Panama City 1-day itinerary

Start your day at the Miraflores Locks Visitor Centre on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal — one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century. The four-storey observation deck puts you directly above the lock chambers where massive Panamax and Neopanamax container ships are raised or lowered 16 metres in a process that takes roughly 30 minutes per transit. The museum inside explains the canal's construction history, the French failure, the American completion in 1914, and the $5.25 billion expansion completed in 2016 that doubled capacity.

Take an Uber or Metro to Casco Viejo (Casco Antiguo), Panama City's UNESCO-listed colonial old town built on a rocky peninsula jutting into the Pacific. The neighbourhood is a fascinating mix of beautifully restored 17th-century Spanish colonial buildings, crumbling facades mid-renovation, rooftop bars, independent galleries, and the Presidential Palace with its resident herons. Walk the seawall promenade, visit the Church of San Jose with its famous gold altar (one of the few treasures that survived pirate Henry Morgan's sacking in 1671), and explore Plaza de la Independencia.

Stay in Casco Viejo for the evening as the old town transforms after dark — the rooftop bars along Calle 3ra and Avenida Central fill with a mix of locals and travellers enjoying sunset views over the Pacific and the modern skyline across the bay. Try a classic Panamanian ceviche de corvina (sea bass cured in lime juice with red onion and cilantro) paired with a Balboa beer or a rum seco sour. Tantalo and Casa Casco are popular rooftop spots with panoramic views.