7 Days in Panama City: First-Timer
7 Days in Panama City: First-Timer
A full week is where you get to do the thing most people never manage: the entire city core at an easy pace, then three days on the San Blas islands that make everything before it feel like the warm-up act. Prefer a Caribbean day trip over a multi-day island stay? Use 6 days instead, or start with the full Panama City guide if you’re still deciding how long to stay.
Book these before you go
- A skip-the-line Miraflores Locks ticket
- A Gamboa rainforest and Monkey Island tour
- A San Blas overnight island package , operators fill up weeks ahead
- A Casco Viejo hotel room for the first four nights
Day 1: Casco Viejo
Morning: Land at Tocumen and walk to the signposted rideshare zone across from the terminal, Uber into the city runs $15-25 instead of the $30-40 fixed taxi-desk rate. Breakfast at Café del Arte, then into Casco Viejo itself, cobblestones toward Plaza Independencia, the Catedral Metropolitana, the Palacio de las Garzas.
Afternoon: Keep wandering. Casco Viejo is fully pedestrianized and rewards getting lost between the restored buildings and the ones still falling apart on purpose. Stroll Paseo de las Bóvedas for the skyline view over the bay.
Evening: Dinner at Donde José, then rooftop bars right in the old town.
Where to stay: A boutique hotel in Casco Viejo for the first four nights; it puts everything within walking distance or a short Uber.
Day 2: Canal and ruins
Morning: Miraflores Locks , near the 8am opening. Adult admission for non-residents runs $17-20, and catching a scheduled transit means watching a container ship the length of three football fields squeeze through the chamber with feet to spare.
Afternoon: Panama Viejo , an entirely separate site from Casco Viejo, ruins of the original city torched by Henry Morgan’s crew in 1671. $15 admission, tower climb included for the view.
Evening: Dinner at La Tasca de Durán, hearty traditional plates.
Day 3: Amador, Biomuseo, and the hill everyone skips
Morning: Biomuseo on the Amador Causeway, Frank Gehry’s building worth circling from outside alone (grounds and Level One free).
Afternoon: Lunch at Mercado de Mariscos, ceviche off that morning’s catch for $3-8, then hike Ancon Hill: free, 30-45 minutes through jungle in the middle of the city, summit views of the canal, skyline, and rainforest canopy that most itineraries never mention.
Evening: Dinner at The Fish Market on the waterfront.
Day 4: Gamboa and Soberania National Park
Morning: Out to Gamboa, 45-60 minutes from the city, for the aerial tram through the canopy and a boat tour past Monkey Island, where howlers and capuchins reliably show up.
Afternoon: A slower loop through Soberania National Park, canal views from the jungle side this time.
Evening: Back in the city for dinner at Maito Panamá, then an early night, tomorrow starts before sunrise.
Days 5-7: San Blas (Guna Yala)
This is the part of the week worth building the whole trip around, and it’s exactly why you don’t try to squeeze San Blas into a single day. The drive alone is 2-2.5 hours plus a boat crossing, with a predawn pickup required to make the timing work, so give it the three days it deserves instead of treating it as a rushed add-on.
Day 5
Predawn departure from Panama City, arriving at the boat launch by mid-morning for the crossing out to the islands. Overnight packages (cabin, meals, and boat transport typically bundled) run from around $140 per person per night up to $260+ for nicer private-room or catamaran setups, so pick your comfort level before booking. Spend the afternoon in genuinely turquoise water, palm-covered islets barely bigger than the huts on them.
Day 6
A full day of island hopping between the Guna Yala cays, snorkeling over reefs, and a lunch of fresh-caught fish cooked right on the sand. This is the day you came for; keep it unscheduled beyond that.
Day 7
Morning boat back to the mainland, then the drive back into Panama City. If your flight is late enough, a final lunch back near Casco Viejo closes the loop nicely before heading to Tocumen.
At a glance
| Days | Focus | Key stop |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old town | Casco Viejo, rooftop bars |
| 2 | Canal and original city | Miraflores transit, Panama Viejo tower |
| 3 | Waterfront and jungle hill | Biomuseo, Ancon Hill summit |
| 4 | Rainforest day trip | Gamboa aerial tram, Monkey Island boat |
| 5-7 | Island extension, 2-2.5 hr drive + boat | San Blas overnight cabins, snorkeling |
Can you visit San Blas as a day trip from Panama City instead of three days?
Not really, and treating it as one usually ends badly. The drive alone runs 2-2.5 hours each way plus a boat crossing, with a predawn pickup required just to make the outbound leg work. Building in an overnight, or the three days this itinerary gives it, is what actually makes the islands worth the trip.
Getting around and things to know
Uber is the better call over a street taxi on nearly every city trip, cheaper and no fare negotiation, though the San Blas leg is really a chartered van-and-boat package rather than something you book yourself last minute. Metro Lines 1 and 2 (official Metro site ) cover downtown well; Line 3 is still under construction in 2026. The US dollar is the working currency, Panama’s balboa is coins-only and pegged 1:1. Tap water is safe straight from the tap in the city, though bring water for the San Blas days since supply out there is more limited.
Concrete tip: book your San Blas operator at least a few weeks out, not on arrival. Good guides and decent cabins fill up fast, and showing up without a reservation on Day 5 is how people end up stuck with the worst camping option on the least interesting island.