First time · Panama City
First time in Panama CityCiudad 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.
The honest verdict
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.
You will like
- Old-town evenings
- Ships in the Canal
- Short flights to the islands
What wears you down
- Midday heat
- Rush-hour traffic
- Afternoon downpours
From the airport
Tocumen International Airport (PTY)
- Fastest and cheapest
- Airport taxi or ride-hailing car to the door · about 45 min · about US$35
Typical ride times and fares, 2026 desk estimates (check). Last services and night options are on the gateway page.
How long to stay
- 2 days
- Casco Viejo morning, Miraflores Locks the next morning
- 3 days
- Casco Viejo, the Locks, Amador causeway and the Biomuseo; mornings outside, afternoons indoors
- 5 days
- Three-day loop + Panamá Viejo ruins + one slow day or a rainforest morning in Gamboa
Three mistakes to avoid
- 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.(Scams)
- Do not walk the streets of El Chorrillo, Curundú or Santa Ana at night, even close to Casco Viejo.(Survive · red lines)
- Casco Viejo is busy and patrolled in the evening; the streets around its edge (toward Santa Ana and El Chorrillo) are not: take a car at night.(Survive · safety)
Money and SIM
- Budget day
- $25–45 excl. bed
- Paying
- 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.
- Cash
- Keep $20 in small notes; use ATMs inside banks or malls, and refuse to pay with $50 or $100 notes at small shops.
- SIM
- Install an eSIM before you fly, or buy a tourist SIM at the counters in Tocumen arrivals (passport needed).
The best time to go
Jan: Dry season; hot, breezy.
A first day
Day 1 — Casco Viejo morning, a 12:30 lunch table
Start about 07:30
Fixed point: Lunch table 12:30 (Casco Viejo)
Hotel or AC café 13:00–16:00; the sea wall at sunset if energy allows.
Timed version: Panama City in 3 days