The Ultimate Guide – The Beauty Of Panama City In 4 Days

The Republic of Panama is a country on the border between South and Central America. Panama is home to the highly strategic Panama Canal which also accounts for one-third of the country’s economy. In today’s article let’s take a look at the capital city of Panama City.

HOW TO GET TO PANAMA CITY

If you decide to visit Panama you’ll probably fly into its capital Ciudad de Panamá. There are several options for getting from the airport to the city centre.

The most convenient but also the most expensive are Taxi and UBER for about 30 USD. The cheapest option is public transport. We used public transport as well. At first look the journey seems a bit complicated but in reality you will quickly find your way around. You can get to the city centre in 40 minutes without any problems.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

In front of the airport hall go to the bus platform number 6 and wait for the E489 line. This will take you to a metro station called Pedregal (line 2). The bus runs every 15 minutes and costs 0.25 USD. From here you need to take the metro to San Miguelito station. Here you will change to line 1 and continue on to the city centre. One metro ride around the city costs 0.35 USD. However if you transfer between lines the turnstile will deduct an additional USD 0.50 when you get off the metro. This basically only applies to travel to and from the airport.

For subway and bus rides you must first purchase a RapidPass or MetroBus card. The card can be purchased from a machine at any subway station or at the main bus terminal in Albrook. The card costs USD 2. You then load the card with credit which is deducted at the turnstile each time you enter the subway or board a bus.

ACCOMMODATION

If you use our recommended accommodation get off at Lotería station. The hotel is located 350 metres from this station. Its name is Residencial Turístico El Descanso. The rooms are basic but clean and quite spacious. The hotel is ideally located. It is close to the Cinta Costera waterfront, the city centre, the old town, the Albrook bus terminal and also a short walk from the metro station. It really is an ideal point to explore all areas of Panama City. A night here costs 20 USD for two. Wi-Fi works well. The room has TV, air conditioning and hot water. The contact for the accommodation is +507 6676 4605. It can also be found at www.booking.com.

WHAT TO SEE IN PANAMA CITY

Immediately upon arrival you can walk to the sea on the Cinta Costera waterfront. It’s a very nice path along the sea. At one end is the new town of Panama City and at the other end is the old town of Casco Viejo. The trail is 5 km long and has a really nice view of the new city centre. It’s lively especially in the afternoon and evening. Locals come here to play sports, relax and enjoy the fresh air. It’s a very nice place in the centre of the city where you can also find families of raccoons :-).

CASCO VIEJO

Casco Viejo is located at the southern end of the Cinta Costera trail. It is a 30 minute walk from the recommended hotel along this trail. This is the historic centre of Panama City which is full of colonial buildings, quaint cafes and quiet streets with lots of lovely shops. If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the big city go here.

There’s also the Presidential Palace, the seat of government and the Panama Canal Museum. If you’re interested in history, you can hire a guide at the Plaza de la Independencia who can tell you a lot about the old town and Panama’s history.

PANAMA CITY

Panama City has one huge advantage and that is the nature that you will find right in the city. The Parque Natural Metropolitano is located quite a short distance from the hotel mentioned above. To get there you can use the UBER app through which a ride from the city center to the park gate costs just 3.50 USD.

Another option is to take the metro to the Albrook terminus. From here you can walk 1.5 km to the park gate. You’ll pay 4 USD to enter the park. Inside there are 3 trails for a total of 5 km. If you’re lucky you’ll see 227 species of birds, 45 species of mammals, 36 species of snakes and 14 species of amphibians in addition to a really nice rainforest. From the top of Cerro Cedro you will have a spectacular view of Panama City and the Panama Canal.

Another way to get a glimpse of nature right in the city and for free is at the top of Ancon Hill. The walk from the hotel to the top is 4 km long. We have to say that for us the view of the city and the canal was nicer from here. You will see the forest and wildlife here too. However the trail is not that long and it is on a road to the top but there are no cars on it.

PANAMA CANAL

And finally the biggest attraction the Panama Canal. The vast majority of people go to the Miraflores Locks Visitor Center where you can also visit the museum. There you can learn a lot about the construction of the canal itself. Up close you can see the ships that pass through the locks.

Admission to this centre is 20 USD. If you don’t feel like paying the entrance fee you can visit the alternative of the Pedro Miguel Locks 3 km away. The parking lot at Pedro Miguel Locks is public and free to use. There is also a nice view of the boats passing through the canal from here and it is completely free. However it lacks a museum and information about the canal. Still it’s a great experience.

You can get here by bus from the main Albrook bus terminal. This terminal is just 3 subway stops from the recommended accommodation. Miraflores Locks can be reached by the C810 line and Pedro Miguel Locks by the C970 line. Again the bus ride costs just $0.25 and takes around 20 minutes. Alternatively you can use the UBER app for a ride.

As you can see there really is plenty to do in Panama City. If you’re just connecting to another flight it’s worth stopping here for a few days. Even in the capital you can pick up a lot from Panama City.

SOME MORE TIPS

We’ll mention some other short excursions from the city that we didn’t get to due to time constraints but you might find useful.

PANAMÁ VIEJO

The first is the very original town of Panamá Viejo. It’s a bit further from the centre and the entrance fee is 15 USD. You can get here by bus or UBER.

SOBERANÍA PARK

Another supposedly very beautiful place is Soberanía National Park. However, access here is more difficult. You have to take either a taxi or your own car. The entrance fee costs 5 USD.

PORTOBELO

A day trip by bus to the port city of Portobelo is also said to be worth considering.

SAN BLAS ISLANDS

However the top experience in Panama that is almost a must-do is a trip to the San Blas Islands. These are the islands where the Guna Yala natives live and are also said to be the most beautiful islands in the world. You can only get here with a travel agency from Panama City. For a day trip you will pay around 120 USD per person. At the time of our visit the islands were closed due to a pandemic, so unfortunately we didn’t end up visiting.

TIPS for visiting PANAMA CITY

If you’re traveling in a group of several people and will be taking public transportation in Panama City together the entire time you’ll only need one RapidPass or MetroBus card. You don’t need to each have your own card. For example if there are three of you just use your card to tap 3 rides and that’s it.
We rather recommend buying a RapidPass card as it also gets you onto the intercity bus platforms at the Albrook bus terminal. The MetroBus card is only valid for public transportation in Panama City (Buses + Metro).

To travel by public transport in the city we recommend downloading the MiBus app on your phone. Just enter where you need to go from and the app will show you all the options to get to your desired location as well as the time the bus or metro leaves and how long it will take to get to your destination. With this app you can really get everywhere and for a few pennies.

WATCH OUT in PANAMA CITY

Even if there is a bus from the airport that you already need to get on with your public transportation card you simply can’t buy that card anywhere at the airport. There’s nothing to do but walk up to the bus and ask someone to use their card and give them 0.25 USD. Or you can play dumb tourist and hope the driver will give you a free ride. The second option worked well for us :-). At the metro station you already buy the card and at the same time recharge it in the machine.

On the way to Ancon Hill you will pass through a very poor neighborhood of Panama City so don’t draw any special attention to yourself. The neighborhood is not dangerous in broad daylight. However wearing expensive clothes or wearing a camera around your neck will attract unnecessary attention and could get you into a bad situation.