Panama City, Panamá was a destination I certainly did not have on my 2023 bingo card! In fact, it had never really crossed my mind as somewhere I was dying to visit. It wasn’t until I had two separate friends recommend Panamá to me within a few weeks of each other that I started to do some research and consider visiting. And boy, am I glad I did! Panama City, Panamá is a bustling metropolis with a rich history and culture. I loved every minute of my trip: from exploring the old town, to cruising up the canal on a speedboat, to chilling my the pool with a drink. Here are my top 8 tips for visiting Panama City, Panamá
Read More: 7 Reasons Why Your Next Trip Should be to Panamá
1. Communication
The official language of Panamá is Spanish and you’ll find it everywhere. However, when visiting Panama City, Panamá, I didn’t struggle too hard to find someone who could speak English when needed. Especially in the more touristy areas like Casco Viejo or on the tours, English was widely spoken as a second language. Restaurants typically offered menus in English, or the staff knew enough to communicate back and forth. In a few instances (in an Uber, for example), my driver barely spoke a word of English. In that case, I found Google Translate to be an incredibly helpful tool. You can type or speak what you want to say, and it will translate it and speak it out loud. It’s a bit of a clunky way to communicate, but it works!
Read More: Top Tips for Visiting the Panama Canal Museum
2 .Currency
One great part about visiting Panama City, Panamá from the USA is that the US Dollar is one of their official currencies! I found it super helpful to not only have to exchange money before my trip, but to not have to do any conversions in my head to make sure I wasn’t overpaying for things. In addition to the US Dollar, they also use the Panamanian Balboa (PAB). Both currencies are at par 1:1, therefore you can pay with anything throughout the country with USD or PAB. Keep in mind however, that if you pay for something in USD, you may receive change in PAB. It just depends on what the shop has on hand!
3. Tipping
One thing that always stresses me out when travelling abroad is trying to keep straight all the different tipping customs. Throughout the country of Panamá, tipping is usually around 10%. If someone went above and beyond with their services, you can go up to 15-20%, but there really is no need to go any higher. If at a restaurant and paying with a credit card, make sure you let your server know how much of a tip you’d like to leave on the card before they ring you up. Unlike in the US where you can add a tip to the receipt, your transaction is completed once they print the receipt.
4. Getting Around
Getting around while visiting Panama City, Panamá is very easy! Uber is widely used across the city and is a very safe and reliable way to get just about anywhere. It’s also pretty cheap! A ride from the airport to my hotel in Casco Viejo cost about $20, and then about $12 from Casco Viejo out to Playa Bonita (before tip). Uber is also the recommended mode of transportation for tourists. I was advised by many people both before and during my trip to never use a cab, and to always use Uber. Cab drivers unfortunately have a reputation of being unsafe for tourists, and also potentially an easy way to get scammed. I felt very safe in my Ubers knowing I could track my ride and that my driver was pre-screened!
Read More: How to Spend One Day in Casco Viejo, Panama City
5. Drinking water
While the drinking water in Panamá is safe to drink, I’d still recommend sticking to bottled water as much as possible. While I didn’t have any major issues, I drank tap water my first couple of days in Panamá and I did experience a few spells of urgent diarrhea. Sorry if that is TMI, but I like to keep it real. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but from there on out I stuck to only bottled water and had no problems at all. I wouldn’t think twice about using tap water to brush your teeth or drink a bit to take a pill or vitamin, but would avoid drinking it in mass quantities if possible!
6. Outlets
And in another win for Panamá, no need for outlet converters if coming from the US! The outlets in Panamá are the same and I had no issues using hair tools like a blow dryer or flat iron. All of my other chargers and cords worked perfectly fine (even when I had multiple things plugged in at a time). If coming from another country, you will need a converter.
7. Beaches
One major consideration while visiting Panama City, Panamá is to keep in mind the proximity of “good” beaches. While this is a tropical destination with a ton of coastline that borders both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, getting to quality beaches takes a bit of work. Close to Panama City is Playa Bonita, which is about a 20-30 minute drive. This beach is home to the Westin and Dreams Resort, but the beach really is only good during mid-tide. Low tide exposes a ton of rocks, and high tide brings strong currents and big waves. If you’re looking for a decent beach, this one could do, but you’d need to time it right.
About a 30-minute boat ride from Panama City is Taboga Island. This is a popular destination for beach-seekers from the city and is an easy half or full-day trip from Panama City with a solid beach. The Pearl Islands are a bit farther out and would require almost a full day excursion.
The real crown jewel of Panamá however, are the San Blas Islands. These islands are located on the Caribbean side and are incredibly rural. In fact, there is no electricity or modern amenities on the islands. They are however, picture perfect and should be on every bucket list! Tourists typically make a several day trip to the islands and camp, but a day trip from Panama City is possible (it would be a VERY long day, though!). Unfortunately I was too crushed for time to make it to San Blas on this trip. However, the pictures alone make me want to book a return trip ASAP!
Read More: Staying at the Dreams Resort in Playa Bonita, Panama
8. Sunscreen and bug repellant
I know using sunscreen should probably be obvious when visiting Panama City, Panamá, but it’s worth a reminder! It gets really hot here, but with the high humidity I was sweating so much that I often didn’t realize how much I was getting burned! The UV Index hit 9 or 10 most days I visited and the sun was no joke. I came home with some wicked burn lines! Don’t forget to reapply a few times throughout the day.
Once the sun sets, a new problem emerges: bugs! No matter if you’re in the city or farther out, the bugs will find you and get you. In addition to a sunburn, I also came back with dozens of bites on my legs and arms. No-see-ums are very common and come out right on cue each day at dusk. Using a bug spray or wipe will definitely help if you plan on being outside after dark.
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