Things to Do in Panama City With Kids

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What to See in Panama City

These are the things to do in Panama City with kids that we actually did, and the ones the girls still talk about.

Panama City is full of activities for people of all ages!  From chocolate making to bike riding and site seeing in the city, to hiking and boating just a short distance from the city, you are sure to have plenty of adventures to fill your time during a visit.  Of course we did not have time to do it all, but I believe we made the most of our time and enjoyed a well rounded assortment of activities.  Below are the things we enjoyed most and we hope that if you make it to Panama, you choose to enjoy them too!

Go for a bike ride!

Riding a bike can be a great way to explore a new city without everything passing you by too quickly.  This was the first trip Viona felt comfortable enough riding her own bike, so it was our first bike ride away from home.  We decided to cruise along the Cinta Costera, Panama’s coastal beltway and pedestrian park.  This is a nice safe place to ride with a designated bike and pedestrian path, far from cars.  It also happens to have incredible views of both the Pacific ocean and the city skyline.  There are plenty of sitting areas along the path, a few playgrounds, and street carts selling fresh juice and snacks.  We went midday when it is less busy, but quite hot.  We started to notice that things don’t really pick up in this city until early evening when things cool off.  The Cinta Costera is very popular in the evening.

We rented our bikes from Burke Bikes Casco Viejo.  They have a few locations in the city but the Casco Viejo location was an easy walk from our hotel.   They provided helmets (free of charge) and had very fair hourly prices.  I appreciated that they had a few kid bike options and a seat for Kaida (who was 4 on this trip).  They also have a location on the Amador Islands so you could potentially rent from Casco Viejo and ride out to the Amador Islands and then take a taxi/Uber home.  There was a minimal fee to drop the bikes at a different location, but an option nonetheless.  The employee on shift when we were there did not speak any english.  My broken Spanish was not up to par for bike rental specifics, so I used the google translate app on my phone and he was patient with me.

Burke Bike Casco Viejo can be found at Calle C1, Panamá, Panama.  +507 212-1552

Take a photo with the Panama sign!

If you are on the Cinta Costera pathway already then you should definitely stop for a photo op!  It is walking distance from Casco Viejo (if it’s not too hot).  I would say probably a 25-30 minute walk from the center of Casco to the sign.  You will probably want to stop for photos and take in the view, so allow for extra time.  We checked this off our list on our bike ride!  The sign can be found closer to the Monument to Vasco Nunez of Balboa.  I had a hard time figuring out where the sign was online so if you put that monument in your maps, that should get you close.  In Google maps it is labeled as Panama Sign 2, if you are able to look it up that way.  Panama Sign 1 is on the Amador Islands, you will see a photo of that farther down this post.

Take a Chocolate Making Class!

What to do in Panama if you love chocolate you ask?  Nomé Chocolate, in Casco Viejo, is a locally owned and operated small batch gourmet chocolatier.  It was $20 per person to attend the class and you get to make your own chocolate to take home.  Our class consisted of just us and one other gal along with the owner.  It was nice and intimate, I can’t imagine it ever being much larger as the space is fairly small.

It was fun watching and learning about the process from pod to silky smooth deliciousness.  Of course we got to sample the chocolate in various stages as well…

The girls absolutely loved this!!!  And mom and dad were not complaining about eating chocolate or having happy kids.

Time to create our own chocolate bars!!

And decorate…

Lu, pictured below, taught the class.  She speaks fabulous English and is very kind and funny.  She was great at including the girls and making sure they were following along with the educational part of the class.

We also purchased some bonbons, pictured below, to take back to enjoy at the hotel.  The class came with a tasting of several of these bonbons so I knew which I wanted more of for later!  Her assistant was there decorating the bonbons so it was also fun to watch.

Don’t forget to grab a couple of chocolate bars to take home as gifts.  Their Geisha coffee and honey bar was my personal favorite.  The cost to grab chocolate bar gifts in the airport is much more expensive.  I have to say the quality of the chocolate at Nomé was exceptional.  We have done chocolate classes, farm tours and tastings in other countries and this was by far the best quality I have had.

The best way to make a reservation for a class at Nomé is by contacting them through WhatsApp.  A link to their WhatsApp contact can be found on their website below.  I was easily able to coordinate a day and time with them and then paid at the property after the class using a credit card.

www.cuanto.app
C. 11 Oeste 206, Panamá, Panama

Take a day trip to the Caribbean

The Caribbean is about a two hour drive from Panama.  So we opted to do a full day adventure to Portobelo to see the UNESCO ruins and hop a boat to see Venas Azules and then spent the day on a small island where the kids could splash in the water.  They had an absolute blast, probably the highlight of our week in Panama.  Check out our Day trip to the Caribbean page for all the info, photos and more!

Visit the fish market

Even if you don’t eat fish, a visit to the fish market can be a lot of fun (and a lot of smells!)  As much as the kids complain about the smell, they love looking at all of the fish parts over and over again.

You never know what you might find…

The Mercado De Marisco (fish market) is at the beginning of the Cinta Costera, next to Casco Viejo.  You could easily do a pop in at the market on your way to stroll on the Cinta Costera beltway to take a photo with the Panama sign!

Day trip to see the Panama Canal AND boat through the canal to Monkey Island!

Seeing the Panama canal is a quintessential part of visiting Panama city.  More specifically people want to want to see the locks (pictured above) while here.  The Miraflores Locks are a little bit outside of Panama city while the Agua Clara Locks can be found on the Caribbean side of the Canal.  Most people visit Miraflores as it is more convenient.

In addition to seeing the Locks, you can opt to take a boat ride IN the canal to Monkey Islands.  It is impressive passing enormous container ships on a little boat.  Gives you some prospective.  Then you arrive to the islands where the monkeys live and you feel like you entered a real life Jungle cruise.  Check out our Panama Canal and Monkey Island page to read about all of the details, tips and photos from this day (really just a half day) excursion.

Visit the Museo Canal (Panama Canal Museum)

Located on Independent Square in Casco Viejo is the Panama Canal Museum.  Truth be told we are not the best Museum people.  In general it is not at the top of our list unless it’s the Louvre in Paris or something comparable.  However, my dad and step mom are museum people and they said they think this is one of the best museums they have ever visited.  So you may have to go to decide for yourself.  They are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm.  If you don’t speak Spanish, make sure to bring along your google translate app to you can take photos of signs and such to translate quickly because everything in this Museum is in Spanish only.

www.museodelcanal.com
Plaza de la Independencia, C. 5a Este, Panamá, Panama

Take in the Architecture of Casco Viejo!

Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Santa Maria the Ancient

Yep, Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Santa Maria the Ancient is a mouthful!  It is the most famous cathedral in Panama having been recently visited by the Pope.  Panama spent a lot of money restoring the cathedral prior to his visit so it is lookin real good these days!

Entry to the cathedral is free.  The hours I am less sure of.  It appeared to be open most days but it closed around dark.

Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Santa Maria the Ancient is located in Independent Square in the heart of Casco Viejo.

7-53, Av. B, Panamá, Panama

Just walk, you will find interesting architecture and beauty everywhere.

As you walk around Casco you will find beautifully restored colonial architecture directly next to a shell of a building literally crumbling.  It a very interesting juxtaposition that can bee seen everywhere in Casco.

The Ruins of the Campañía de Jesús

You can walk by and peek inside these ruins (but you cannot go in).  In the 18th Century it became the first University in Panama.  It has an interesting history, and its fate was sealed by not only a fire but also an earthquake.

Find these ruins at XF27+MWC, Av. A, Panamá, Panama

Saint Francis of Assisi Church

Saint Francis of Assisi Church can be found on the Plaza Simón Bolívar, a Spanish Colonial square with eateries.  This Church is also free to enter and it has a little secret…

If you head upstairs (the stairs can be found on the east side of the building) not only will you get a lovely view of the nave but you will also find two rooms with extensive mini villages!  One room was dedicated to an old-timey slightly dark looking village and the other room had all the Christmas village vibes.  Both were a little creepy, and super random.  The fact that I was the only soul in the church at the time really added to the experience!

San Francisco de Asis Church C. 3a Este, Panamá, Panama

Visit the Amador Islands

Panama Sign 1 is pictured above!  Less impressive than Panama Sign 2, in my opinion.  The Amador islands are a 10ish minute taxi/Uber ride from Casco Viejo.  They consist of three islands all connected by roadways.  The largest is Perico Island (the middle island) and it seems most of the activities are centered here.

There are incredible views of the Panama City skyline, even if it is an overcast day!  And there was a cool pirate ship playground the girls loved to burn some energy on.

La Vida Bella sign was the starting point of the main happenings on the island.  This is where all of the eateries are posted up.  They kind of reminded me of permanent carnival food purveyors.  Beyond the eateries was a very sketchy looking carnival ride area, a go cart track and more restaurants and shops, etc.

We went around lunch mid week and it was pretty dead out there, as we were leaving around 3 it looked like most of the eateries were finally starting to set up shop.  It you want to check it out, I might suggest doing so on a weekend or closer to the evening.

We did find a really good Colombian restaurant called Hacienda Colombiana on the islands, check out our Panama Eats page for more info on that restaurant as well as other food recommendations.

Go for a night stroll!

Panama has very favorable weather in the evening.  You may enjoy exploring more in the evenings after it has cooled down.  Casco Viejo is a pretty safe place to stroll around in the evening.  You will see police everywhere and that is a good sign.  I read somewhere that if you stay where the streets are brick, you are safe.  For the most part Casco is a very tourist heavy neighborhood and we always felt safe walking around as a family at night.

The kids favorite evening walk consisted of a loop out to the Monumento al Canal de Panama (the obelisk pictured below).  It also had a great skyline view (pictured above) that twinkled in the night.

Conjunto Monumental de Las Bóvedas, C. 5a, Panamá, Panama

Look for murals and graffiti

One of my favorite things so see on our travels is the art of locals splashed all over the walls.  No two are ever the same and I love how much other countries embrace this.  I feel like it shows the culture and vibrancy of a city.  More murals can be found on our Where to Stay in Panama Page

Go Shopping

Honestly, the shopping in Panama was mediocre at best, in my opinion.  I feel like I had a hard time finding handcrafted goods that were truly locally made.  Maybe I was just looking in the wrong places?  It seemed like the touristy shops throughout Casco sold all the same stuff which made me think a lot was not actually from Panama.  I did however find one store that I liked a lot that had all hand made items…

Manos con Arte seemed to be an exception of a store in Casco.  Unfortunately the goods were mostly made in other Central American countries but they were all hand made, and seemingly fair trade.  They also had better styles and trinkets than any other store I found in Casco.  I highly recommend stopping in if you are in the area.

www.manosconarte.com
Rodolfo Chiari 7-23, Panamá, Panama

Planning the Rest of Your Panama City Trip

That is everything we managed to fit in. If you are still putting the week together, our Panama City with kids guide pulls it all into one place, our Panama City family itinerary shows the order we did things in, and our Panama City travel tips cover the practical side, taxis, tipping, water and safety.