Thread: First time visitors to Panama City

I highly recommend getting in touch with Judy at EasyTravelPanama before your first visit to Panama City. She offers a variety of nice options for pickup at the airport and personalized tours of the city.

I have also written an article that might help with your first trip, especially if you are continuing on to David or Boquete...

http://boquetelots.com/Articles.html

Enjoy!

Hi Gordon, that is correct. It is cheaper if you actually ask for "Corporate Rate" and you do not have to prove anything. I forgot how much you save but it is something.

That's a great tip! I sure hope no one pays "rack rate" but sometimes it's hard to find one of my "discount" rates in some hotel's rate list. When all else fails, I ask for my AAA discount and usually that helps except when they tell you that their "special" is cheaper than AAA.

In no particular order...

• Casco Viejo (colonial quarter)
• Amador Causeway (retreat from the incessant energy of the city)
• Miraflores Locks (Panama Canal visitors center)
• Las Bóvedas (Casco Viejo's seawall promenade)
• Ancon Hill (sweeping panoramic views of city)
• Metropolitan Natural Park (where nature and urbanism collide)
• Pedestrianized shopping strip (Central Ave's people-watching mecca)
• Balboa Ave. (scenic drive that merges views of bay and city skyline)
• Panama Canal and Bay cruises
• El Cangrejo (commercial nerve center of the city)
• Calle 50 (international banking center)
• Calle Uruguay (nightlife nerve center of the city)
• Panama Canal Railway (See tropical rainforest by train)
• Barro Colorado (island home to Smithsonian Tropical Research Institue)
• Gamboa Rainforest Resort
• Shopping Malls: Albrook (at internal bus/air terminal), Multicentro (Paitilla), Multiplaza (Punta Pacifica)

All in all, Panama City itself isn't really much of an attraction in my opinion. Casco Viejo is nice (during the daytime) and the Panama Canal is interesting for a one time tour but the city is sorely lacking in cool places to just hang out.

There is a nice park in Punta Paitilla by the ocean that can be a relaxing diversion. I find Panama's charm is best on display outside the city in places like Bocas Del Toro and Isla Grande. Isla Coiba and Isla Contadorra are also awesome to visit.

I have lived in Panama now for over 1.5 years and I have never felt any danger... but I also live in a relatively nice neighborhood in the downtown / Avenida Balboa area.

Originally Posted by panamaoffshorelegal

All in all, Panama City itself isn't really much of an attraction in my opinion. Casco Viejo is nice (during the daytime) and the Panama Canal is interesting for a one time tour but the city is sorely lacking in cool places to just hang out.

There is a nice park in Punta Paitilla by the ocean that can be a relaxing diversion. I find Panama's charm is best on display outside the city in places like Bocas Del Toro and Isla Grande. Isla Coiba and Isla Contadorra are also awesome to visit.

I have lived in Panama now for over 1.5 years and I have never felt any danger... but I also live in a relatively nice neighborhood in the downtown / Avenida Balboa area.

What people would or would not like about Panama, or any other place for that matter, is largely dependent upon the personal taste of the individual. Those who have a preference for nature and the outdoors will share your views. Those - like myself - who prefer the urban energy of cities will find Panama City stimulating and charming. There are lots of cool places to hang-out in Panama City.

In Casco Viejo, there are plazas, Bolivar, Centenario, Francia and the Las Bovedas seawall prominade, where one can enjoy sweeping views of the bay, causeway and the spectacular skyline. In Santa Ana/Calidonia one can stroll and people-watch at the pedestrianized shopping strip and rest at Plaza 5 de Mayo. In El Cangrejo one can stroll the commercial center of Via España; gamble at the El Panama Hotel casino, or hang-out at Plaza Concordia. The El Dorado Shopping center and area is also a fun place to hang-out. If you enjoy night life there are cabarets, discotheques and clubs all over town, particularly on Calle Uruguay.

The point is, anyone who likes city life would enjoy Panama City. Granted it's not in the same league with Las Vegas or New York City, but if I may quote The Rough Guide's Central America, "Few cities in Latin America can match the diversity, cosmopolitanism and sheer energy of Panama City.".

I have to admit the longer I am in Panama City the more it is growing on me. I enjoy walking and as long as you really watch where you are going this really is a fun city to explore on foot. I accidentally walked through the Bella Vista barrio tonight, really beautiful. The city really does have a heart and soul, very metro for a city of it's size. People seem fairly friendly and I feel fairly safe walking at night. Always be aware of your surroundings of course.

Originally Posted by Panamax

What people would or would not like about Panama, or any other place for that matter, is largely dependent upon the personal taste of the individual. Those who have a preference for nature and the outdoors will share your views. Those - like myself - who prefer the urban energy of cities will find Panama City stimulating and charming. There are lots of cool places to hang-out in Panama City.

In Casco Viejo, there are plazas, Bolivar, Centenario, Francia and the Las Bovedas seawall prominade, where one can enjoy sweeping views of the bay, causeway and the spectacular skyline. In Santa Ana/Calidonia one can stroll and people-watch at the pedestrianized shopping strip and rest at Plaza 5 de Mayo. In El Cangrejo one can stroll the commercial center of Via España; gamble at the El Panama Hotel casino, or hang-out at Plaza Concordia. The El Dorado Shopping center and area is also a fun place to hang-out. If you enjoy night life there are cabarets, discotheques and clubs all over town, particularly on Calle Uruguay.

The point is, anyone who likes city life would enjoy Panama City. Granted it's not in the same league with Las Vegas or New York City, but if I may quote The Rough Guide's Central America, "Few cities in Latin America can match the diversity, cosmopolitanism and sheer energy of Panama City.".

Well I come from living in Toronto and Montreal in Canada and I enjoy the city lifestyle as much as anyone.

I am not going to butter up Panama City and say that it is world class when it simply isn't.

Raw sewage drains into the Ocean right in the best part of the city making it stink to high heavens. Driving is a nightmare at best... public transit virtually non existent except for some pollution spewing school buses that were obviously bought on the cheap from North America and re-painted.

Panama City has charm and some great eating... clubs are a fun time but day in day out getting around Panama City is a chore even as a pedestrian not driving.

And Casco Viejo is only a shell of what it could be with some investment. You want to see what it should really look like go to Cartagena in Columbia.

There are some trade-offs but at least you can spit and it doesn't freeze before it hits the ground, like Canada. I have been in Montreal in Feb and everybody is to busy trying to keep warm and unable to enjoy the city. Just curiously, can you feel safe walking around downtown Cartagena at night as a tourist?

Canada may be cold sometimes, but we're tough!

You don't have much choice when you live there. Middle of the winter is survival mode, LOL.

Originally Posted by panamaoffshorelegal

Well I come from living in Toronto and Montreal in Canada and I enjoy the city lifestyle as much as anyone.

I am not going to butter up Panama City and say that it is world class when it simply isn't.

Raw sewage drains into the Ocean right in the best part of the city making it stink to high heavens. Driving is a nightmare at best... public transit virtually non existent except for some pollution spewing school buses that were obviously bought on the cheap from North America and re-painted.

Panama City has charm and some great eating... clubs are a fun time but day in day out getting around Panama City is a chore even as a pedestrian not driving.

If Panama City is the %$&*-@#!% you purport it to be, what in heaven's name are you doing there, serving a prison sentence?! Despite it's drawbacks, which all cities have (even Paris), Panama City is - by Latin American standards - as world-class as any other. I'll concede the bayfront stench, but driving is a nightmare (gridlock, reckless drivers) in Manhattan (NYC) and that doesn't make it any less than world-class.

LOL. The eternal arguement... "What's the best place in the world to live" My wife and I have lived in 8 towns and cities with populations ranging from 800 to 16 million+ and have heard the same discussions (?) many times. Wherever we've lived, we've found the good the bad and the ugly. Paradise for some of friends is living in the security of a high rise bunker. Paradise for others is basically as far away from other people as possible in areas with few amenities. So look for the good , shake your head at the bad and try to fix up the ugly if you can.. Panama, Paris and Montreal all have plenty of the good, the bad and the ugly.

Originally Posted by Panamax

If Panama City is the #$%&-@#$% you purport it to be, what in heaven's name are you doing there, serving a prison sentence?! ...

He is expressing an opinion that a lot of people share--as for me, I tend to like cities. Could we please refrain from swearing a bit?

Thanks!

I have edited the language in both places, I apologize for not doing so before. You are correct Lalaguayaba this is not a place to use profanity. I do not believe there is an ongoing flame war, I hope? We can disagree though.

Originally Posted by Panamax

If Panama City is the %$&*-@#!% you purport it to be, what in heaven's name are you doing there, serving a prison sentence?! Despite it's drawbacks, which all cities have (even Paris), Panama City is - by Latin American standards - as world-class as any other. I'll concede the bayfront stench, but driving is a nightmare (gridlock, reckless drivers) in Manhattan (NYC) and that doesn't make it any less than world-class.

Panama has a lot of advantages for business and outside the city some beautiful places to visit.

Yes, Canada is cold! After 30 years of winters I want to live somewhere hot.

I don't dislike Panama or it's people but I won't turn a blind eye to it's problems either.

I'm not looking to fight anybody. I left Toronto and Montreal so obviously they didn't have everything I needed either

All in all I'm glad some people got angry about my posts...at the very least it shows that there are people here who care about the city.

If you see someone throwing garbage on the ground tell them it's wrong.

Originally Posted by PanamaPat

• Panama Canal (Miraflores Locks)
• Parque Metropolitano (rainforest walk, 2-3 hours)
• Casco Viejo (Old City Center)
• Colon Free Zone (go there by train)
• Shopping or Real Estate tour (depending on your interests)
• El Valle de Anton (handicrafts market, waterfalls, hot springs)

Is the Colon Free Zone that big a deal to see?

From reading elsewhere, I've heard that it's not really set up for sales to individuals (mostly wholesalers) or if you do manage to get something for an OK price, it's really not that different from a big-box store in US/Canada.

Then, of course, there is the whole safety issue in Colon.

I think I'll give the Free Zone a skip when I'm down in a few weeks..

Good choice. Instead, go to one of the Pacific beaches (El Palmar, Playa Blanca, etc.) on your way to or from El Valle.

I have heard that the big bargain to be had in the Free Zone is on clothes. Electronic equip does not come with a warranty from "the zone" but clothes are and excellent, and relatively safe, purchase.

Originally Posted by dsc

Is the Colon Free Zone that big a deal to see?

From reading elsewhere, I've heard that it's not really set up for sales to individuals (mostly wholesalers) or if you do manage to get something for an OK price, it's really not that different from a big-box store in US/Canada.

Then, of course, there is the whole safety issue in Colon.

I think I'll give the Free Zone a skip when I'm down in a few weeks..

I recommend people to the Las Vegas Hotel suites. $50/night, basic, decent, good location, fridge, make sure to ask for the corporate rate.

It used to be that the Las Vegas would give the corporate rate to anyone who checked the box on their form (web or paper). However, someone who recently (two weeks ago) made a reservation there told me it's no more -- they demand to see proof of a genuine corporation. He could not get the lower rate. Now, I don't know what constitutes proof...

Originally Posted by PanamaPat

• Panama Canal (Miraflores Locks)
• Parque Metropolitano (rainforest walk, 2-3 hours)
• Casco Viejo (Old City Center)
• Colon Free Zone (go there by train)
• Shopping or Real Estate tour (depending on your interests)
• El Valle de Anton (handicrafts market, waterfalls, hot springs)

Thanks for the great list, do any of these places charge an admission fee to walk through and look around?

Hi GeekZ, Parque Metropolitano has an entry fee of $2 for visitors and $1 for locals.

Originally Posted by 0lgi

I would really love to visit Panama. Anybody knows what may be the cost please for a ticket from Europe ? (Airplane Ticket of course ) and also do we need a visa in order to enter (I'm from Albania)

Which part of Europe are you travelling from so I can find out the price of the ticket.s From the U.K it was around 700 sterling last time I checked.

I just returned to the US after a five week tour of Panama including ten days in Panama City where I stayed in the Hotel Milan. I think the Milan is a good combo of value and convenience. The location on Ave Morales in El Congrejo is great. The whole property is clean, the staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and the little restaurant attached is worthy. Ask for Ana, the asst mgr, a lovely lady with excellent english. The Wine Bar at H. Las Vegas is just down the street, the Istmo brew pub across the street, El Trapeche restaurant around the corner, Gray&Co atty's for immigration and real estate just down the street.

Originally Posted by memax

I just returned to the US after a five week tour of Panama including ten days in Panama City where I stayed in the Hotel Milan. I think the Milan is a good combo of value and convenience. The location on Ave Morales in El Congrejo is great. The whole property is clean, the staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and the little restaurant attached is worthy. Ask for Ana, the asst mgr, a lovely lady with excellent english. The Wine Bar at H. Las Vegas is just down the street, the Istmo brew pub across the street, El Trapeche restaurant around the corner, Gray&Co atty's for immigration and real estate just down the street.

What did you think of the Wine Bar?

I visited the wine bar several times and enjoyed each one. It is a place to take a date, has live music from various local artists from blues to R&B to R&R. Has more by the glass wine selections than I have seen outside the US.

The menu is mostly Italian (same owners as Pomodoro across the street). I like flan and they have the old Mexican-type as cream de caramel that's almost chewy. If you are not already a South American wine enthusiast, this is a good place to become one.

Cheers,
Tom

If you like to be adventurous and are planning to visit Panama, you can go to "Darien National Park" which has a thick forest with a lot of trees all over the region. It is truly wild and nature-dense region which is heaven for adventurers, birders and nature lovers.