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Panama City Bus & minivan tours

Our most recommended Panama City Bus & minivan tours

Panama City: Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Bus

1. Panama City: Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Bus

See Panama City from the top deck of an open top tour bus. New to the city, the tour takes you to all the major attractions of the Panama capital. Set amidst the Pacific Ocean, the rainforest and Panama Canal, Panama City is a striking modern city, not least because of its unique attractions. The tour is designed to ensure that you see all main attractions beginning with the World famous Panama Canal. Learn about the construction of this 8th wonder of the world with a live guide. The bus also travels to the colonial city of Casco Antiguo, as it is known in Spanish. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, it boasts wonderful colonial Spanish and Italian architecture. Panama also has splendid examples of French architecture, due to the French presence during the last decade of the 19th century when the French attempted to build the canal. Visit the islands that are connected by a Causeway. From here you will experience great views of the Panama Canal entrance and the Bridge of the Americas, as well as stunning views of the Panama City skyline and skyscrapers. On the way to the islands, and at the entrance of the Causeway, is the amazing Frank Gehry-designed Bio-Museum. Also known as the "Bridge of Life," it explains how Panama rises from the seas and links North with South America. As well as taking in Panama´s key places of historical interest, the city has a vibrant outdoor scene with several cafés, which are a delight to hop-off and linger at. You can visit areas where you will find restaurants and bars that cater for all palates, as well as shopping areas like the Albrook Mall, which boasts brands from around the world, sometimes sold at bargain prices. Tour stops: 1. Balboa Boutiques Plaza 2. Parque Urraca 3. Mi Pueblito 4. Albrook Mall 5. Miraflores Locks - Canal 6. Entrada de Amador 7. Biomuseum 8. Punta Culebra 9. Isla Flamenco 10. Isla Perico 11. Sabores Del Chorrillo 12. Casco Antiguo 13. Multicentro

Panama City: Half Day City and Panama Canal Tour

2. Panama City: Half Day City and Panama Canal Tour

Enjoy 2 hours at the fascinating Panama Canal before exploring Panama City's history and sights. Discover 4 levels of exhibitions about the Canal at the Miraflores Visitor Center.  Take a panoramic drive along the Ancon foothills where you can take in the lush greenery and learn about the area's importance during the world wars. Stop at the Amador Causeway for a chance to get some incredible photos of the city, try one of its best ceviche places, have some amazing homemade ice cream, or do some shopping. Walk through the streets of the Old Town and visit the Cathedral Basilica Santa Maria la Antigua. Take a guided walk, ending in the Plaza de Francia on the old walls that protected the city from invasion over the years.

Panama: Miraflores, Canal, & Casco Viejo Private City Tour

3. Panama: Miraflores, Canal, & Casco Viejo Private City Tour

Discover the sights of Panama City on this private multi-stop day tour with a local guide. Visit the Miraflores Locks and the Panama Canal and its museum before continuing to Amador Causeway and Casco Viejo, Panama City’s colonial quarter. In the morning, meet your private Panama guide at your hotel or residence, then set out for an unforgettable excursion to the city’s most historical sites and the Panama Canal Miraflores Locks. Take a 30-minute ride to the Miraflores Locks to observe the huge vessels passing the Panama Canal. The busiest hours are from 9 AM to 11 AM and from 2 PM to 5 PM, so you will be able to see many ships getting lifted or lowered 16 meters in two distinct steps. Take in the views on the locks from a sheltered terrace and listen to the explanations of your guide. To complete your visit to the Canal, visit the Panama Canal Museum and Visitor Center to get a good idea of the construction of the canal, a masterpiece of engineering. Before the next stop, learn about the history of the canal and its significance for Panama and the entire world trade as well as on the current expansion project. Continue the tour to the Panamá Viejo, the ruins of Old Panama. Old Panama was the first European settlement and community on the Pacific Coast of the Americas. This first Panama City was looted and destroyed by the notorious English buccaneer Henry Morgan in 1671 and therefore was abandoned. Today, there are only ruins left of Old Panama. Still, the tower of the ancient cathedral is standing and has become a landmark of the town. Head to Amador Causeway next, a road that connects three Islands in the Pacific Ocean and offers unbeatable views of the canal on one side and of the city skyline on the other. Lunch will be served in a Panamanian restaurant on the causeway (cost not included). After lunch, the tour continues to the Casco Viejo, where you will feel set back in time as you admire and enjoy the view of the characteristic colonial houses, the narrow roads, and the awe-inspiring churches. Before drop-off back at your hotel or residence, get a better picture of Panama’s history by driving or walking through the main attractions of this historic quarter. 

Panama City: Miraflores Locks and Casco Viejo Tour

4. Panama City: Miraflores Locks and Casco Viejo Tour

Start with pickup from your hotel in Panama City and travel to the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal. Learn how the ships rise and descend 16 meters to pass through the locks. Explore the 4 exhibitions at the Miraflores Visitors Center which pays tribute to one of the Eight Wonders of the Modern World. Learn about the biodiversity, functionality, and importance of the Panama Canal internationally.   Continue to the Calzada de Amador, where you will find the sea wall constructed by the United States to protect the navigable course of the Panama Canal. Make a quick stop at the duty-free where you'll have some free time to buy some items tax-free. Next, stop at the artisan market of Casco Viejo, an area of diverse architectural influences. Finally, head to the statue of Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and then be returned to your hotel in the city.

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Other Sightseeing Options in Panama City

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What people are saying about Panama City

Overall rating

4.7 / 5

based on 520 reviews

Our tour was great! We were lucky enough to essentially receive a private tour with Roberto. He was not only on time, but even a bit early to meet us and we ended up having a tour in both Spanish and English. We had great conversation and he was able and happy to answer almost any question that we threw his way! He was also able to help us avoid a long wait to get tickets for the Panama Canal visitor center. Rafael was the main organizer and was super prompt to coordinate everything regarding logistics and was super friendly! Would recommend the tour to anyone- very glad we picked this tour, especially with the limited amount of time we had available.

We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. The experience of visiting and learning about the canal is amazing, seeing and understanding how the canal works and how it came to be, is astonishing. Our guide Nilda, was great! She was not only very knowledgeable about many aspects of Panama, its culture and history, but she was also loads of fun, which made the whole morning very entertaining. We went with two teenage daughters, and both commented on how "awesome the tour was"! That says it all!

Very interesting afternoon with lots of information from our guide. In our opinion, more time should be available for the old town at the expense of the canal. However, we had already sailed through the canal 2 days earlier on a tall ship (Sea Cloud Spirit), which is why some things were a repetition for us.

Great for from or to a city, several stops, several poses without worrying about the time. It's up to us to manage the time. To take the bus back

Roberto was very knowledgeable and led us at a comfortable pace.