Panama City Sights: First Trip, Return Trip

First-time visitors to Panama City need the canal, the old town and the Gehry building. Return visitors have seen those and want the ruins, the rainforest and the islands. Sorting the sights this way avoids repeats and keeps each day full.

First trip: the three essentials

Miraflores Locks come first. They open daily 08:00 to 18:00, the ticket office closes at 17:00, and tiers run from $7.22 to $17.22, listed at Visit Canal de Panama . You stand on open terraces as 950-foot ships squeeze through chambers 110 feet wide, pulled by electric locomotives. Allow two to three hours with the film.

Casco Viejo, built in 1673, is the standing colonial quarter. Walk its four plazas, glimpse the Presidential Palace and its herons, and look inside the cathedral with its twin towers inlaid with Pearl Islands shell. Entry to the quarter is free, and a guided two hour walk costs about $15 to $25.

The Biomuseo on the Amador Causeway is Frank Gehry’s first Latin American design. Non-resident adults pay $20; it opens Tuesday to Friday 09:00 to 15:00 and weekends 10:00 to 15:00, and it is closed Mondays. The grounds are free.

Return trip: the older and wilder

Panamá Viejo is the 1519 ruin of the first Pacific city, about 10 km east of Casco Viejo and a different place altogether. It opens Tuesday to Sunday 08:30 to 17:30, with the ticket office closing at 16:30, and costs foreign adults $15. Climb the cathedral tower for views of the bay. Closed Mondays. More details are at Panamá Viejo .

The Parque Natural Metropolitano is a protected rainforest inside the city, about 232 hectares, with seven trails and a $4 foreign adult fee. Ancón Hill adds a 30 to 45 minute paved climb to a 199 m summit with sloths along the way.

Taboga, 30 minutes by ferry for $24 per adult return, adds an island day. Smaller museums such as the Afro-Antillean Museum round out a second visit.

Practical tips

  • Start outdoors before 10:00; heat and afternoon rain build later.
  • Use Uber between Casco Viejo and downtown after dark, and stay in the restored core.
  • Pay in US dollars; carry small bills.
  • The metro is $0.35 on Line 1 and $0.50 on Line 2, cashless.
  • Compare city tours on GetYourGuide if you prefer a guide.

The two-day itinerary shows how to join the first-trip sights into a short stay.

Verdict: the locks at 08:00 followed by a Casco Viejo afternoon is the best single day for a first visit.