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Voykit pocket guide · Panama
Panama City
Ciudad de Panamá
Panama City is a morning city: Casco Viejo and the Miraflores Locks before 11:00, indoors from midday, taxis by app after dark.
Panama City packs a colonial old town, a working Canal and a tower skyline into one hot, wet, traffic-heavy city. The trips that go wrong walk Casco Viejo at noon, plan the Canal locks without checking the ship schedule, or add a long transfer on a rainy afternoon. Four areas cover a first visit; the airport, the locks and the causeway are car rides away from one kept bed.
- Country
- Panama
- Local name
- Ciudad de Panamá
- Best months
- Jan · Feb · Mar · Dec
- Time zone
- America/Panama
- Stay
- 2 days: Casco Viejo morning, Miraflores Locks the next morning
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Cards work in hotels, malls and most restaurants; cash for markets, small cafés and taxis. US dollars are the paper money; Panamanian coins are used for small change.
- Daily spend
- Budget $25–45 excl. bed · Mid $45–100 excl. bed · High $100+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Install an eSIM before you fly, or buy a tourist SIM at the counters in Tocumen arrivals (passport needed).
- Emergency
- Police, ambulance, fire 911
- Plugs
- 120 V; type A and B sockets, as in the United States.
- Tipping
- About 10% in restaurants if service is not already added; round up for drivers.
- Water
- Bottled water is the easy choice; ice in established places is usually fine.
- Toilets
- Cafés, malls, hotels and museums; carry tissues.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at a café | US$2 to 5 |
| Bottle of water, shop | US$1 to 2 |
| Empanada or carimañola | US$1 to 3 |
| Beer in a bar | US$2 to 5 |
| Ride-hailing across the centre | US$4 to 10 |
| Fonda lunch | US$5 to 9 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- Tocumen International Airport (PTY)
- PTY to Casco Viejo: one taxi from the official counter or a ride-hailing car, 40–70 minutes depending on traffic — the risk is not the ride but a rainy rush hour and a hotel door that locks.
By rail and road
| Station | Serves | To the centre |
|---|---|---|
| Tocumen International Airport (PTY) (PTY) | International flights and a regional hub | Taxi or ride-hail 30 to 60 min; Metro line 2 also serves the airport (check) |
| Albrook bus terminal | Long-distance buses to the interior and the borders | Taxi or Metro line 1 to the terminal (check) |
| Amador Causeway ferry pier | Ferries to Taboga Island | Taxi 15 to 25 min |
Typical fares
- Tocumen to Casco Viejo, taxi
- About US$30 to 40, 30 to 60 min depending on traffic (agree first)
- Casco Viejo to Miraflores, ride-hail
- About US$12 to 25, 30 to 45 min
Show 8 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Eat, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk inside a cluster; use ride-hailing or licensed taxis between clusters; the Metro helps for the modern towers but not for Casco Viejo or the locks.
| How | Fare | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Walking | Free | Inside Casco Viejo and along the causeway |
| Ride-hailing | US$4 to 10 across the centre | Between clusters and after dark |
| Licensed taxi | US$5 to 15 across the centre | When there is no app signal |
| Metro | About US$0.35 to 0.50 (check) | The modern districts and the airport line |
| Public bus | About US$0.25 to 0.50 (check) | Not recommended for visitors |
| Rental car | US$40 to 80 a day | Day trips |
Fares are estimates; check before you ride.
- Passes
- No pass. Rides inside the centre are cheap; check the fare in the app before you ride.
- Late at night
- The Metro closes at night and does not reach Casco Viejo or the locks; ride-hailing runs late but drivers may cancel in heavy rain.
See and do
01Miraflores LocksEsclusas de Miraflores
Ships lifting through the Canal.
Hours: best Morning, when a ship is due · Price: about US$20 to 30 · Time: 90 min to 2 h · 8.9958, -79.5906
02Casco Viejo plazasCatedral Metropolitana
The old town's heart.
Hours: best Before 10:00 · Price: Free · Time: 1 to 2 hHours: best Before 10:00 AM · Price: Free · Time: 1 to 2 h · 8.9526, -79.5362
03Panama Canal MuseumMuseo del Canal Interoceánico
The Canal's story before the locks.
Hours: best Midday · Price: about US$10 · Time: 60 to 90 min · 8.9526, -79.5365
04Plaza de Francia sea wall
The skyline across the bay.
Hours: best Dusk · Price: Free · Time: 20 to 30 min · 8.9503, -79.5342
05Biomuseo
A Gehry building and Panama's wildlife.
Hours: best Morning · Price: about US$25 to 30 · Time: 90 min · 8.9312, -79.5433
06Panamá ViejoPanamá Viejo
The first city on the Pacific.
Hours: best At opening · Price: about US$10 to 15 · Time: 75 to 100 min · 9.0000, -79.4889
07Golden altarIglesia de San José
A gilded altar and a pirate legend.
Hours: best Morning · Price: Free · Time: 15 min · 8.9525, -79.5356
08Mercado de Mariscos
Ceviche at a market counter.
Hours: best Before noon · Price: US$4 to 15 · Time: 45 min · 8.9542, -79.5328
09Gamboa
Birds and the Chagres river.
Hours: best Early · Price: US$60 to 120 · Time: Half day
10Taboga
A beach day by ferry.
Hours: best Dry season · Price: US$30 to 60 · Time: Full day
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gamboa rainforest | Car or tour, about 45 min each way | Half day |
| Portobelo and Colón coast | Car about 1.5–2 h each way | Full day |
| Taboga Island | Ferry from Amador, about 30–60 min | Full day |
Eat
| Where | What · area | Price | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carimañolas, empanadas and hojaldres | Carimañola and coffee · Casco Viejo | US$2 to 5 | Budget |
| Fonda lunch (plato del día) | Plato del día · Casco Viejo | US$5 to 9 | Budget |
| Mercado de Mariscos | A cup of ceviche · Market | US$4 to 8 | Budget |
| Amador Causeway waterfront lunch | Ceviche or grilled fish · Causeway | US$15 to 40 | Mid-range |
| Specialty coffee cafés in Casco Viejo | Filter coffee and a pastry · Casco Viejo | US$4 to 12 | Mid-range |
| A fine-dining tasting menu | Modern Panamanian · Casco Viejo or Punta Paitilla | US$60 to 150 (check) | Splurge |
Per person, one dish or one meal, 2026 estimate in US dollars. Addresses and hours change; check the day before.
Sleep
| Band | Price a night | Where | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| budget | US$35 to 70 double | Casco Viejo and Bella Vista | Hostels and small guest houses |
| mid | US$80 to 160 | Casco Viejo and Bella Vista | Boutique and business hotels |
| splurge | US$200 to 500+ | Casco Viejo and the bay towers | Restored mansions and tower hotels |
Per room per night in US dollars, 2026 estimate; the dry season (Dec to April) adds 10 to 30%.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Buenos díasBWEH-nos DEE-as |
| Thank you | GraciasGRAH-syas |
| How much is this? | ¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-toh KWES-ta |
| Not spicy, please | Sin picante, por favorseen pee-KAN-teh por fah-VOR |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favorla KWEN-ta por fah-VOR |
| Please take me to this address | Lléveme a esta direcciónYEH-veh-meh ah ES-ta dee-rek-SYON |
| Stop here, please | Pare aquí, por favorPAH-reh ah-KEE por fah-VOR |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greetings: Say buenos días or buenas tardes when you enter a shop or a restaurant.
- Dress: Cover shoulders and knees in churches; smart casual in restaurants.
- Photos: Ask before photographing people, and do not photograph police or guards up close.
- Tipping: About 10% in restaurants if service is not added; round up for drivers.
- Pace: Service can be slow; a friendly, patient request works better than pressure.
- Canal: Stay behind the visitor-centre railings at the locks.
Red lines
- Do not walk the streets of El Chorrillo, Curundú or Santa Ana at night, even close to Casco Viejo.
- Canal locks: stay behind the visitor-centre railings.
- Do not photograph police or the presidential palace guards up close.
Scams and watch-outs
- Street taxis that name a high price for tourists or refuse the meter: use a ride-hailing app or agree the total before you get in.
- Airport touts offering a 'cheap' ride inside arrivals: use the official taxi counter or your app.
- Distraction thefts on buses and at busy corners: keep phones out of sight near the roadside.
- Unofficial guides at the locks or in Casco Viejo who ask for money afterwards: agree a price first or decline.
One and two days
1 day
A stopover. Skip: The locks unless you have a morning to spare.
- 07:307:30 AMCasco Viejo: cathedral and plaza
- 09:309:30 AMCanal Museum
- 12:0012:00 PMLunch at a fonda
- 14:002:00 PMRest in air conditioning
- 17:305:30 PMPlaza de Francia at dusk
2 days
The usual short stay. Skip: The ruins and the causeway.
Day 1: Casco Viejo
- 07:307:30 AMCathedral, plaza, museum
- 12:3012:30 PMLunch
- 17:305:30 PMSea wall
Day 2: The Canal and market
- 08:008:00 AMMiraflores Locks
- 12:0012:00 PMSeafood at the market
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá: www.visitpanama.com/
- Panama Canal Authority: pancanal.com/en/
- Wikivoyage — Panama City: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Panama_City
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Panama CityCiudad de Panamá
Lléveme a esta dirección
Please take me to this address
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- Esclusas de MirafloresMiraflores Locks
- Catedral MetropolitanaMetropolitan Cathedral
- Museo del Canal InteroceánicoPanama Canal Museum (Museo del Canal Interoceánico)
- Panamá ViejoPanamá Viejo ruins
- Iglesia de San JoséIglesia de San José (Golden Altar)
- Police, ambulance, fire911
Write your embassy's phone number below and save your insurer's line.
Spanish is the language; a few words go a long way, and hotel staff speak English.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/panama-city). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.