Santa Ana | 1 hour | Free |
The 15 best things to do
Landmark · Canal Zone
1.Miraflores Locks
The closest set of canal locks to the city lifts and lowers ships about 16 metres between the Pacific and Miraflores Lake. The visitor centre has viewing terraces right beside the lock chambers, a museum on the canal's construction and ecology, and a film. Watching a container ship squeeze through with tugs and locomotives is the highlight.
Ask at the entrance or check the canal authority's website for the day's transit times; ships tend to pass in batches, so time your visit around them.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Kids
- History
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Historic site · Casco Viejo
2.Casco Viejo
Founded in 1673 after the original city was destroyed, the old town is a grid of narrow streets with Spanish colonial, French and Art Deco buildings, many restored after decades of decline. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with Panamá Viejo, and its plazas, churches and balconies are best seen on foot.
Walk it in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the midday heat, and stick to the restored streets after dark.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Free
- Photo spot
Market · Casco Viejo
3.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.
Try a mixed ceviche from the stalls outside, and go at lunchtime when the market is busiest and freshest.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Iconic
Experience · Canal Zone
4.Panama Canal partial transit
Tour boats run partial transits through the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks and along part of the Culebra Cut on selected days, so you rise or fall in the chambers alongside cargo ships. It takes most of a day and gives a far closer view than the visitor centre.
Bring sun protection and a hat; most of the journey is on an open deck in strong sun.
- Time needed
- 5–6 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Partial transits run only on some days and fill up; book well ahead, especially in the dry season.
- Iconic
- History
- Views
Landmark · Casco Viejo
5.Plaza de Francia and Las Bóvedas
At the tip of the old town peninsula, the Plaza de Francia has an obelisk and busts honouring the French engineers and workers who attempted to build the canal in the 1880s. Las Bóvedas, former vaults in the sea wall, line one side, and the Paseo Esteban Huertas promenade above them gives views of the Bridge of the Americas and the skyline.
Walk the bougainvillea-covered promenade at sunset for views across the bay to the towers.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- History
- Couples
Religious site · Casco Viejo
6.Iglesia de San José
This simple church hides Panama's best-known altarpiece, the Altar de Oro, a baroque altar of carved mahogany covered in gold leaf. Legend says it was saved from the pirate Henry Morgan in 1671 by being painted black and moved from the old city.
Visit when there is no service, and sit near the front to see the carving in detail.
- Time needed
- 20–30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
- Art
Religious site · Casco Viejo
7.Catedral Metropolitana
The cathedral on the Plaza de la Independencia, with twin white bell towers, took more than a century to complete and was restored in the 2010s. The plaza in front, where Panama's independence from Colombia was declared in 1903, is surrounded by restored buildings and cafés.
Sit on the plaza after visiting the cathedral and the canal museum, which is on the same square.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Free
Museum · Casco Viejo
8.Panama Canal Museum
Housed in the building used as headquarters by the French canal company on the Plaza de la Independencia, this museum tells the story of the isthmus as a crossing point, the failed French attempt, the American construction and the 1999 handover of the canal to Panama.
Visit before going to the Miraflores Locks; the history makes the locks far more interesting.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
Historic site · Panamá Viejo
1.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.
Climb the cathedral tower for the contrast between the ruins and the modern skyline, then see the museum's scale model.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Views
- Outdoors
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Museum · Amador
2.Biomuseo
Frank Gehry's brightly coloured building at the start of the Amador Causeway explains how the rise of the Isthmus of Panama joined two continents, split an ocean and changed life on Earth. Galleries use large installations, aquariums and a botanical park outside.
Allow around two hours and combine it with a bike ride or lunch along the causeway.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Architecture
- Nature
Waterfront · Amador
3.Amador Causeway
Built with rock excavated during the canal's construction, the causeway links the mainland with the islands of Naos, Perico and Flamenco. A wide path suits walking, cycling and skating, with views of ships waiting to enter the canal on one side and the city skyline on the other.
Rent a bike or surrey near the start of the causeway in the late afternoon, when it is cooler and the skyline catches the sunset.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Views
- Active
- Outdoors
Waterfront · Bella Vista and Avenida Balboa
4.Cinta Costera
The coastal park built on reclaimed land along Avenida Balboa has kilometres of walking and cycling paths, sports courts and playgrounds facing the bay. A later section loops around the sea side of Casco Viejo, giving views of the old town from the water.
Walk or jog it early in the morning or after sunset; there is little shade in the middle of the day.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Views
- Active
Viewpoint · Canal Zone
5.Ancón Hill
The forested hill rising about 200 metres above the city is topped by a giant Panamanian flag. A quiet paved road leads to the summit in about 30–45 minutes on foot, often past sloths, toucans and agoutis, with views of the canal, the Bridge of the Americas, Casco Viejo and the skyline.
Start early in the morning, when it is cooler and the wildlife is most active, and carry water.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Nature
- Active
- Outdoors
Park · Canal Zone
6.Metropolitan Natural Park
A protected area of tropical forest within the city limits, with marked trails that climb to a viewpoint over the city and the canal. Visitors often see sloths, titi monkeys, toucans and coatis, and early mornings are best for birdwatching.
Follow the marked trails uphill to the viewpoint over the canal and skyline, and arrive early to avoid the heat.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Active
Street · Santa Ana
7.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. It shows a side of Panama City far from the towers.
Visit in daylight, keep phones and wallets secure in the crowds, and finish by walking into Casco Viejo.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Iglesia de San José, Panama Canal Museum and Biomuseo |
| History | Miraflores Locks, Casco Viejo, Plaza de Francia and Las Bóvedas and Iglesia de San José |
| Views | Plaza de Francia and Las Bóvedas, Panamá Viejo, Amador Causeway and Cinta Costera |
| Outdoors and nature | Panamá Viejo, Biomuseo, Amador Causeway and Cinta Costera |
| Food and markets | Mercado de Mariscos |
| With children | Miraflores Locks, Biomuseo, Amador Causeway and Cinta Costera |
| On a rainy day | Panama Canal Museum and Biomuseo |
What to book ahead
- Panama Canal partial transit: Partial transits run only on some days and fill up; book well ahead, especially in the dry season.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Panama City?
Miraflores Locks. The closest set of canal locks to the city lifts and lowers ships about 16 metres between the Pacific and Miraflores Lake.
+What can you do for free in Panama City?
Casco Viejo, Plaza de Francia and Las Bóvedas, Iglesia de San José, Catedral Metropolitana and Amador Causeway. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Panama City when it rains?
Head indoors to Panama Canal Museum and Biomuseo.