Casco Viejo
The restored colonial quarter, its iron balconies, and the modern skyline facing it.
Duration
2 hrs 30 min – 4 hrs
Best time
Late afternoon
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
Casco Viejo was founded in 1673, after the pirate Henry Morgan razed the first city of Panamá two years earlier. The new site was chosen on an easily defended peninsula, and it was walled.
The quarter decayed for decades before a restoration begun in the 2000s, still uneven: restored fronts stand next to propped-up ruins. The Bóvedas walk, along the old ramparts, looks out over the bay and the modern skyline — the contrast between the two Panamás fits into one glance.
Getting there
At the city's south-west tip. Twenty minutes by taxi from the business district; walking from Calidonia is not advised.
Rules on site
The restoration is uneven: a few streets on the northern edge remain difficult, and the boundary is not marked. Stay on the busy streets, and take a taxi in and out in the evening.
Other places in Panama City
- Miraflores LocksContainer ships lifted twenty-six metres, a few metres from the viewing deck.
- Metropolitan Natural ParkTwo hundred and thirty hectares of rainforest inside the city, with sloths above the trails.
- San Blas IslandsThree hundred and sixty-five islands run by the Guna people, white sand and coconut palms.