Tourist Attractions in Panama

Panama offers a wide variety of tourist attractions, including excellent shopping. Its position as a crossing point between the Atlantic and the Pacific has naturally made it a major commercial route. Panama City’s Central Avenue, Colon’s Front Street and the newer shopping sectors around the hotels, and Tocumen’s duty free stores have grown because of this trade.

Note
The Fiestas in the various cities are all worth attending, particularly the one at Panama City during the Carnival. This is held on the four days before Ash Wednesday. Others are held

to celebrate local patron saints. Las Balserias, a Ngöbe-Bugle Indian celebration held in Chiriqui Province every February, includes feasts and a contest in which the young men toss Balsa logs at one another; those who emerge unscathed may choose their partners.

Panama City
The capital is a curious blend of old Spain, modern America and the bazaar atmosphere of the East. In the old part of the city with its narrow, cobble-stoned streets and colonial buildings, most of the interesting sights are to be found. These include the Plaza de Francia, the Court of Justice Building, the Paseo de las Bovedas along the massive stone wall, San Jose Church with its magnificent golden Baroque altar and the Santo Domingo Church, next to which is the Museum of Colonial Religious Art. The old historic city with the Salon Bolivar is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Overlooking the bay is the President’s Palace, the most impressive building in the city; further along the waterfront is the colorful public market. The most interesting museum in town is the Museum of the Panamanian Man north of the market and near the shopping centers.

A worthwhile excursion from the city is a visit to Panama Viejo and its ruins including the square tower of the old cathedral, 6km (4 miles) away. This is the original Panama City which - like Fort San Lorenzo - was sacked and looted in 1671 by Henry Morgan, the celebrated Welsh buccaneer who helped to undermine Spanish control of their colonies.

Excursions
An interesting excursion can be made to an easily accessible strip of rainforest within nearby Soberania National Park (40km/25 miles north of the city), particularly renowned for its many bird species.