What are the best things to do in and around the Panama City, Panama area of Casco Viejo?
Neil Stein - Panama Paraiso
Posted April 15, 2013
Neil Flemming - VaultMax Global Inc
Posted May 15, 2013
Nelson Vega
Posted January 27, 2014
Rey Bazán
The best thing to do in Casco Viejo is to eat out and experience the restaurants. There is a great variety of food here and the settings are perfect. It is not like in the States where the waiters are on top of you asking if you are going to have anything else from time to time, because for them it is important to turn the table as often as you can. In contrast, here in Panama, you will first have drinks, some wine, and then you order and you talk. Then you have a lot of after dinner...
The best thing to do in Casco Viejo is to eat out and experience the restaurants. There is a great variety of food here and the settings are perfect. It is not like in the States where the waiters are on top of you asking if you are going to have anything else from time to time, because for them it is important to turn the table as often as you can. In contrast, here in Panama, you will first have drinks, some wine, and then you order and you talk. Then you have a lot of after dinner drinks and before you know it, it has already been 3 or 4 hours. The restaurant owners or the waiters do not pressure you and that makes it for a nice moment.
On the other side of the cost spectrum, in Casco Viejo we also have outdoor stands where you can enjoy food that is very inexpensive. I personally enjoy that, too. You can also go to a bar on the rooftops and have good view of the bay. There are a lot of activities here in Casco Viejo, whether they are free or not.
Posted October 10, 2014
Diana Chacon
Posted December 3, 2014
Maria Suarez
You can also have a walking tour at the different churches in Casco Viejo that were built in the 1600s. You can also visit some of the coffee shops here in Casco Viejo that serve Panamanian coffee. The coffee shops in Casco Viejo are smaller compared to Starbucks since they are not commercialized. They are not very busy coffee shops where people just grab a coffee in go. You can feel the warmth of the people who go to the coffee shops here in Casco Viejo. The coffee shops here are more traditional, less commercial, and the people who go there are much warmer. It is an intimate place where you can feel comfy. Panamanian coffee is way better than Starbucks.
On a side note, there is a Pete’s Coffee in San Jose and they also serve Panamanian coffee.
Another nice thing to do in Casco Viejo is to visit the museum near the Panama Canal. There you could learn about the history of the Panama Canal such as when the French came to build it and failed, etc. There are also craft markets in Casco Viejo that you can visit. As you walk, you’ll see these small stores where they sell crafts, handicrafts, Panamanian clothing like molas.
The buildings here in Casco Viejo are old buildings. If you want to use these buildings, you have to restore them and respect the original architecture of the building. There is one building here that had nothing inside; all you can see are just walls from the outside. People used to sell crafts there but I do not see them anymore. Maybe they have been evacuated to a different area for safety reasons.
If you come early, you might also be able to book a tour inside the presidential palace. It is called Palacio de las Garsas. It was originally the customs building but after several years, they did some architectural transformations on it and made it the presidential palace. The original building is from 1673.
There are several Plazas in Casco Viejo. One is Plaza Mayor, which is also known as Plaza Catedral. Plaza Mayor is several hundred years old and it has a church called Catedral Metropolitano en Panama that is now being restored after being closed for 5 years. It is very beautiful.
Catedral Metropolitano en Panama is a Spanish colonial architecture and it was built sometime between 1688 and 1796. It took several years to be completely built. There is a tomb under this church where the church people are buried. Catedral Metropolitano is the main church of Panama City. If someone who is high profile like the president, for example, dies, then the mass will be held in Catedral Metropolitano.
We also have Plaza Bolivar where you can find small shops on the streets. Sometimes, during Sundays, they put some stalls in the plazas where people can sell second hand things and food. It is nice because you will find a lot of things that you can buy.
There is also a promenade in Casco Viejo called Paseo Esteban Huertas, which is one of Casco Viejo’s landmarks where you can also buy handicrafts, necklaces, molas, and other things that were made by the indigenous Indians who live here.
Posted January 30, 2016
Denise Patrick - Panama Roadrunner Secure Transport
Posted December 6, 2016