Thread: Bus vs flight to David from Panama City?

I'll be in Panama in a couple weeks to see if it's a spot I'd eventually like to live.

I'll spend most of my time in Panama City, but I also plan 3-5 days checking out David & Boquete.

There's a couple options to get to/from David -- bus & plane.

Plane is ~ $100 each way including taxes.

I can afford this, but I won't be in any particular hurry and I can take a bus should I choose.

It's a bunch cheaper -- laughingly cheap according to N American standards. About 5.5 hrs for an express bus (vs 1 hr for a flight), I hear.

The only real reason I would take the bus (either to or from David, but likely on the the way to David) is to see a bit of the country side.


So....

Is it nice seeing the country side from Panama City to David? Is it worth the trip if one is in no particular hurry?

Maybe it is. Maybe it's the same scenery which gets boring quick after the first 100 km.

Comments please..

If there's no hurry, take the bus. Or, rent a car and drive it yourself.

Bus or rental car is the way to go. I think you will find that you probably do not spend much time in David. It is warm, humid, busy, and kinda stinky(generalization). There are ALLOT of places to explore in Volcan and Boquete. If you are a beach-bum at heart, like me, Las Lajas is worth checking out. Rental car would be the easiest.

Thanks for the input guys.

I'm not much of a beach bum. Well, I enjoy an afternoon at the beach as much as anyone, but to live at the beach? No thanks. It isn't me..

I've read a little bit on Bocas del Toro. Sounds pleasant, but this isn't a type of spot I'd seriously consider moving to, so I'm not even going on this trip. Should I decide to move to Panama, sure, Bocas or Las Lajas would be a spot I'd check out on getaways. But I'll worry about that later, perhaps..



A few follow-up questions:

I'm thinking of taking a bus (or plane -- but probably bus) from Panama City to David early/mid-morning on a Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.

Can I simply show up at the bus depot (or local airport) a little beforehand and buy my ticket to go?

Or is it probably best I purchase it at least a few days in advance?

I realize it probably differs for the bus vs plane.

Does Air Panama stick it to you for last minute bookings?

Thx

I am pretty sure that you can show up to purchase a bus ticket almost anytime before it leaves depending upon seat availablity. Not sure about Air Panama?

Yes, a last-minute bus ticket should be no problem -- but if it were me, I'd still get there 30 minutes in advance. And ditto a last-minute plane ticket to David: also not a problem. Last-minute tickets to and from the more popular islands (Bocas, Contadora) can be a problem, especially on weekends and holidays. But not David. And no, there is no upcharge for last-minute bookings -- just as there is no financial incentive to book in advance. (Well, I suppose if you booked waaaay in advance, you'd protect yourself against fuel-induced price increases.)

OK, back home from 2 weeks in Panama.

Here's my experiences after finding things out on my own regarding what I was curious about before in this thread..


I took a bus from Panama City to David. It takes about 7 hours with a 1/2 hr break kind of half-way in Santiago. Bus was "modernish" & sufficiently comfortable. $12.80 one way. I simply showed up at ~ 5:45 AM one morning and was on the 6:30 AM bus.

About the scenery along the way. It's really nothing special. After the first 50-100km, it's pretty much all the same. Green shrubbery, bus stops, towns that all look pretty much the same. The fact that it rained most of the way from PC to David didn't help.

If/when I go back to Boquete (which I enjoyed more than I anticipated) I would fly to & from David.

I flew back from David to PC on this trip. Ticket was $104 US with Aeroperlas. I booked it 2-3 days in advance.

I don't anticipate any problems getting on a plane if one just showed up midday and purchased a ticket for the same day. There were only 11 passengers on the 48 seat plane I was on from David back to PC.

Thanks for the info dsc and dinner at the head of Einstein. I am planning on doing some further bus touring of the country myself. I have been out to Coronado a couple of times now by bus and it really is so simple. Just show up at the Albrook Terminal and you are on a bus headed in that direction in 10 minutes for 2 dollars, no kidding. It is only 1.5 hours away and you are at the beach. You can get a taxi from the El Rey in Coronado to take you down to a very nice beach a little further down the road and have the taxi pick you up a little later on in the day. It is Soooooo cheap. Just make sure you bring sunscreen, water, beer, and food which you can purchase at El Rey in Coronado so you are not lugging coolers on the bus. Let me know when you are back in town dsc.
Salude