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We recently took a week-long family vacation in Panama City, Panama. I planned this trip on a whim over Thanksgiving break because I wanted to visit a warm location that was a bit off the beaten path. Our family loved our time in Panama, and I have written a few blog posts from this trip. But, today, I want to specifically talk about some of the fun things to do in Panama City Panama.
It turned out to be a really good choice for a week-long family vacation, blending nature with history and balancing the bustling big city with the tranquil rainforest. The best part was that it felt like a “big international trip” but without the jet lag!
Top Things To Do In Panama City Panama
Panama City is not on most Americans’ lists of top tropical destinations—but it should be! It’s a welcoming, affordable, English-speaking city with family-friendly things to do for every age. Additionally, Panama City is a fairly short flight from most major US hubs, and the tropical environment makes it a great beach vacation spot almost year-round. And there are so many fun things to do in Panama City, Panama for all types of travelers.
I think you will be impressed with the modern cityscape in Panama City! It reminded me a bit of Miami!
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Panama City, Panama vs. Panama City Beach, Florida
This post is about things to do in Panama City, Panama. I’m talking about the city in Central America, not Panama City Beach in Florida, USA. However, if you’re looking for content about Panama City Beach, you’re in luck because I live near there and have tons of that content as well.
Click here for Things To Do In Panama City Beach, Florida!
Visiting Panama City, Panama
There are a lot of fun things to do in Panama City, Panama, and the surrounding area. Of course, you want to see the Panama Canal, but there are also tons of beach-related water activities, urban exploration, museums, and even jungle excursions.
Most of these places are accessible by guided tours that eliminate the stress of planning and organizing the experience. These tours are the single best way to maximize your time and learn the most from your travel experience. We love taking Get Your Guide tours and have enjoyed them all over the world. These tours are definitely the best way for families with kids to design a fun, educational, low-stress, and memorable travel itinerary.
Top 10: List Of Things To Do In Panama City Panama
The most popular family-oriented trips and things to do in Panama City Panama generally include the following:
- See The Panama Canal
- Visit Monkey Island
- Tour the Sloth Sanctuary
- Explore Old Town Panama City (Casco Viejo)
- Go on a Bike tour of Casco Viejo
- Go to Embera Indian Village
- Take a Catamaran to Taboga Island
- Take a boat trip to the San Blas Islands
- Visit Parque Metropolitano (Metro Park)
- Explore Different Museums
In this post, I’ll share more about each of these options and provide links to popular, highly rated tours. I’ll also offer first-hand tips and practical guidance to ensure you have the absolute best time when trying different things to do in Panama City Panama.
Why Take Tours In Panama City, Panama?
We love taking guided tours because they make the most memorable experiences for the family during any trip we take. Whether visiting the Colosseum in Rome [LINK] or swimming with sea lions in Peru [LINK], tours are a great way to fully engage with the moment and immerse yourself in the best parts of wherever you are visiting. Tours in Panama City can be educational and inspiring for young minds. Our kids’ best memories of any trip are always the tours we took.
The Best Things To Do In Panama City Panama
Here’s my highlight list of the best things to do in Panama City, Panama, along with my number one choice for tours. I’ve selected these tours based on their popularity and high star rating. As with all tours, be sure to read the tour description page carefully, as each tour has a different meeting point, duration, and amenities.
#1 See The Panama Canal
The world-famous Panama Canal is a major tourist draw in Panama City. Our family really enjoyed watching the massive container ships slowly move through the various locks. At the Miraflores Visitor Center, you can watch a wonderful IMAX movie that highlights the size, complexity, and history of the project.
We wrote an entire post about visiting the Panama Canal that you can read here: Our Visit To The Panama Canal. If you are interested in visiting the Panama Canal yourself, here’s a popular guided tour that takes you to the Miraflores Visitor Center and gives you unprecedented education and access to this amazing engineering marvel.
Guided Tour: Half Day City and Panama Canal Tour
#2 Visit Monkey Island in Lake Gatun
Our family of four took a tour of Monkey Island and absolutely loved it! This tour was each member of our family’s favorite memory during the entire trip, so I wrote a separate post about it here: Visiting Monkey Island Near Panama City.
We took a van to the Gamboa Rainforest reserve and then hopped on a small boat that went into Gatun Lake and out to a series of islands. These lakes are the home of different types of species of monkeys like Howlers, Capuchin, and Geoffroy’s Tamarin. The monkeys will eat treats right out of your hand while your boat parks near the shoreline!
Guided Tour: Monkey Island Boat Tour
#3 Tour the Rain Forest, Sloth Sanctuary, And Butterfly Garden
Visiting Central America is a great way to learn more about its rainforest ecosystem. There are a few tours that will help you channel your inner biologist and transport you into the heart of this beautiful biome. This tour takes you onto Gatun Lake to see the flora and fauna of the rainforest firsthand. After that, you’ll go to the Sloth Sanctuary to see these cute creatures in their natural habitat. You’ll also visit a butterfly farm, an orchid center, and a frog pond in the jungle. What an amazing learning experience!
Guided Tour: Gamboa Rainforest Guided Tour with Lunch
#4 Walk Around Old Town Panama City (Casco Viejo)
Old Town (Or Old Quarter) Panama City (also called Casco Antiguo or Casco Viejo) is the original city settlement. It is now a trendy historic district filled with old Spanish buildings, gorgeous architecture, museums, restaurants, shops, and nightclubs. Make sure to read our Casco Viejo guide!
This area is a must-see location during your visit, and you may want to consider staying here due to its walkability and activity. We loved walking around here, taking pictures, and grabbing lunch at a nice restaurant. And this area has a lot of fun restaurants with great aesthetics!
Some excellent walking tours of Casco Viejo take you through the streets and alleyways of this magical neighborhood to find hidden gems like churches, landmarks, and murals. You’ll also see sweeping views of the bay. On these walking tours, you’ll enjoy a small group environment and learn about the historical roots of Panama City and its culture.
Guided Tour: Legends and Hidden Gems of Casco Viejo Tour
#5 Take A Bike Tour Of Casco Viejo
Another fun way to explore the Old Town of Panama City (Casco Viejo) is on wheels! There are a few excellent bike tours that look really fun for families who want an energetic, fast-paced way to see the District and learn about its history. These tours typically have hybrid or mountain-type bikes with e-bikes available for an extra fee if you don’t (or can’t) want to pedal manually.
Check the tour description, but usually, entrance fees to major sites like churches and a museum are also included. Most tours require you to be 11 or over, so this is great for families with older children.
Guided Tour: Highlights Bike Tour in Casco Viejo & Cinta Costera
#6 Go to Embera Indian Village
One of the absolutely most popular things to do in Panama City is to take a tour of the Embera Indian Village. You’ll go north of Panama City by van and then take a canoe trip up the Chagres River to an indigenous Indian village. Along the way, you’ll have a chance to swim near a beautiful waterfall.
At the village, you’ll learn about Indian culture and sample an amazing selection of traditional foods. You’ll meet the locals and see how they live their lives. And you can even buy tribe-made arts and crafts or get your body painted! What an adventurous and educational memory for the whole family!
Guided Tour: Embera Indian Village & Waterfall Tour & Lunch
#7 Take A Catamaran To Taboga Island
At the midpoint of our trip, Matt and I let the kids have a chill day at the hotel and took a catamaran tour to Taboga Island. It was so much fun! The tour included drinks and lunch and lasted all day.
It’s an incredible way to see the gorgeous Pacific Ocean, sail past massive container ships entering the Panama Canal, and appreciate the lush tropical biodiversity of the rainforest. This cruise takes you across the open water until you reach Taboga Island.
Taboga Island is idyllic and filled with dozens of small places to eat local food and many small vendors selling local arts and crafts. It feels like a little island in the South Pacific. You can swim near the beach, listen to music, dance, or just enjoy the warm climate in a fun, energetic environment. A chicken, rice, and bean lunch was served. I would recommend this tour for adults and teenagers only.
Guided Tour: Taboga Island Catamaran Cruise with Lunch & Open Bar
#8 Take A Boat Trip To San Blas Islands
This tour is a 14-hour full-day trip, so I wasn’t sure if I should include it. But it has so many great reviews and looks so fun that I added it to my list. We almost did this tour but decided not to because of the length. This is probably a better option for couples traveling without kids.
This excursion takes you far northeast of Panama City and into the Caribbean Sea to visit a chain of islands called the San Blas Islands. To get there, you’ll drive 2.5 hours in an SUV through windy, rugged jungle roads.
Once you reach the Atlantic waters, your adventure takes you by boat to three separate tropical islands. You’ll relax on the beach, swim, snorkel over a shipwreck, and see amazing fish and other sea creatures. It’s a picturesque tropical adventure where blue waters and emerald-green palm trees make you feel lost in another world.
Guided Tour: San Blas Island Hopping Day Tour
#9 Visit Parque Metropolitano (Metro Park)
We went to Parque Metropolitano and had a blast walking its gorgeous trails. It’s a large park located in the city, about a 10-minute drive from the waterfront. It’s a giant urban rainforest where you can hike along trails, trek through the lush jungle, and ascend a hill to an overlook above the city.
They have a fantastic little visitor’s center with super helpful staff who even had a telescope to show us a sloth in the nearby trees! Along the walk, we saw leafcutter ants, a curious and hungry White-Nosed Coati, a cute little Central American Agouti, lots of turtles, and tons of beautiful flowers. It was a fun 1.5-hour hiking trip and an inexpensive and low-stress way to make a great memory for the whole family.
Tickets are affordable at $5 per adult and $3 per child (international tourist) and can be purchased at the park’s Visitor’s Center. You can certainly walk in the park on your own, as we did. But if you want a more immersive experience, having a guide with animal sighting skills may be helpful! You can book tours on their website.
Guided Tour: Metropolitan Park Trail Tour
#10 Explore Different Museums
Another one of the many things to do in Panama City, Panama, is to take the whole family to explore a museum. These make a great 1-3 hour side trip during your vacation itinerary. Here are my top picks:
Biomuseo
This colorful museum was designed by the world-famous architect Frank Gehry and has exhibits in both English and Spanish. The various displays include multimedia, sculptures, fossils, aquariums, and other things that discuss Panama’s geological formation and its ecosystem. The museum focuses on the need for biodiversity in order to preserve all forms of life. There’s a gorgeous garden around the museum, as well.
Biomuseo is a great place to visit for those with younger kids. Some tours, like the one below, include a stop at both the Panama Canal Museum and Biomuseo, which I think would be an amazing way to get the most out of both places.
Guided Tour: Canal Museum and Biomuseo Guided Tour
Museo Panama Viejo
One of the more educational things to do in Panama City, Panama, is to visit Museo Panama Viejo. This archeological park and small museum are located just northeast of downtown along the coast. There’s a large park filled with ruins where you can walk around and a small history museum.
The museum details the Spanish settlement of Central America and has large dioramas and models of early settlements. It focuses on daily colonial life with digital displays, reenactment movies, and life-sized room models. Tickets can be purchased at the door.
Panama Canal Museum (Museo del Canal Interoceánico de Panamá)
The Panama Canal Museum is located in Casco Viejo. If you’re interested in the Panama Canal, it’s a must-see. It actually has a lot more information and history about the Panama Canal than the Visitors Center at the Miraflores locks. This museum has tons of exhibits, displays, models, artifacts, and other things that focus on the history, construction, and development of the Panama Canal. Exhibits are in both English and Spanish.
It takes about 1-2 hours to experience. The Panama Canal Museum is a great place for families to visit while they are in the Old Quarter. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.
Things To Do In Panama City Panama: Tips And Lessons Learned
I wanted to share some things we learned while taking tours and trying out different things to do in Panama City, Panama. Hopefully, these practical tips will make your Central American travel planning a bit easier.
Read The Tour Description
If you plan to book a guided tour in Panama City, Panama, read the tour description carefully and make sure you understand the specifics. Each tour description will list where the pickup point is. Some tours will pick you up from your hotel, and others require you to get to a meeting point. Look for any restrictions, especially age requirements. Some tours have a surcharge for special things like boat travel or building entrance fees.
Also, make sure the duration fits your group’s ability. We usually limit ourselves to one or two of the longer tours (5+ hours) per vacation because they can be mentally and physically demanding for everyone. Some tours require you to bring your passport. We forgot ours on one tour, and luckily, it didn’t end up being a problem.
Bring Cash To Tip
Bring cash with you on the tour so you can tip your tour guide at the end. It’s not required in Panama, but always a good gesture, especially on private guided tours. If you have good service, we recommend 10-15% of the total tour price as a tip. Most guides cannot process credit card or digital payments, so make sure to have cash handy. They use United States dollars in Panama.
Uber Is Easy To Use
We found Uber to be easy to use and reliable. We stayed downtown and were able to get our Ubers almost immediately. Traffic can be bad during rush hour, so factor in extra time early or late in the day. Uber will send you a four-digit code in the app that drivers will ask for at the start of the ride, so be sure to have that ready. Overall, the fares were a lot less than in the US.
Consider Staying In Casco Viejo Or Downtown
With all of our family trips, we prioritize walkability! You want to stay close to where the action is, so you don’t have to take an Uber everywhere. We liked staying downtown at the Waldorf Astoria Panama City but were surprised to find that many of the restaurants and clubs nearby were closed or had very few people. It was a little slower than we had imagined.
There is a nice paved walking trail (Cinta Costera) along the harbor that Matt and Abby enjoyed running along one day. I would recommend staying in Casco Viejo if you are traveling with kids. The area is packed with things to do and has a lot more activity and easy walkability to markets, restaurants, shops, and museums.
Panama City Travel Was Convenient
I was pleasantly surprised with how easy and convenient Panama travel was. In a lot of ways, it’s easier than European travel. Central America uses the same power standards, so you won’t need to use outlet adaptors. Panama is in the Eastern time zone, so jet lag is non-existent, and communication back home is easy. We had good internet everywhere we went (except in the remote jungle).
Overall, the prices in the very touristy parts of Panama City were consistent with prices in the US, but in less touristy places, the prices are much more affordable.
READ: My Top Tips For International Travel
Plan Your Trip To Panama City, Panama
We had an amazing time finding things to do in Panama City, Panama. The country was welcoming, and the people were friendly. We enjoyed trying local Panamanian food and marveled at the rugged natural beauty of the coast and mountains. The tropical rainforest was an exotic and foreign world filled with incredible flora and fauna.
It’s a great place for families to gain initial exposure to Central America. We recommend taking a few guided tours as there are so many things to do and see, and around every turn, there is a new memory to make and cherish.
You can read all of my Panama Travel blog posts here!
You May Also Enjoy
If you like to travel to unique destinations around the world, you’ll love my other travel blog posts! Here are just some of the coolest places we have been over the past few years and links to my posts about them! And coming up, we have family trips planned to Paris, Malta, Barcelona, and the south of France, so make sure to follow along on Instagram via the links at the end of this post.
- Fiji Islands
- Camogli, Italy
- Lima, Peru
- Bruges, Belgium
- Bath, England
- Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
- Antibes, France
- Salzburg, Austria
- Rome, Italy
PIN: Things To Do In Panama City Panama
