We spent 4 days in the Panamanian capital, Panama City. We enjoyed exploring the old town – the Casco Viejo, but the highlight of our visit was, of course, a trip on the Panama Canal. I can remember learning about the building of the Panama Canal at school many years ago, so was very excited to finally be visiting this Engineering Wonder of the World. Here is my pick of the top 10 things to do on a visit to Panama City.
Note: It is usually only possible to do the canal trip at weekends, so our itinerary was built around this. Also, many tourist attractions, such as the Canal Museum and the Biomuseo, don’t open on Mondays.
How to get to Panama City
Panama City has three airports. The main, Tocumen International Airport, is 15 miles north east of the city. The airport does have a Metro Station, but travelling to the city involves changing lines at San Miguelito. Plus, the metro system does not run as far south as the touristy old town. To be honest, Ubers as so cheap and convenient that we didn’t bother with public transport at all.
Domestic flights to places like Bocas del Toro operate from the smaller, more central Albrook Gelabert Airport, which is mid way between the Casco Viejo and Miraflores. There is a third airport, Panamá Pacífico International Airport on the other side of the canal on the site of the former Howard Air Force Base. This is used by Wingo for flights to some South and Central American countries.
As we came in to land over Panama, we had a spectacular view of all the ships queueing up to enter the Canal.
Getting around Panama City
As mentioned above, we found the best way to get between places was to call an Uber. The historic Casco Viejo is best explored on foot. The best way to enjoy the Cinta Costera and Amador Causeway is either on foot or by bike. There are several bike hire stations around these two locations.
Where to stay in Panama City
We originally booked a hotel on the slopes of Cerro Ancón; a hill which overlooks the city and the canal. However, when we had to delay our trip, it was unavailable for our amended dates. So we ended up at Plaza Paitilla Inn, which is located at the end of the the Cinta Constera in the upmarket neighbourhood of Punta Paitilla. It was a little further away from the old town than we’d hoped, but it is a lovely hotel with a great view across the bay, a good breakfast buffet and a nice pool. So overall, not too disappointing.
From the glass-fronted hotel rooms of the Plaza Paitilla Inn, it’s easy to admire the view, as there is a button next to the bed which opens and shuts the curtains!
Panama City: Top 10 Things to do
| 1 | Stroll along the Cinta Costera |
| 2 | Take a trip on the Panama Canal |
| 3 | Explore the Amador Causeway |
| 4 | Wonder at the Nativity Scene in the Iglesia de San José |
| 5 | Admire the grand Metropolitan Cathedral |
| 6 | Marvel at the engineering of the ancient Arco Chato |
| 7 | Wander along the Paseo las Bovédas |
| 8 | Enjoy the view from the Plaza de Francia |
| 9 | Visit the Canal Administration Building to see murals depicting the Canal’s construction |
| 10 | Learn more about the Panama Canal at Miraflores Visitor Centre |
No 1 – Stroll along the Cinta Costera
Go for a walk along the promenade, or Cinta Costera (coastal beltway) as they call it here.
The Cinta Costera is a 4.3 mile long public recreation area that runs along Panama Bay from Punta Paitilla to the Casco Viejo. It has a foot path, a bike lane, gardens, sports facilities, lookouts and public art.
We walked the full length of the Cinta Costera, from our hotel in Punta Paitilla to the Casco Viejo in the heat. It is very picturesque with excellent views across the bay. It’s a pleasant walk, but in the Panamanian heat, can be rather draining.
Photo Parador
For that iconic Insta shot, the Photo Parador is located around half way along the coastal stretch of the pathway.
Cinta Costera 3
The final part of the pathway, the Cinta Costera 3, consists of a pretty spectacular 1.5 mile long bridge, which runs round the bay around the Casco Viejo. You can walk the length of the bridge, which has three viewpoints along the way.
No 2 – Take a Trip on the Panama Canal
The highlight of our trip was a Partial Transit of the Panama Canal. We took a southbound transit – in general, ships travel northbound through the locks in the morning and south in the afternoon. We booked our Partial Transit with Panama Marine Adventures. The trip takes around 5-6 hours and costs $155. If you want to undertake a Full Transit, this will take approximately 12 hours and cost $210.
Lake Gatún
We were picked up by a minibus around midday and driven 20 miles to roughly the mid point at Lake Gatún in order to sail back to Panama City. Lake Gatún is an elevated artificial lake created by damming the Río Chagres and flooding a valley. Here, we boarded our boat – the Pacific Queen, and set sail for the Pacific Ocean.
Culebra Cut
First, you pass through the huge Lake Gatún and into the Culebra Cut; a 7.9 mile artificial trough blasted through the Continental Divide.
Centennial Bridge
After passing under the Centennial Bridge, where the Pan American Highway crosses the canal, we reached our first lock; Pedro Miguel.
Pedro Miguel Lock
To economise on time and water passing through Pedro Miguel Lock, small boats must buddy up with a bigger ship – out buddy was a container ship, the New Century 2. Once we were in position, which was fairly easy as we were only small, it was time for the huge container ship to be manoeuvred into place. Ships pass through the locks under their own power, tethered to locomotives on either side which keep them centred. With only around a 45 cm margin for error, it’s a slow and skilful job.
Once the ship is in place, the lock gates close and vessels drop 9 metres to reach the height of the next lake; Miraflores. The process takes around 10 minutes and displaces over a million litres of water.
A packed lunch and soft drinks are included in the tour. As is the very informative bilingual commentary, hence all the nerdy facts…
Miraflores Locks
At Miraflores Locks, there is a double lock with two sets of 9 metre locks to negotiate. This time we were buddied up with an oil tanker – the Elka Hercules. The same routine, only times two; we got into position, waited for the container ship to be manoeuvred into place by the tugs and locomotives.Water displaced, lock gates open, move forward and repeat. By the final lock, there was less jostling for position at the bow (most of the Americans had retired to the air conditioned bar) and I could actually get a better view of the process.
Bridge of the Americas
After the locks, the voyage continues passing under the Bridge of the Americas (when it was built, it was the only thing linking the American continents) towards the ocean, sailing parallel to the Amador Causeway where the cruise terminates.
No 3 – Explore the Amador Causeway
The 3.7 mile long Amador Causeway joins three former islands to the mainland and was created with spoils from digging the canal. Nestled between the Islands are marinas and a cruise terminal. There are also restaurants, trails, viewpoints, a shopping centre and the obligatory photo op sign.
At the top end of the Causeway, you will find the Biomuseo in a unique building designed by Frank Gehry.
No 4 – Wonder at the Nativity Scene in the Iglesia de San José
The Iglesia de San José is one of several churches in the old town – the Casco Viejo. The church contains a golden altar removed from Panama Viejo (the original site of the city). Rumour has it, that shortly before the pirates arrived, the priest concealed the altar. When infamous pirate Henry Morgan asked where it was, the priest replied that it needed repairing and asked for a donation. Henry allegedly replied that he thought the priest was a bigger pirate than him! The church also contains the biggest, tackiest nativity scene I’ve ever seen.
No 5 – Admire the grand Metropolitan Cathedral
Equally as grand, but without the tacky nativity scene, is the 17th Century Metropolitan Cathedral.
No 6 – Marvel at the engineering of the ancient Arco Chato
Amidst the ruins of the 17th Century Santo Domingo Convent, you will find the Arco Chato. This ancient arc is remarkable for being unsupported and yet having survived for hundreds of years.
No 7 – Wander along the Paseo las Bovédas
The furthest point of the Casco Viejo – the Paseo las Bóvedas – is a picturesque flower covered walkway with views over the ocean and canal, which leads to Plaza de Francia.
No 8 – Enjoy the view from the Plaza de Francia
In the Plaza de Francia, you will find a monumental cock which pays homage to the French attempt to build a canal. Which could probably best be described as a monumental cock up!
No 9 – Visit the Canal Administration Building to see murals depicting the Canal’s construction
The Canal Zone is a couple of miles away the Casco Viejo. Here, you can visit the Canal Administration Building. This contains a set of murals depicting the building of the canal.
Note: Although I double checked the opening times on the website, when we arrived, a security guard informed us that the murals could not be viewed. So it may be worth treble checking before visiting?
No 10 – Learn more about the Panama Canal at Miraflores Visitor Centre
5 miles north of the Casco Viejo is the Miraflores Visitor Centre first. This consists of a museum with a viewing platform over the Miraflores Locks. There’s also an IMAX film about the history of the canal.
You can enjoy watching ships passing through the locks and also learn all about the canal and its construction. It’s a crazy idea – a canal between two oceans, passing over a mountain, slicing a country (a continent even) in two! Apparently, the first attempt (by the French) was to build a level canal by cutting a hole through the mountain, but that failed because the engineer only visited Panama in the (short) dry season and once it started raining, 22,000 workers died mainly from drowning by also from being bitten by snakes/spiders.
The Visitor Centre is open daily from 8 am until 6 pm. But it’s best to check the Transit Schedule to seen when maritime traffic will be at its heaviest (ships usually start passing through Miraflores around 8.45 am and 1.45 pm). Tickets for foreign adults cost $17.22.
Note: It can get extremely busy here. We arrived just after a cruise ship turned up and nearly all its passengers disembarked to watch it pass through the lock from the Visitor Centre, so we had to queue for ages to be let in.
- Trip taken: February 2022
- Updated: September 2025
I hope you found the above information useful. For more top picks from other destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full Top 10 Things To Do list here.
Jane's Midlife Journey 
Leave a comment