What to do on a layover in Panama City

The Biodiversity Museum at the Amador Causeway

If you have a long layover in Panama City International Airport, don’t stay bored inside some walls and get out and explore a city that offers a delightful combination of history, diversity, close national parks and cosmopolitan living.

Visit the spectacular colorful Biodiversity Museum design by Frank Gehry. Located in Amador Causeway it showcase Panama’s incredible biodiversity. This is a must and later take a biking ride along the Causeway. This is an ideal adventure if you are traveling with kids.

El espíritu atrapado en una gota. Osvaldo Achu Kantule

Visit the MAC: Contemporary Art Museum of Panama – The Museum of Contemporary Art, popularly called MAC, is the only museum of contemporary art that exists in Panama. It is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, which has legal status and its building is located on the Avenida de los Martyrs, San Blas Street, Ancón. There is always a show or unique exhibition for the local or Latin American artist. Book our Art Tour and get to know our local artists.

Go hiking, birding or wildlife observation in Metropolitan Park – Explore a tropical forest in the heart of Panama City on a tour through the Parque Natural Metropolitano and Ancon Hill. Watch for sloths, birds, monkeys, insects and tree frogs as you hike through the tropical rainforest, and learn the names for Panama’s native plants and animals. Take in sweeping views of the City from the lookout mirador, see flocks of birds erupt from the foliage and experience the tranquility of Panama City’s only wildlife refuge. You can join one of our rainforest adventures and discover why Panama is the Isthmus that changed the world.

Casco Viejo

Something very local: try a ceviche and local beer – if you want to experience the way of the locals, head to El Mercado del Marisco or stroll in Casco Viejo old colonial town where you will find beautiful shops, , and good restaurants. Our cuisine has received international recognition due to the new generation of young chefs that have raised the quality of our gastronomy by mixing hundreds of years of diversity. Book our gastronomy tour as we are the first tour operator offering this unique experience.

10 Best things to do in Panama City

The Sloth

American Trade Hotel

Panama Hats in Casco Antiguo

There are a lot of reasons to visit Panama. You have probably already thought of the Panama Canal, which is one of the world’s most famous accomplishments of modern engineering. Maybe you have considered a tropical island or beach, or just the climate, which is warm all year round. But there is a lot more to Panama: read here some of our staff picks to do in Panama City.

1.  Visit Seafood market and walk or bike Cinta Costera towards the Casco Antiguo neighborhood while eating a fresh seafood ceviche.
2.  Take a tour at the Biodiversity Museum and hire of our naturalist guides for an introductory rainforest tour in the Metropolitan Park

3.  Bar hopping in Casco Viejo at night and don´t miss the Jazz Bar in the American Trade Hotel

4.  Historical City Tour– walking Panama la Antigua and learn about the Pirates and Conquistadors and the Canal zone era

5.  Kayaking the Panama Canal in the Gatun Lake and a visit to a local Wounaan community for handcrafts shopping

6.  Visit the Contemporary Art Museum and take a Art Cultural Tour with a local panamanian artist

7.  Hike, bike or wildlife observation at one of the many trails of the Soberania National Park

8.  Go on a historical trekking the old 8-mile Camino de Cruces Trail takes you through primarily tropical forest

9.  Ride the Transcontinental train towards the Atlantic side in one day: The Pirate trail and Panama Canal

10.  Enjoy the local gastronomy (tasajo empanada, carimañola, tortilla, yuca frita, and the seafood of Panama).