🇵🇦 Panama

10 best places in Panama City

Panama runs on the US dollar, skips taxes on foreign-earned income, and puts an ocean view thirty minutes from rainforest - a combination that has made it a magnet for logistics, banking, and remote-work expats. A high-rise apartment here can cost less than a studio in Miami.

Sight

Casco Viejo

A UNESCO-listed colonial quarter of pastel facades and crumbling church ruins with skyscraper views across the bay.

Sight

Panama Viejo

The ruins of the first European city on the Pacific coast of the Americas, sacked by pirate Henry Morgan in 1671.

Museum

Biomuseo

Frank Gehry's riotously colorful building explains how the rise of the Panama isthmus reshaped ecosystems worldwide.

Museum

Panama Canal Museum

Housed in a historic Casco Viejo building, tracing a century of engineering and politics behind the canal.

Park

Parque Natural Metropolitano

The only tropical rainforest inside a capital city, home to sloths and toucans just minutes from downtown.

Park

Cinta Costera

A waterfront promenade and park along the bay where the city jogs, skates, and watches the sunset.

Café

Café Unido

The country's flagship roaster pours Panamanian Geisha sourced direct from dozens of Chiriquí highland farms.

Café

Casa Sucre Coffeehouse

A cozy Casco Viejo coffeehouse serving specialty beans from Boquete inside a colonial courtyard setting.

Restaurant

Maito

One of the country's best-known restaurants, reimagining Panamanian ingredients through a modern tasting menu.

Restaurant

Mercado de Mariscos

A no-frills seafood market with waterfront stalls serving ceviche as fresh as the boats it comes off.

FAQ

Best time to visit Panama City?

The dry season runs from around mid December to mid April and is the easiest time for the city and the beaches. The rest of the year rain mostly falls in the afternoon and rarely ruins a day, with fewer crowds and cheaper hotels. It is hot and humid year round, so pack light clothes regardless.

Is Panama City safe?

The visitor areas - Casco Viejo, Marbella, Punta Paitilla, Obarrio - are generally calm and busy in the evening. Some neighbourhoods right next to Casco Viejo have a bad reputation, so ask locally where the edges are and skip walking after dark. Taxis and ride hailing are cheap and solve most of it.

How many days in Panama City?

Three or four days cover Casco Viejo, the Panama Viejo ruins, the Biomuseo and the canal locks. Add a day for Metropolitan Park or a trip to the islands and the Caribbean side. The city has a metro, unusual for the region, and it genuinely saves time in the traffic.

Is Panama good for relocation?

Panama is one of the more popular relocation targets, thanks to the dollar economy, territorial taxation and a developed banking sector. Residency routes include the Friendly Nations programme and the pensioner visa, though conditions were tightened in recent years. Amounts and paperwork requirements change, so verify the current rules with a local lawyer.