←Panama travel guide
Panamá Province, Panama
Panama City
Where the canal meets a glittering modern skyline
ArchitectureCultureHistory & HeritageNightlife
Panama City is Central America's most cosmopolitan capital, where gleaming towers rise above the Pacific coast and the iconic canal reshapes the horizon. Its cobblestoned colonial quarter, Casco Viejo, sits in vivid contrast to the banking district just minutes away.
Check Panama visa requirements →
Best time to visit
Dry season (December to April)
Region
Panamá Province
Main airport
Panama City PTY (PTY)
Discover
Top Things to Do in Panama City
UNESCO World HeritageHistory
Casco Viejo
Casco Viejo is Panama City's historic quarter, founded in 1673 after the original city was destroyed by the privateer Henry Morgan, and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Cobblestone streets wind past pastel facades in Spanish colonial, French neoclassical, and Art Nouveau styles, with plazas anchored by the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Church of San Jose, famous for its gilded baroque altar. The neighbourhood is one of the most architecturally distinctive in the Americas.
UNESCO World HeritageHistory
Beyond the City
Day Trips from Panama City
History
Panama Canal and Miraflores Locks
The Panama Canal is one of the great engineering feats of the twentieth century, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans across a 77-kilometre waterway and reshaping global maritime trade since it opened in 1914. At the Miraflores Locks, visitors watch oceangoing vessels being raised and lowered between sea levels from a four-storey observation centre with interactive exhibits and galleries. Roughly 17,500 ships pass through the canal each year, making the spectacle of a freighter navigating the lock chambers a genuinely memorable one.
Culture
Guna Yala (San Blas Islands)
Guna Yala is a semi-autonomous Indigenous comarca comprising around 400 low-lying coral islands strung along Panama's Caribbean coast, governed and largely managed by the Guna people. The islands are largely free of resort development, offering palm-fringed beaches, translucent water over live reef, and the chance to encounter Guna traditions including the intricate hand-stitched textile art known as molas. Visitors stay in simple family-run huts and explore by dugout canoe or small boat.
Wise
Your bank marks up every USD you spend in Panama. Wise doesn't.
- No foreign transaction fees
- Free ATM withdrawals up to your limit
- Pay in local currency at the real rate
4.8 ★ App Store·4.8 ★ Google Play
Airalo eSIM
Your phone plan was built for home. This one was built for Panama.
- No SIM swapping
- No data roaming charges
- Active in minutes
4.7 ★ App Store·4.6 ★ Google Play
Plan Your Trip
Getting Around Panama City
Tours, stays, transfers, and flights — curated partner options are on the way.
Tours & Activities
Skip-the-line tickets, guided tours, and day experiences — curated partner options are on the way.
Coming soonWhere to Stay
Hotels, apartments, and guesthouses across every neighbourhood — booking options are on the way.
Coming soonAirport Transfers
Private and shared rides between the airport and the city centre — partner options are on the way.
Coming soonFlights
Compare fares from hundreds of airlines to find the best route in — search options are on the way.
Coming soonTravel Guide
Frequently Asked Questions About Visiting Panama
Entry requirements vary by passport. Check the requirements for your specific passport on the Panama page at Yoogo.
Panama uses the US dollar as its official currency, alongside the Panamanian balboa, which is pegged at parity and exists mainly as coins. Credit and debit cards are widely accepted in Panama City and tourist areas, though smaller towns and islands such as Guna Yala operate almost entirely on cash.
Panama is considered one of the more stable countries in Central America, and tourist areas such as Casco Viejo, El Cangrejo, and the Amador Causeway have a visible police presence. Petty theft including pickpocketing and bag snatching occurs in crowded areas, so standard precautions around valuables apply, particularly in busy markets and on public transport.
Panama City has an air-conditioned metro and an affordable MiBus network, supplemented by taxis and ride-sharing apps such as Uber and DiDi. Long-distance buses depart from the Albrook terminal to most provinces, while remote areas such as Bocas del Toro and Guna Yala rely on water taxis and small boats as the primary means of transport.
The dry season from December to April brings reliably sunny weather and is the most popular period for visiting beaches and the Panama Canal. The green season from May to November sees afternoon rainfall but offers lush landscapes, fewer crowds, and lower prices, with mornings generally remaining clear.
Spanish is the official and dominant language throughout Panama. English is spoken fairly widely in Panama City, particularly in hotels, restaurants, and tourist-facing businesses, but outside the capital and major tourist hubs knowledge of basic Spanish is a practical advantage.
No vaccinations are mandatory for most visitors, though a yellow fever certificate is required if arriving from certain countries in Africa or South America. The CDC recommends being up to date on routine vaccinations and considers hepatitis A, typhoid, and yellow fever for travellers visiting rural or jungle areas such as Darien Province or Guna Yala.
Tipping is appreciated and customary in Panama, with ten per cent standard in restaurants, where a propina charge is sometimes added automatically to the bill. Hotel porters, tour guides, and taxi drivers also welcome a tip, though it is not obligatory.
Panama has two main mobile operators, Tigo and Mas Movil (formerly Claro), with reliable 4G LTE coverage across most tourist destinations and urban areas. International eSIM providers including Airalo offer data plans for Panama running on these local networks, making it straightforward to arrange connectivity before departure.