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Panama City Tour: Explore History & Modernity
4.9
104 Ratings
Panama City
Explore Panama Viejo Ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Colonial Town on this tour. Visit the Samuel Lewis García de Paredes Plaza Mayor museum, experience the rich history of Panama, and witness the operation of the Miraflores Locks.
Explore Panama Viejo Ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Colonial Town on this tour. Visit the Samuel Lewis García de Paredes Plaza Mayor museum, experience the rich history of Panama, and witness the operation of the Miraflores Locks.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Miraflores Visitor Center - Experience the live operation of the locks here. The team ensures you witness the ships passing at the right time. Enjoy an exclusive IMAX film about the canal, narrated by Morgan Freeman.
- Casco Viejo - Established in 1673 after pirate Henry Morgan attacked the original city in 1671. Recognized by UNESCO as a World…
- Miraflores Visitor Center - Experience the live operation of the locks here. The team ensures you witness the ships passing at the right time. Enjoy an exclusive IMAX film about the canal, narrated by Morgan Freeman.
- Casco Viejo - Established in 1673 after pirate Henry Morgan attacked the original city in 1671. Recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1997, explore its charm and colonial beauty with guidance from our experts.
- Poin Panama - ENJOY a stunning 360-degree view and capture breathtaking photos. Poin offers thrilling activities like the glass viewpoint (sky deck), Latin America’s only urban zip line, the Beam, the swing, and a virtual museum. This is a must-visit tourist destination.
- Catedral Basilica Metropolitana Santa Maria La Antigua - Explore Panama’s largest and oldest cathedral.
- Cinta Costera - Travel along one of Panama City’s most significant and beautiful avenues.
- Mercado de Mariscos - Pass by the city’s seafood market, where you can ask your guide to stop for a delicious ceviche (optional stop).
- Plaza de Francia - A historic square honoring the French for their role in the canal’s construction.
- Mercado Nacional de Artesanias - Visit the national craft market to purchase souvenirs from local artisans.
- Amador Causeway (Calzada de Amador) - One of the first bases returned to Panama after the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, it’s now a renowned tourist spot for its natural beauty, history, and location at the canal’s entrance, offering views of ships turning to enter the Caribbean.
- Amphora Duty Free - The only duty-free store in Panama City, with an optional stop upon request.
- Plaza Mayor - Known as Independence Square, this is the city’s main square.
What's Included
- Private transportation
- On-board WiFi
- Bottled water
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Professional Guide
- Private transportation
- On-board WiFi
- Bottled water
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Professional Guide
What's Not Included
- miraflores visitor center
- Admission fees
- miraflores visitor center
- Admission fees
Additional Information
Explore Panama at your leisure: Whether it’s your first visit to the city or you have a few hours during a layover, this tour is perfect for you. It offers a comprehensive, private, and flexible experience that blends history, engineering, and modernity. Accompanied by a professional guide authorized by the Panama Tourism Authority, you’ll visit the…
Explore Panama at your leisure: Whether it’s your first visit to the city or you have a few hours during a layover, this tour is perfect for you. It offers a comprehensive, private, and flexible experience that blends history, engineering, and modernity. Accompanied by a professional guide authorized by the Panama Tourism Authority, you’ll visit the city’s four most significant and iconic sites, including the Canal (Miraflores Locks), Old Town, Amador Causeway, and a 360° view of Poin. Reserve your Private Tour today and make your visit an unforgettable adventure.
Location
Miraflores Visitor Center
East Side of the Miraflores Locks
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(104 Ratings)
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Jaimee_h
Apr 13, 2026
Great way to experience Panama! - Great way to explore the city, old town and canal all in one tour. Gabriel was on time,
friendly and adjusted the day based on the rainy weather. We enjoyed the tour and would recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Kevin_b
Apr 11, 2026
Best Birthday Ever in Panama – An Unforgettable Tour Experience! 🎉🇵🇦 - I had an absolutely amazing experience on this tour! It was actually my birthday, and everything about it made me feel so special and happy. The tour guide was truly exceptional—knowledgeable, engaging, and full of great energy. In just a couple of hours, I learned so much about Panama, and it never once felt rushed or boring.
What really stood out was how personable and talented he is—not only as a guide but also as a photographer and videographer. He captured some incredible moments that I’ll definitely cherish.
I would highly, highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting. You can tell he genuinely loves what he does, and it shows in every detail. Big respect—one love from Jamaica, Guyana and Cayman! 🇯🇲 🇬🇾🇰🇾✨
Next time I’m in Panama, I’ll definitely be booking again—whether it’s the same tour or a new adventure. Keep up the amazing work!
Review provided by Viator
Britni_h
Apr 10, 2026
Great Experience - Carlos was an excellent guide. He made contact the day before so that it was easy to find him on the day of our tour. We were able to speak him about modifying our itinerary (we were also able to reach via Viator ahead of time to see what our possibilities were). The modified tour perfectly suited our needs. Carlos was early to pick us up, very friendly and knowledgeable. We had a great time!
Review provided by Viator
Nickasee_l
Apr 9, 2026
We booked the private... - We booked the private tour for three persons. Our guide was on time, friendly, patient and knowledgeable. He ensured we enjoyed each leg of the tour providing great history of Panama and kept it exciting. I would definitely recommend this tour and this particular guide.
Review provided by Viator
Steve_w
Apr 8, 2026
Great Private Tour of Panama City with Oscar - We had a great private tour with Oscar our driver and tour guide. He took us first to see the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal. He showed us where to get tickets and personally toured us through the visitors center. It's a good thing because it can be confusing with lots of people there. We got tickets for the visitors center and the IMAX movie which was excellent. It's a good thing we went early there because when we left it was really crowded. We left there and Oscar showed us the new city of Panama with the unusual high rises. Stopped in some great photo stops to take pictures. Then went to old town and it was very crowded (since it was Good Friday) but Oscar found a parking spot close by and he gave us a guided tour through the old part of Panama City. Then we left and headed to Amador area full of restaurants, shops, and bars. Oscar stopped along the way for a photo which was nice. We also stopped at the Panama sign for pictures. We could have stayed longer there but it started to rain so we headed back to our ship. All along the way you can stop anywhere since you're on a private tour and Oscar is there to provide you the best tour of Panama City.
Review provided by Viator
Kristi_b
Apr 5, 2026
Excellent City Tour - This was an excellent experience! Our guide Joey was fantastic! He took us everywhere and he knew everything! We saw all the sights and had an excellent time!
Review provided by Viator
O1950wnkristib
Apr 5, 2026
Excellent day in Panama City - What a wonderful day! Joey took us everywhere we wanted to go and answered all of our questions. He was an excellent guide. Highly recommend!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Donna_w
Apr 4, 2026
Great tour! - Great tour of the city and Panama Canal! Super nice guide and very knowledgeable. We saw all the major sights in old town and the city.
Review provided by Viator
Stoyan_r
Mar 25, 2026
The most memorable tour - This is must see tour when visiting Panama. It was so exciting visiting all emblematic sites in Panama. My wife said it was her most memorable trip she ever had. Our tour guide Dwayne was very thoughtful. He made our day. We will recommend it for all our friends.
Review provided by Viator
Bethany_l
Apr 3, 2026
Tour in Panama City - Anal was very nice but he does NOT speak English. We thought we had a driver and an English speaking guide, apparently not.
We had a number of miscommunications due to the language issues. We initially went to the museum for the Canal and the IMAX movie. The line was about 2 hrs long, most tour guides take you right in bypassing the line. That was not the way this tour worked so we left as we did not want to waste our one day in Panama waiting in line. We then went to a roof top that had zip lining, swings etc, MY MOTHER IS 80. There was no chance we were doing any of the activities. There was a short documentary about the Lock but we did not know that until we were already in the elevator and paid. It was another language issues. Finally we were a bit frustrated so we asked that he bring us to old town so we could walk around and shop. Using Google translate I relayed we wanted to be dropped off and then picked up a couple hours later at the same place. We had another slight misunderstanding as he drove quite far from where we wanted to be let out. By the time we found our way back to where we initially wanted to be dropped off he was picking us up. He did find us so we met up at a new spot for pu so we did not have to walk back.
We then decided let's go to duty free store then he could drop us at the port.
He dropsbus at Duty Free and ITS CLOSED.
It was a frustrating day.
Anal was very nice and he tried but he does not speak English and we don't speak spanish.
The tour company should have checked to see what on THEIR itinerary was going to be open on good Friday. The company should not make statements they do not fulfill like an English speaking guide. No bottled water, we purchased drinks. It was a lot of things that put together made it a less than ideal tour.
This is not our first private tour booked through Viator, for example we did the same in Egypt and in Istanbul, and recently in Lima. We have never had these issues. So be aware that the driver and guide are the same person and non English speaking.
Review provided by Viator
