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We recently returned from an amazing week in Panama City, Panama. My family had a great time exploring this somewhat unknown hidden gem destination in Central America. One of the main reasons we chose to visit Panama City was to learn about one of the greatest engineering feats in human history—the construction of the Panama Canal. After visting there myself, I really feel the best way to experience this amazing place is to take a Panama Canal tour. So, I wanted to write a post about the best Panama Canal tour options.
Of course, you can always do a self-guided tour, which is actually what we did. But in this Panama travel post, I’ll share some of the pros and cons of guided Panama Canal tours vs. self-guided tours of the Panama Canal. Short on time? Browse the best Panama Canal tour options and pin this post for later!
Taking A Panama Canal Tour
As with many of the places we’ve visited worldwide, a tour is a good way to learn more about the location and gain important context and details. A Panama Canal tour guide will give you fascinating facts, relevant stories, and valuable insights into the canal that you simply can’t get when touring on your own.
The Panama Canal is one of the modern wonders of the world. It is an engineering marvel that took decades of work, tens of thousands of lives, and multiple countries to build. It stands as a testament to humankind’s ingenuity and collective capability. It’s an educational destination and a great place for families to experience together something that most kids only learn about in schoolbooks.
6 Things We Learned Visting The Panama Canal Visitors Center
Here is a summary of the five main things we learned during our recent trip by visiting the Panama Canal Visitor Center. I will elaborate on these a bit more later in this post!
1. You will most likely see massive ships passing through the locks. You’ll see “mule” trains pull the vessel, and the water levels rise and lower as they move through the locks.
2. It might be hard to hear the person providing narration over the speaker system at the visitor center viewing area. The narration is provided in both Spanish and English, but it was difficult for us to understand.
3. The IMAX movie at the Visitor Center is excellent, and I highly recommend it. It gives a visually stunning overview of historical and modern facts about the Panama Canal.
4. The Panama Canal Visitor Center has a few basic exhibits related to the canal’s history and engineering, but not many. There’s nothing interactive or immersive except the IMAX movie. The Center is more of a viewing deck for ships passing through the locks than a museum. The main Panama Canal Museum is in Casco Viejo or Old Town Panama City.
5. The Panama Canal Visitor Center has a great, inexpensive food court with a decent selection of food and drink. You can also buy popcorn to bring to the movie!
6. There is a great playground right there on the viewing platform. My kids are grown now, but I thought that would have been a really great way to burn off steam and add a little extra fun for little ones.
The Panama Canal Visitor Center
The quickest and easiest way to visit the Panama Canal is by visiting the Panama Canal Miraflores Visitor Center, which is located along the Miraflores Locks. The visitor center is just west of downtown Panama City and can be reached with a 15-minute Uber ride. We found Ubers to be readily available and inexpensive.
Tickets To Panama Canal Visitor Center
The line at the door to purchase tickets was long, so I highly recommend buying tickets online beforehand. You can purchase tickets online and then show them to an attendant at the door. There is a separate line for those who purchased tickets ahead of time or are part of a Panama Canal tour, which is much quicker than the line to buy same-day tickets.
Viewing Decks At The Panama Canal
The majority of the Miraflores Panama Canal Visitors Center’s footprint is made up of viewing decks where you can watch vessels pass through the Miraflores Locks. There is a large area with bleacher-type seating and two other locations where you can stand about 100 feet from the lock. While we were there, we saw three ships pass through.
A narrator spoke overhead in Spanish and English, discussing the lock system and the process of boats moving along the canal. Unfortunately, it was almost impossible to understand what he was saying and we feel we missed out on some of the important background and facts about the canal. There was just a lot of background noise, and the acoustics were muffled.
Exhibits At The Visitor Center
The Panama Canal Visitor Center has several small exhibits set up on kiosks or hanging from walls. These panels explain the canal’s history, describe how it works, and detail the course of ships. There are some neat old photographs of the construction and early personalities involved in the project, as well as diagrams of the waterways and hydraulics. These displays are basic pictures with text, and none are large-scale or especially interactive.
Panama Canal Museum: Museo del Canal Interoceánico de Panamá
If you want to learn more about the history of the Panama Canal construction, there is a museum in Old Town Panama City (Casco Viejo) called Museo del Canal Interoceánico de Panamá. The museum offers a large collection of items. It’s a great destination to add to your Casco Viejo visit and can really help improve your understanding of the Panama Canal history. Tickets are required.
Panama Canal Vistors Center IMAX Movie Theatre
The IMAX movie was a highlight of our visit. Morgan Freeman narrates it, and the film does an excellent job of bringing to life the amazing history and massive scale of the construction project. It also discusses modern technological challenges, impacts on the environment, and cooperation with the indigenous peoples of Panama.
The theatre is large, contemporary, and comfortable. The movie is 45 minutes long. They have screenings every 1-2 hours, and people line up about 20 minutes prior. Most entry tickets include one viewing of the Imax movie. A link to a more detailed description of the movie can be found here.
Food And Drink At The Miraflores Locks Visitors Center
The Panama Canal Visitor Center has a great food court with several food and drink vendors. They sell a variety of American and Panamanian food and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The prices were reasonable. The kids loved getting a big bag of popcorn to take to the IMAX movie.
My Panama Canal Tour Recommendations
To make the most out of your visit, you can book a Panama Canal tour to make your trip both fun and educational! Here are some of the most popular Panama Canal tours on Get Your Guide. We love taking Get Your Guide tours, and our excursions have always been well worth the price. We find their app very easy to use when traveling internationally! All of these tours are rated at least 4.5 stars out of 5 stars and have many positive reviews.
In addition to visiting the Panama City Visitor Center, you can book boat tours where you cruise up the Chagres River and into Gatun Lake, allowing you to see the Panama Canal from the water. We did this when we went to visit Monkey Island Panama, and it was really cool to see the large ships from the water!
Half Day City And Panama Canal Tour
This fun half-day tour includes two hours at the Panama Canal Visitor Center and the remainder spent touring Old Town (Casco Viejo). Hotel pickup and drop-off are included if you’re staying in Panama City. Tickets to the Panama Canal Visitor Center are sold separately.
Panama Canal And Monkey Island Tour
This five-hour tour takes you to the Panama Canal Visitor’s Center and then to Gatun Lake to visit Monkey Island. This is the same company that we booked our Monkey Island Tour with. So, this tour is perfect for families, and we absolutely loved taking a boat tour to Monkey Island in the Panama Canal. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included if you’re staying in Panama City. Tickets to the Panama Canal Visitor’s Center and a boat ride are also included.
Half-Day Panama City And Panama Canal Tour Shared
This five-hour Panama City and Panama Canal tour takes you to the Panama Canal Visitor Center, the Old Town (Casco Viejo), Miraflores, and the Amador Causeway hotels. If you’re staying in Panama City, pickup and drop-off are included. Tickets to the Panama Canal Visitor Center are sold separately.
Frequently Asked Questions About A Panama Canal Tour (FAQ)
I wanted to answer some of the questions we initially asked ourselves. I think these will come in handy whether you are taking a Panama Canal tour vs. visiting the Panama Canal Visitor’s Center on your own.
What’s The Best Way to Get To The Visitor’s Center?
The easiest way to get from Panama City to the Miraflores Visitor Center is to request an Uber. Ubers are plentiful and inexpensive compared to the US. Depending on traffic, the ride will take about 15 minutes. You can also drive if you have a rental car.
TIP: When you start your ride, Uber drivers in Panama will request a 4-digit code from you that will appear in your Uber app. Have that ready when you get into the car.
What’s The Best Time Of Day To See Ships In The Panama Canal?
The morning between 8 am (opening time) and 11 am is a good time to visit because many ships begin their transit early in the morning to maximize daylight hours. This is an ideal time to visit if you want to avoid heat and crowds. You can watch the movie after you view the ships, allowing you to cool off and get a bite to eat.
Likewise, in the afternoon, between 2 pm and 5 pm, is a good time because ships that start their transit in the early morning at the opposite end of the canal (e.g., Atlantic side) arrive at the locks near the Pacific side. If you come during this window, I’d recommend getting there a little earlier and watching the movie first.
How Long Should I Plan To Spend At The Panama Canal?
We spent about two and a half hours in total. We watched the ships for about 45 minutes, ate for about 30 minutes, and then watched the IMAX movie for 45 minutes. The ships move slowly, so if you want to watch a few different ones and watch the film, I would plan for around 3 hours at the Miraflores Visitor’s Center.
How Much Should I Tip My Tour Guide?
If you are happy with your tour, we recommend tipping your tour guide 10% of the total tour price. Be sure to bring cash with you on the tour. Tipping is not always necessary in Panama, but we think it’s a nice gesture, especially on private tours.
Are The Miraflores Locks A Good Panama Canal Cruise Excursion?
I would say yes! Of course, if you are on a Panama Canal cruise, you get the best seat in the house as you navigate this modern wonder of the world. However, you may not always be able to see what’s going on! I think a quick visit would be a great excursion on your Panama Canal cruise stop in Panama City.
And if you aren’t on a Panama Canal cruise but want to be, there are a number of ways to book a boat ride across the canal on a six-hour day trip. This is a great southbound Panama Canal Cruise with lunch, and this is an option for a northbound Panama Canal Cruise with lunch.
What Is The Address Of Panama Canal Miraflores Visitor’s Center?
Here is the physical address and the website for the Panama Canal Miraflores Visitor’s Center:
XCW5+WF2, Panama City, Panamá Oeste Pr ince, Panama
Visiting The Panama Canal
Our visit to the Panama Canal was a lot of fun. It was a great opportunity to make memories as a family while learning about this modern engineering marvel. It’s definitely a “must-do” half-day trip and a major reason to vacation in Panama City. While the Miraflores Visitor Center is okay to do on your own, a better alternative is to take a Panama Canal tour. The guides are very knowledgeable, and it will give you a much more immersive experience.
Book a full-day trip and see the Canal and the Monkey Islands together! On these tours, Panama truly shines, and the country’s natural beauty, friendly people, and breathtaking accomplishments will inspire and impress. We really enjoyed the Panama culture!
More Family Travel Inspiration
If you enjoyed reading about these Panama Canal Tours and seeing my photos from our visit to the Panama Canal, you’ll love my other travel content! If you have big travel on your bucket list but don’t know where you start, you’re in the right place! View all of my travel blog posts here or use the menu to find a specific country. You may enjoy these posts:
- Rome Colosseum Tips
- Is The Louvre Overrated?
- Top Tours in Athens
- Venice Boat Tours
- The Ancient Roman Baths
- Sugarloaf Mountain Rio
- Amsterdam Canal Cruises
- Visiting Fiji With Teens
- Sea Lion Swimming in Lima
- Bruges Canal Cruises
PIN: Panama Canal Tour Options For Later
