Panama City Travel Guides | Things to do & places to visit

Panama City is one of those rare Latin American capitals that has it all: a high standard of living, a seemingly endless supply of investment from abroad, a surplus of natural beauty, and a rich cultural brew of ethnicities and religions. It has been called the new Hong Kong and Miami -- a sleek and modern city proud of its role as host to the world. Signs of Panama City's reinvention are everywhere. The Amador Causeway, formerly a U.S. military base, is ground zero for several multimillion-dollar condominium and commercial-center developments, which include a new Biodiversity Museum designed by famed architect Frank Gehry. The run-down 19th-century buildings of Casco Viejo have been revitalized with private and public funds and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

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Panama City surprises first-time visitors. When they cruise into Panama Bay or drive down Corredor Sur from the airport, they're stunned to see all the modern, closely packed towers rising out of the ocean. Panama City is far more cosmopolitan than many Latin American cities, certainly those in Central America. But its vibrant modernity really shouldn't be surprising, given the capital's status as an international banking center and its location next to the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, the "crossroads of the world." Panama City has been important to world commerce since its founding nearly 500 years ago. It's in many ways an international city. Still, by the standards of many other countries' capitals, Panama City is a mellow, fun-loving place. Any excuse for a party will do.

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Panama Province is a mix of jungle-covered islands, pearl-white beaches and tiny indigenous villages. Gasp at the Panama Canal, spot feathered friends at Parque Nacional Soberanía and surf the spectacular, sun-soaked Pacific Island beaches. Today Panama Province is more famed for the canal than for anything else. Cutting throughthe province, the canal can be explored by visiting its locks, riding a boat through its watery recesses or hiking along its jungle-clad shore. Coverage includes: around Panama City, Panama Canal, the Canal Zone, the Pacific Islands, Isla Taboga, Archipiélago de Las Perlas, the Pacific Coast, La Chorrera, Lago Gatún, Capira, Parque Nacional y Reserva Biológica Altos de Campana, Punta Chame, beaches, the road to Darién, Chepo, Nusagandi, Ipetí, Tortí, Higueronal.

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