A few months ago, I was supposed to go to Guatemala for vacation, however due to some civil unrest at the time we had to reroute our trip and do a long weekend in Panama City, Panama. I’ve never really considered Panama for vacationing because in my head I thought “Uh what’s there besides the canal??”. And yes, there’s a lot of emphasis on the canal, but there’s so much more than that! Here is a list of some of my favorite activities during my long weekend in Panama City, Panama!
All photos in this post are my own unless noted otherwise!
Walking Tour of Casco Viejo
On our first day of our long weekend in Panama City we took an Uber (which are insanely cheap) over to Casco Viejo which is basically the old town, which is filled with culture and history. I knew next to nothing about Panama’s history and how it has been influenced by people from all over the world. Our tour guide filled us in on the historic and religious context.
When you’re walking around someone will likely approach you for a walking tour and you should say yes! They have so much knowledge about the history of the city and will also tell you the best food to get for lunch once you’re done!
Be sure to visit the Central Hotel Panama, which was the very first hotel to be built in the country and has hosted U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt.
Visit San Blas Islands
My absolute favorite part of our long weekend in Panama City was our visit to San Blas Islands. Panama City doesn’t actually have its own beaches so if you’re looking for sand and sun you’ll have to travel outside of this city. A San Blas excursion is something that will take a full day so make sure you have enough time in your itinerary to do this and book in advance!
San Blas Islands is located on the Caribbean side of Panama and located about 3 hours drive from the city. Tour groups will likely pick you up at 5 am so be prepared for a super early drive! Once you arrive at the port around 8:30 you’ll get on a boat for a 30 minute ride to the first Island.
Most tours will bring you to 4 islands and our tour stopped at Perro Grande, Dog Island (my absolute favorite), Iguana Island, and Island Perro Chico.
Activities on these islands include snorkeling, paddle boarding and more!
(I took that pic with an iPhone 12! ->)
I’ve snorkeled in the Caribbean in the past, however this was one of my best snorkel experiences. I saw huge sea urchins, shipwrecks, and the most gorgeous fish. On your way back from the islands there’s a stop at a natural swimming pool, which is a sand bank in the middle of the ocean. It’s the perfect place to spot some of the biggest starfish I’ve ever seen.
Pictures don’t do this place any justice, so if you can only do one thing in Panama, this is an activity that I highly recommend!
This is the excursion we booked through Viator (includes meals):
Day Tour to San Blas Includes All 4 Islands.
Visit Taboga Island
I understand that some people may not be interested in a 4 hour journey to San Blas (and then 4 hours back), or may not have the time. So the second best option would be a quick ferry ride to Taboga Island.
In comparison to San Blas, Taboga’s beach unfortunately does not compare to the clear blue waters of San Blas, but sometimes a beach is a beach! There’s great food on this island for a very reasonable price as well.
Bike the Cinta Costera in Panama City
The Cinta Costera, or the Coastal Beltway, is a biking and walking trail (4.3 miles) that runs along the waterfront in Panama City. It’s a beautiful scenic ride that starts in the upscale neighborhood of Paitilla to Casco Viejo and the popular neighborhood of El Chorrillo. There’s a Japanese garden, statues, tennis courts, and basketball courts. It’s a really gorgeous ride and you can get some fantastic pictures of the city.
Make Chocolate from Scratch
Another really fun activity for a long weekend in Panama City is making Chocolate at Nome Chocolate! This was a great activity where we learned how chocolate is made and were able to see the entire process. Of course with a chocolate making class we were able to taste so many different types of chocolate and understand how the different inclusions like milk and sugar change the way it tastes. Nome Chocolate also makes different specialty chocolate bars that we were able to taste as well (like a matcha chocolate!).
In the end you make your own chocolate bar with toppings of your choice to go home with. It was a super fun experience and I would highly recommend!
Hopefully, this blog will convince you to consider a trip to this beautiful country. There’s tons of other activities that I left out which makes Panama a great choice for your next long weekend vacation.
If you need a travel advisor (like me!) to help plan your long weekend in Panama City, click the image below for more help!
Similar Post: