48 Hours in Panama City

Panama owes me nothing! The idea of visiting Panama on a stopover entered my head in 2022 after I flew to Peru with Copa Airlines, Panama’s flagship carrier. Copa has a stopover program which allows tourists in transit to spend up to seven days in Panama for the price of one ticket. Perfect, right? Well, I finally made use of this exciting deal en route to Medellín, Colombia and had the time of my life. Here’s how this trip went. Feel free to steal my Panama City 2 Day itinerary!

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Where I Stayed

I stayed at the Baluarte Boutique Panamá Hotel on Avenida B in the heart of Casco Viejo. This 3-star hotel includes a basic continental breakfast in their rates, and the staff was very helpful and pleasant. My room was small (15m²) but clean and comfortable with air conditioning, cable TV and a mini fridge. If you’d like anything else in the way of amenities, look elsewhere. However, if you’re a low maintenance budget traveler like myself, this hotel would suit your needs perfectly! After all, I’m not in Panama for the hotel– I’m here to explore! Three nights at this hotel costed US$203.15 in September 2024.

My hotel lobby & breakfast hall

I arrived at the hotel at about 6:00 pm, then went straight out for dinner and exploring. Casco Viejo is absolutely beautiful at night, and the contrast of the old city against the modern Panama City skyline was delightful. I felt super safe exploring this walkable city at night with the Policía Turismo patrolling on every block. As such, do explore Casco Viejo in both the daytime and at night for a full experience. Also, Uber is the most affordable + quickest option to get around Panama City.

Day 1: Panama Canal & Biomuseo

After a comfortable night’s sleep and breakfast, visiting the Panama Canal was first on the agenda. The Panama Canal is Panama’s most visited attraction and receives on average one million tourists per year. I wrote about the Panama Canal in a separate post as there were just too many things to talk about! This engineering marvel is listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, so you just cannot miss the Panama Canal on a visit to Panama. Budget anywhere from 2 to 4 hours at the Panama Canal, and entry to the Miraflores Visitor Centre costs US$17.22 in 2024.

Second on the agenda for me was the Biomuseo. Panama’s Biomuseo is a must see for nature & history lovers alike, as it chronicles Panama’s geology, natural and human history from prehistoric ages to the 21st century. Tickets for non-residents cost US$20 per person, and gives you access to 8 permanent galleries, a temporary gallery, café, souvenir shop, botanical garden and waterfront views from which you can even see ships passing through the Panama Canal and under the Bridge of the Americas. The history, culture and biodiversity showcases were edutaining and thoughtfully curated, with dozens of sculptures of prehistoric creatures and four aquariums bringing the lessons to life. Expect to spend at least 3 hours here.

Finally, we rounded out the day with a visit to one of the two Panama signs for some great photos. 

Day 2: Exploring Casco Viejo

Day two was all about exploring Casco Viejo, not to be confused with Panama Viejo, the original Panama city. Casco Viejo, also known as Casco Antiguo or San Felipe, is the historic district of Panama City. It was built in 1673 to replace the original Panama City after it was attacked and destroyed by pirates. Casco Viejo beautifully preserves its centuries-old architecture so beautifully that it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. 

Casco Viejo is a walkable city with all its sights arranged around quaint roads and narrow alleys, identical to the original plan of the town over 300 years ago. Like most Latin American countries, the basic layout of every district involves a central square, a church, a building for important people and then the homes of ordinary people. In recent years, Casco Viejo has undergone gentrification and become a tourist hotspot filled with restaurants, boutique hotels, souvenir shops and nightclubs but there are still ordinary homes remaining and a lot of historical sites to take in. Download a map of the city and take in as many as possible. I saw all the following sites and then some:

• Churches: La Catedral Metropolitana, Iglesia de San Jose, Iglesia de La Merced, Iglesia de San Francisco de Asís. 
• Palaces: El Palacio Municipal, El Palacio Bolívar
• Museums: the Panama Canal Museum, Museum de la Mola (free)
• The National Theatre of Panama
• The Panama Canal Monument
• Several plazas/courtyards, most notably Plaza Bolívar, Plaza de Francia which houses the French Embassy and Plaza de la Independencia. 

Museo de la Mola stands out for me because it pays homage to the traditional mola clothing of the indigenous Guna people of Panama. This tour is free but donations are welcome. Similarly, the churches of Casco Viejo are all free to enter. Make sure to visit as many of them as possible, especially San Jose which has a beautiful golden altar. Legend has it that it’s the only altar which pirates didn’t plunder and pillage because the priest covered it with black oil to conceal it. Modest dress is required to enter the churches (no shorts or hats), and food, drink, smoking, loud speech and flash photography are prohibited. Phones have to be placed on silent and donations are welcomed. 

Wear light comfortable clothing and prepare for hot, humid weather. But, there’ll be plenty of opportunities to keep hydrated and the shaved ice vendors were omnipresent. As mentioned earlier, I recommend exploring Casco Viejo after dark because the city’s buildings and streets are well lit, and the strong police presence made me feel safe. Plus, Casco is all about the nightlife! Get nightlife recommendations for Panama City here.

What I Ate in Casco Viejo

There was a lot to see in Casco Viejo but my favourite parts of the trip were the food and the people. Let’s start with the food. I had the empanadas, fried fish with yucca (cassava) chips, loaded nachos and finally tried ceviche! Everything was delicious. I missed out on Panama’s ropa vieja, tamales and their version of chicken soup, but all the more reason to revisit. In terms of drinks, I tried Panama’s two main beers- the cerveza Panamá and the Balboa, along with the Rana Dorada, a popular craft beer. In fact, the Rana Dorado beers were my favourite! So smooth and light and flavourful. The Cerveza Panamá, not so much. 

Average meal and drink per person costed US$25-30. There are dozens of restaurants to choose from, but these are the ones I dined at: 

• La Pulpería
• Cafe at Biomuseo
• La Cervecería Rana Dorada
• Mojitos Casco Pty
• Sama Sky Lounge

Now, I must highlight the brilliant Panamanian customer service. I mean, every restaurant. Top tier! Jamaicans should take a leaf from their book. On my final night, I dined at the Sama Sky Lounge and heard so much Jamaican music I was shocked. After the first few local songs, my partner tipped the DJ and expressed our pleasure at hearing Jamaican music. After that, it became Jamaican music takeover for the next hour, ha. I will remember that night forever! Jamaicans need to take a leaf from the Panamanian customer service book. 

Wrap Up

Panama is such a beautiful country; I was very impressed with their beauty and warmth. There are so many other things I could’ve done such as visit Monkey Island which has real monkeys (unlike Jamaica’s Monkey Island), tour a coffee plantation, visit their indigenous people or hike to their highest point which happens to be a volcano, but I didn’t have enough time to explore outside of Casco Viejo. I highly recommend visiting Panama and I plan to revisit one day, as they are super accessible and affordable from Jamaica. Panama is way more than a transit country, and with Copa Airlines’ stopover program, they’re well on their way to becoming a full-fledged destination. So, have you ever visited Panama or would you add it to the list? Sound off in the comments section below.

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