Things to do in  Panama City

Tony is the best. I strongly recommend him to my friends and family if their visit is going to be Panama City. Speaking in English is a big plus for and brought to have lunch at the seafood market. Wow., I enjoyed my lunch. He also communicated with us via what’’s app so there was no anxiety if he is coming or not Highly recommended.

Great way to see the highlights of Panama City on layover. I saw the Canal, the Old City, the causeway, etc all in 4 hours - plenty of time to get me back to the airport in time for my flight

The layover tour was incredible. Dan was a great guide, very informative, and I got to see and learn a lot about places in Panama City I would never have found or discovered on my own in the short amount of time allotted. HIGHLY recommend!

Our guide was Adam and he tried his best to make sure that we came back with beautiful memories. We were picked up on time and felt very safe all the time. The monkeys were fantastic to see and interact so close. This was the highlight of our visit to Panama City. Highly recommended.

JC took us to the highlights of Panama city. He drives us around safely and on time. He knows his history very well. He explained all the major attractions! And never forgets about bathroom breaks and lunch! I recommend JC as the guide of the year!

Panama City is interesting no doubt, but it can get monotonous. This tour out of the city allowed us to see more of what Panama had to offer.

This tour is a great way to see the canal and wildlife in Gatun Lake! The tour guides are extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and professional. The Panama Canal is simply amazing and a must see and the canal and Gatun Lake are surprisingly close to downtown Panama City so don't hesitate to do this tour.

This is a great trip to get familiar with Panama city... it's history and people. The small size of the group (8 ) was perfect. Our personable english-speaking guide shared his extensive knowledge and love of the city. An informative tour I would highly recommend.

Unfortunately Viator could not locate or get in touch with the supplier who was supposed to do my scheduled tour, but I eventually did the tour using a different resource and was able to see Panama City, the Canal, Old Town, MultiPlaza Pacifica Mall and Soho Mall, which was AWESOME!

My family visited Panama City for a week and our trip to the Gamboa Rainforest was one of the standout experiences from our trip. The tram ride over the forest was fun and beautiful and getting to see the sloths up close and personal was so cool and so memorable. I'm not always a big fan of butterfly exhibits, but I really enjoyed the one on this tour because there were so many exotic varieties to see. The frog exhibit was really cool as well and we enjoyed it so much that we got some little sculptures to bring home with us. I totally recommend this tour; it was worth every penny.

If you want to get outside of the Panama City for a few hours and see some nature, this is the tour you want to take. It’s the shortest possible way to experience Monkey Island. We saw 3 type of monkeys. Many jumped on the boat and ate from our hands... just a fun experience. Mario is a nice fun guide. Bring some nuts and bananas if you can. Wear sunblock and expect to get hot. We were also lucky to see 2 crocodiles... and some birds... and all kinds of ships and boats crossing the line to pass through the Panama Canal. Worth it!

We went back and forth deciding whether to do a full transit from coast to coast or a half day. We chose the half day based on other reviews and on the later start time (11 a.m. vs 6 a.m.) We're so glad that we went with the half day. There is a lot of down time, from waiting for permission to exit the bus to waiting for boats to enter the locks, and the amount of time it takes for the locks to fill with water. The half day was just the right amount of time for us. The tour was professional and everything went smoothly. We were picked up at our hotel at 11 a.m. and taken straight to Gamboa. We had to wait on the bus for about 30 minutes but reviews had suggested bringing a book or magazine so we just read while we waited. We were given wrist bands that determined our lunch time and boarded the boat. The boat has an open uncovered section, a covered area and two indoor air-conditioned decks. Sit on the left (port) side to be in the shade; people on the sunny side were all moved over to the port side by the time we reached the locks. It was very pleasant sitting there and cruising on the canal, and the commentary was interesting. Great to see the huge ships and the people working on the locks (including two guys in a row boat!). Lunch was typical Panamanian food served in the A/C. There's a small gift shop that sells a good book about the canal. We were alongside a cheaper tour where food was by purchase only and there were many more passengers than seats, and we were glad we'd chosen this Viator trip! Beautiful views of the Panama City skyline as we came into the Flamenco port at about 6 p.m. The driver met us and took us back to our hotel. The only thing that would make it better might be some commentary on the bus on the way to Gamboa telling us about the area, the jungle and the wildlife. Definitely recommend this tour.

If you want to get out of Panama City for the day take the El Valle Anton tour. There were 3 in our group and we were the only 3 on the tour with our terrific tour guide Mario. He is very knowledgeable, personable, courteous and professional. El Valley Anton is a beautiful area in the mountains with great weather. Mario took us hiking, experienced the hot springs, applied mud masks, strolled through the local market and tasted delicious local fruits and had lunch together at a local restaurant. A must-do tour and should not be missed.

There was good and not so good about this. I have wanted to do this trip for years but thought it would be on a cruise ship:). We are in Panama City for the winter and decided this was a good opportunity. It is a very long day but that is because it is a slow process to navigate each lock and there are 6 of them. I did anticipate this from others comments so was not surprised when our entry was delayed by an hour and 15 minutes. The breakfast was scrambled eggs, a roll, piece of coffee cake and a large fruit bowl. Coffee and tea were plentiful and available until about 11:00 am. Lunch was chicken, rice, roll, cookie, salad and veggies. Afternoon snack was ham/cheese sandwich, banana, chips/cheese sauce and granola bar. Unlimited soda and water all day and coffee/tea again at snack time. The trip was informative but did have some boring time going through Lake Gatun. The guide, Gus, was excellent! His narrative throughout the trip was informative and he was available for any and all questions. Yes, it is a long day (our pickup was 5:00 am, home at 8:00 p.m) but was worth it. The staff were all friendly and professional.

This is a highly recommended tour! The company is very professional, very well organized, keep you updated about every single detail and offers really a very high standard! Beside that Rafael and Luis are amazing lovely men with a huge knowledge about Panama and the history. Luis took us to Miraflores early in the morning at the best time for to see the container ships passing through the canal. Welcomed in the typical warm and lovely Panamanian manner we all, the group of 6 people, felt extraordinary good. Cold water and snacks were offered during the whole tour. It was the best start for me as I was arrived the evening before. Rafael weote me that they offer also airport transfer - 30 USD -, so I was organized shortly before take off from Switzerland and did not have had to waist nerves arriving in Panama City for a cab or transfer. You should not miss this tour, enjoyed fully!

Once again, Viator coordinated an outstanding tour. Dan included all listed area of Panama City, particularly high priority Casco Viejo. It was fascinating to see huge the contrast between restored and original buildings. Visiting both outside and inside the major churches was also a real benefit. Dan represented Viator extremely well!

We haf an amazing tour. Benjamin, our excellent guide picked us up in Panama City. He had many informations about the country and the Embera tribe. We took a boat to a waterfall and took a refreshing bath. The village itself was beautiful and full if interesting people. The Embera are very friendly and open to talk about their culture and customs. It was a highlight on our trip to Panama.

Jose Montenegro spoke English and Spanish and as I was a solo traveler, I felt extremely comfortable being with him for about 5 hours during my layover. Upon landing in PTY, I met with Sr. Montenegro at the airport and we began our day where he was able to customize the tour to my liking as well as my timing to ensure prompt arrival for my next flight. We started off the day getting souvenirs in Albrook Mall, then receiving historic information from Sr. Montenegro-- who is extremely knowledgeable!-- at Calzada de Amador and Casco Viejo. We then had an amazing lunch of my choice-- I opted for ceviche, fried fish, and fried plantains-- at the Mercado de Mariscos (FYI: be prepared to pay in USD cash!), and ended it at Miraflores, the Panama Canal, which was the highlight of the trip. We were lucky and saw a cruise ship, a catamaran, AND a third boat passing through. We stayed about an hour there (wishing I had more time to see it pass through completely) and it was truly incredible to witness this phenomenon. If you have a long layover in Panama City, this is definitely the tour you should be taking! Also, I cannot fail to mention how he is so encouraging in taking photos and is patient and enthusiastic with your photographic needs! You will not be disappointed and will leave enriched about Panamanian history and culture and wanting more!

We had a great day. It was easy to book and because we are staying outside of Panama City we just caught an Uber to the meeting point at the yacht club. We checked in straight away and boarded the yacht at the end of the dock. The police check your passport when you go on the wharf - I can’t understand why... it seems they are just checking that you have a passport ! The boat was purpose boat for cruising and it’s clean and new. Even the toilets are clean and function perfectly. There was fresh cut fruit and cake and pastries available as well as coffee, beer, vodka & rum. My wife is a wine drinking so she was a little disappointed with that but if that’s the worst of your troubles then you’re having a pretty good day. We motored to a bay at the back of Taboga Island and swam for about an hour then moved around to the town side of the island and were brought ashore by tender. We looked around the town although there’s not much to see and ended up at a tiny cafe where we had a beer for a dollar. Then at 1.30 pm the tender took us back to the boat where lunch was served. There was chicken in some sort of white sauce and 4-5 salads. It was great. Then we motored back to the yacht club. It was a great day. The staff were all cheerful and very charming. We’d go again It was brilliant !

This was an excellent tour starting with a ride on the Panama Canal Railway. The trip through the rain forest was excellent, the rail car was very comfortable and the snacks were welcome. What I liked about this tour was that it went to both San Lorenzo and Portobelo. Most tours I have found only go to Portobelo. To get to San Lorenzo we had to pass through a military check point, and then drive along a very poorly maintained road. The driver we had was great (Francisco) and navigated the craters with ease, keeping me, my wife and two young children safe. Once in San Lorenzo, the fort was an awesome experience for me and my children. They loved climbing on the canons. Our guide was Gustavo was very knowledgeable and was amazing with my very active children (5 and 3 year old). The next stop was Portobelo, and this was a very different experience given that it is right in the middle of the town. We went to a church first to see the Black Christ, then next door was San Jeronimo fort. This seemed more run down than San Lorenzo, I can see why UNESCO has placed these forts on the sites in danger list. A slight disappointment was the Custom's House museum beside the fort was closed, but otherwise this tour was fantastic. I cannot say enough good things about Gustavo and Francisco as guide and driver. They stopped when we needed it, they didn't rush things, they let us decide what we wanted to do and how much time we needed at each stop. They got us back to our hotel before the rush hour chaos of Panama City also which was a huge plus.