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Published: 17-02-2022
Panama was once a historical Spanish colonial centre, back in the day, today The city is home to a vibrant nightlife, beautiful beaches and idyllic islands on its doorstep, as well as wild rainforests only a short drive away. The capital of Panama has plenty to keep you busy besides the canal. Here are the must-see attractions in Panama City to help you navigate your stopover or longer stay in the country’s capital.
Viewing platform over the Panama Canal
The Canal
Top of the list is the Panama Canal, a 77km long man-made waterway which connects the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans and can best be viewed from the Miraflores Visitor’s Centre. Despite plans dating back to the 16th century, the canal wasn’t actually constructed until 1914 by the United States and leading to the eventual creation of the country of Panama itself. Close to 14,000 ships transit the canal every year.
Panama Canal
Panama Canal at Miraflores Locks - Panama City, Panama
The Visitor Centre at the Miraflores Locks is more than just a mirador for the famous Panama Canal and the massive ships that pass through the narrow walls of the locks…... It is a destination in its own right! There are many exhibits tracing the history of the waterway and an excellent 3D movie showing how these incredible locks and the canal itself function and were constructed.
Miraflores Locks
Panama Canal Partial Transit Boat Tour
The Panama Canal, is world renowned for it being a feat of engineering, so what better way to appreciate this man-made marvel but through a tour through the Pacific locks of the Panama Canal that usually takes approximately 5 to 6 hours.
Passing through the locks
Plaza Mayor and Cathedral in Casco Viejo
The terracotta roofs, café-bars and bell towers of the old quarter can be found on the coastal area of the city heading south. Built in the 17th century, after the abandonment of the original settlement, it was reputedly set alight by Governor Don Juan Pérez de Guzmán in 1671 to save Panama from a pirate invasion. The plaza was rebuilt, however left in abandonment until it was eventually gentrified in the late 20th century. It is now part of the Historic District of Panama UNESCO World Heritage site.
Plaza Mayor
The Bio museo
Constructed in 2014, the world’s first biodiversity museum is a colourful clutter of metal reminiscent of a Lego site as it rises over the water off the Amador causway. It was designed by Frank Gehry and this was his first project in Latin America. There are eight galleries exploring the biological history of Panama, including its emergence from the sea, three million years ago, connecting North and South America.
Bio Museo
Panama Viejo
Not to be confused with the Casco Viejo, or old quarter, Panama Viejo is all that remains of the original colony, founded in 1519 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro Arias Dàvila. It is the oldest European settlement on the Pacific coast of the Americas and just like the Casco Viejo, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Wander among the ruins of a stone church tower and crumbling walls, set in a picturesque, leafy park.
Panama Viejo
F & F Tower, office building
Like a giant grey green screw jutting from the heart of the Financial District, topped with a somewhat aggressive looking spire, the F&F Tower is the most striking skyscraper in Panama. It was built from reinforced concrete and stories of green sheet-glass in 2011. The building was designed by the local firm Pinzón Lozano & Associates, the creative force behind many of the humungous business tower blocks in Panama City.
"El tornillo"
The Chagres River and the Soberania National Park
Ultra-modern and completely urban Downtown Panama City is actually only 45 minutes from some genuine jungle. The Soberania National Park, which protects 22,257 hectares of steamy rainforest criss-crossed with rivers. The Park is a favourite of ornithologists as you can find more than 400 species, including parrots and eagles, which is hard to believe when you consider that’s just under half the number of bird species found in the whole of Costa Rica. There are even more to be seen on the deeper jungle trails in the park.
The Soberania National Park
The Cathedral
Built in the 17th century, Panama Cathedral was left to fall into ruin, along with the rest of the Casco Viejo, before it was renovated and finally reconsecrated by Pope Francis in 2019. As you might have guessed, the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Antigua embodies Panama City’s turbulent history. Step inside, and you can find a whitewashed arcade of Romanesque arches lining the nave towards a restored gold leaf, Rococo altar.
Panama City Cathedral
Panamá City - Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Carmen
This Neo-Gothic church in the centre of the city shines bright white under hard sun. This catholic church was completed a few years after World War II as the ceremonial headquarters of the contemplative Carmelite monastic order in Panama. The architecture of the church comes from the Gothic churches of Toledo in Spain with ornate decoration, while the interior is a lot more conservative except for an illuminated statue of the Virgin Mary. Visit to contemplate life or the magnificent architecture.
Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Carmen
Einstein's Head
In 1933, the world-famous physicist and his wife paid a visit to Panama en route to California. They bought souvenirs for their children at the markets, rode in a horse-drawn carriage in Colón and crossed the Panama Canal, of course. His gigantic bust positioned on a traffic island amid whirling vehicles on Via Argentina, in the lively neighbourhood of El Cangrejo, can be seen to this day. Measuring 3m by 3m, it was sculpted by Carlos Arboleda, one of Panama’s most renowned artists, for a Jewish community and inaugurated in 1968 to commemorate the event.
Einstein´s Head
Panama Canal at Miraflores Locks - Panama City, Panama
The Visitor Centre at the Miraflores Locks is more than just a viewing point for the famous Panama Canal and the huge ships as they pass through the narrow walls and vast gates. It is a destination in its own right: with a series of exhibits tracing the history of the waterway and an excellent 3D movie showing how the giant locks and the canal as a whole function and were constructed.
Miraflores Locks
Panama City ocean promenade
While the Casco Viejo oozes colonial charm; downtown Panama City is vibrant, urban and big city chic; there’s nowhere better to people-watch than the main pedestrian walkway. Connected to the Avenida Central, where businessmen in suits, street sellers and street performers all mingle, to pass the evening away. Also visit the Cinta Costera, a long sea- front park against a backdrop of skyscrapers. Here people come together to play volleyball and football or witness a glorious sunset with ice-creams in hand.
Cinta Costera
Gamboa Rainforest Resort
The Gamboa Rainforest Resort is a 138 hectare resort about half an hour drive from the city centre. Where the Chagres River and the Panama Canal merge, the resort boasts impressive views over the Soberania National Forest and loads of activities for overnight guests as well as day visitors. Choose from the Night Safari, an Aerial Tram, the butterfly farm, a tour to the indigenous villages of the Emberá or wildlife-spotting boat tours, the rainforest amidst the city!
Gamboa Rainforest
Punta Culebra, Smithsonian Research Centre
On one of the Amador islands, connected by a causeway to Downtown Panama City, the Punta Culebra Nature Centre is an educational project run by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Tae your pick of forest trails, a small beach, touch tanks and a mini-zoo with sea turtles, rescued from the wild. Enjoy the abundant displays of Panama’s biodiversity, as well as the different ecosystems of the country and in general, all of Central and South America.
Punta Culebra
Ciudad del “Saber”
Close-by the Miraflores Locks, the “Ciudad del Saber “or “City of knowledge”” was once a US military base converted by the Panamanian government into a gated residential neighbourhood and business district. This is where numerous tech companies, UN bodies and academic organizations have their main offices in the country. With excellent sports facilities and a big public park, it’s a popular residential area for immigrants, and one of the ideal spots to observe the Miraflores Locks in all their glory.
Ciudad del Saber
The “Bridge of the Americas”
