City Break Panama

The cobblestones end at a rooftop edge. Below: Casco Viejo's colonial spires and the Pacific glinting in afternoon sun. Across the bay, Latin America's most dramatic skyline rises from the sea. This is Panama City — three cities layered into one.

Panama Viejo (founded 1519, destroyed by pirates) is an archaeological ruin just minutes from modern glass towers. Casco Antiguo — a UNESCO World Heritage walled colonial district — buzzes with rooftop bars and boutique hotels. And then there's the Canal: 80 kilometres of engineered genius connecting two oceans, still the world's engineering marvel 110 years after opening.

UNESCO named Panama City a Creative Gastronomic City — it has four restaurants on Latin America's 50 Best list. Add the world's best urban birding in Metropolitan Park (just 15 minutes from downtown) and you have a city that surprises everyone who underestimates it.

Panama uses the US dollar. Direct flights reach Panama City from 80+ destinations. An efficient metro runs across the city. It's easier than it looks.

Casco Antiguo — the UNESCO old town

Casco Antiguo (also called Casco Viejo) was founded in 1673 after pirates destroyed Panama Viejo. The walled colonial district was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 and has been reinventing itself ever since.

Walk the sea wall at sunset. Pass Plaza de Francia, where French engineers who died building the original canal are commemorated. Duck into the National Theatre — a restored 1908 opera house still in use. Find Plaza Herrera, a quiet square with colonial facades and outdoor cafes.

The restaurant and bar scene here is remarkable — Casco has more rooftops per street than almost anywhere in Central America. CasaCasco alone occupies a five-floor colonial building with three restaurants, a club, and a panoramic terrace overlooking the bay, the canal, and the city skyline.

Architecture ranges from ruined shells (left deliberately unrestored to show history) to perfectly preserved mansions now housing boutique hotels. A 30-minute walk covers the entire district. You'll want to do it twice.

Safety: Casco Antiguo is safe in the touristy areas. Avoid wandering into El Chorillo (immediately adjacent) at night. Stick to the well-lit streets and plazas.

Panama Canal — the engineering marvel

The Panama Canal cuts 82 kilometres across the isthmus. In 2016, an expanded set of locks opened alongside the originals — now the canal handles Post-Panamax mega-ships that couldn't fit before, moving 14,000+ vessels a year.

The Miraflores Visitor Center (open daily 8am–6pm) is the best spot to watch ships rise and fall through the locks. An IMAX theatre, four floors of exhibitions about canal history and engineering, and a restaurant overlooking the lock chambers fill a full half-day.

For a more dramatic perspective, the Agua Clara Visitor Center on the Atlantic side (2 hours by car) shows the new expanded locks in action — enormous ships pass within meters of the viewing deck.

You can also transit the canal itself. Full transit tours (10 hours, $240) take you through every lock in a small boat. Partial transit options (6 hours, $175) are also available. Reserve weeks ahead — these sell out.

The Amador Causeway, built from rocks excavated during canal construction, connects four islands into Panama City's waterfront promenade. Bike, walk, or roller-blade with canal and skyline views on both sides.

Panama City's neighbourhoods and culture

Beyond Casco and the Canal, Panama City rewards explorers. Miraflores district near the canal has the BioMuseo — Frank Gehry's only building in Latin America, dedicated entirely to Panama's biodiversity and its role in shaping two continents' ecosystems. Budget 2 hours minimum.

El Cangrejo is the expat and gastronomy hub: Buenos Aires-style steakhouses, sushi, Vietnamese, and Peruvian restaurants compete along Calle Uruguay and Via Argentina. Supermarkets, pharmacies, and good coffee shops make it a useful base.

Miraflores and San Francisco districts have Panama City's most prestigious restaurants — some with Michelin-level ambition. The city's Creative Gastronomic City recognition by UNESCO is earned, not marketing.

Metropolitan Natural Park sits 15 minutes from downtown — 265 hectares of protected dry tropical forest. More than 200 bird species, iguanas, and monkeys live here. Dawn birding walks often yield 40+ species before breakfast. One of the world's most accessible urban wildlife experiences.

The metro (Line 1 and Line 2) covers the main corridor cheaply ($0.35 per ride). Uber is reliable for anywhere the metro doesn't reach. Rush hour traffic jams are impressive — plan accordingly.

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