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Casco Viejo, Panama

Travel guide · The canal, Casco Viejo and islands on two oceans

Travelling to Panama

The canal that joins two oceans, Casco Viejo, the islands of Guna Yala and Bocas del Toro, and coffee mountains in Boquete. We tell you when to go, what to see and what to eat.

Updated 18 October 2026 · How we make our guides

  • Best time: from December to April
  • Where to eat: a fonda or the Mercado de Mariscos
Photo: Ivo Kruusamägi · CC BY-SA 4.0

Panama in 30 seconds

  • The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Panama are from December to April.
  • To eat like a local: a fonda or the Mercado de Mariscos. Don’t leave without trying: Sancocho, Ceviche, Carimañolas.

Panama in November

You can go, with a few caveats: rainy season. The dry season, from December to April, is best; in the rainy season, do your excursions in the morning.

  • November

    Rainy season

    From May to November it rains almost every afternoon, hardest in October and November.

    What to do: The dry season, from December to April, is best; in the rainy season, do your excursions in the morning.

More destinations for November

When to travel to Panama

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Panama are from December to April.

  1. Jan no warnings
  2. Feb no warnings
  3. Mar no warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May with warnings
  6. Jun with warnings
  7. Jul with warnings
  8. Aug with warnings
  9. Sep with warnings
  10. Oct with warnings
  11. Nov with warnings
  12. Dec no warnings

More destinations for those dates: where to travel in January · where to travel in February · where to travel in March · where to travel in April

  • from May to November

    Rainy season

    From May to November it rains almost every afternoon, hardest in October and November.

    What to do: The dry season, from December to April, is best; in the rainy season, do your excursions in the morning.

What to see in Panama

The cities and areas most worth your time, with their highlights. Open each one for all the places, where to stay and its day trips.

  • Panama City

    Panama City

    Seafront skyscrapers, colonial Casco Viejo and the canal on the outskirts.

    • Casco Viejo
    • Cinta Costera
    • Panamá Viejo
    • Biomuseo
    Panama City guide
  • Guna Yala

    Guna Yala

    More than 300 white-sand islands in the Caribbean, governed by the Guna people.

    • Sand and palm islands
    • Guna communities
    • Natural pool
    • Snorkelling
    Guna Yala guide
  • Bocas del Toro

    Bocas del Toro

    A Caribbean archipelago of houses over the water, beaches, dolphins and a backpacker vibe.

    • Starfish Beach
    • Dolphin Bay
    • Cayo Zapatilla
    • Bastimentos Island
    Bocas del Toro guide
  • Boquete

    Boquete

    A mountain town among coffee farms, with Barú volcano and cloud-forest trails.

    • Coffee farms
    • Barú Volcano
    • Quetzal Trail
    • Hanging bridges
    Boquete guide
  • Panama Canal

    Panama Canal

    One of the world’s great feats of engineering, with locks where you can watch the ships pass through.

    • Miraflores Locks
    • Agua Clara Locks
    • Gatún Lake
    • Partial transit
    Panama Canal guide
  • Portobelo

    Portobelo

    The old Spanish gold port, with ruined forts beside the Caribbean.

    • Spanish forts
    • Royal Customs House
    • Black Christ
    • Beaches by boat
    Portobelo guide
  • El Valle de Antón

    El Valle de Antón

    A town inside the crater of an extinct volcano, with waterfalls and a cool climate.

    • Chorro El Macho
    • India Dormida
    • Sunday market
    • Hot springs
    El Valle de Antón guide
  • Pedasí

    Pedasí

    A quiet town on the Azuero Peninsula, with surfing, whales and Iguana Island.

    • Iguana Island
    • Humpback whales
    • Playa Venao
    • Isla de Cañas
    Pedasí guide
  • Contadora Island

    Contadora Island

    An island in the Pearl Islands, in the Pacific, with beaches and reef sharks.

    • Playa Larga
    • Snorkelling
    • Mogo Mogo Island
    • Whales
    Contadora Island guide
  • Coiba

    Coiba

    A former prison island, now a national park and World Heritage Site, for diving with sharks and whales.

    • Diving
    • Granito de Oro Island
    • Humpback whales
    • Former prison
    Coiba guide

Day trips and activities

What’s most worth booking from each city. We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

From Panama City

From Guna Yala

From Bocas del Toro

From Boquete

From the Panama Canal

From Portobelo

From El Valle de Antón

From Pedasí

From Contadora Island

From Coiba

Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them, Bagintravel may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What to eat in Panama

To eat like a local: a fonda or the Mercado de Mariscos, and order sancocho or ceviche. And don’t leave without trying:

  • Sancocho

    Chicken soup with yam and culantro, the national dish.

  • Ceviche

    Made with sea bass, at the Mercado de Mariscos.

  • Carimañolas

    Cassava fritters stuffed with meat.

  • Patacones

    Fried green plantain.

  • Arroz con pollo

    For celebrations.

  • Boquete coffee

    Geisha and other varieties.

The typical dish of Panama, at home

Panamanian sancocho
Photo: Jdvillalobos · CC BY-SA 4.0

Panamanian sancocho

Panama’s national soup: free-range chicken with yam, corn on the cob and plenty of culantro, light and fragrant. It’s eaten at any time, even after a night out.

  • Serves 6
  • 1 h 30 min

Ingredients

  • 1 boiling hen or free-range chicken, in pieces
  • 800 g yam (or cassava and potato)
  • 1 corn cob, in pieces
  • 1 onion
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 pepper
  • 1 bunch of culantro (or coriander)
  • Oregano and salt
  • White rice

How to make it at home

  1. Marinate the chicken with garlic, oregano, salt and chopped culantro.
  2. Brown it lightly in a pot with the onion and pepper.
  3. Cover with 2.5 litres of water and cook for 45 minutes.
  4. Add the yam in chunks and the corn and cook for 30 minutes more, until the yam thickens the broth.
  5. Finish with plenty of chopped culantro and serve with white rice.

The trick: Culantro (the long-leaved kind) is the flavour of Panama: look for it in Latin American shops.

The typical food of each city, with a recipe

Curious facts about Panama

What guidebooks don’t tell you and will help you understand the country better.

  • It’s the only place where you can watch the sun rise over the Pacific and set over the Atlantic.
  • Thousands of ships a year pass through the canal, climbing and descending through the locks.
  • The “Panama” hat is actually made in Ecuador.
  • In Guna Yala the Guna people govern their own territory.
  • Boquete’s geisha coffee is among the most expensive in the world.
  • It uses the US dollar alongside the balboa.

Traditions of Panama

Customs and celebrations that will help you experience the country like a local.

  • February Las Tablas Carnival

    The most famous in the country.

  • November Fiestas Patrias

    Parades on the third and fourth days.

  • Pollera

    The embroidered traditional dress.

  • Molas

    Layered, hand-stitched Guna textiles.

What not to do in Panama

First-trip mistakes that are easy to avoid.

  • Don’t wander at night outside the tourist areas of Casco Viejo.
  • Don’t photograph Guna people without asking permission (sometimes there’s a fee).
  • Don’t underestimate the humid heat.
  • Don’t go to the Darién: the border with Colombia is no place for tourists.
  • Don’t forget insect repellent: there are mosquitoes.
  • Don’t go hiking on Barú volcano without a guide.

Before you go

Entry requirements depend on your passport and change: always check them with official sources before travelling.

Frequently asked questions about Panama

What people search for most before travelling to Panama.

What’s the best time to travel to Panama?

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Panama are from December to April.

What to see in Panama in a week?

The essentials of Panama: Panama City, Guna Yala, Bocas del Toro, Boquete and Panama Canal. How many places fit into your days, and in what order, depends on your dates and how you get around: the Bagintravel app plans your trip day by day in a minute.

What to eat in Panama?

Sancocho, Ceviche, Carimañolas, Patacones, Arroz con pollo, Boquete coffee. To eat like a local: a fonda or the Mercado de Mariscos.

What is the typical dish of Panama?

Panamanian sancocho. Panama’s national soup: free-range chicken with yam, corn on the cob and plenty of culantro, light and fragrant. It’s eaten at any time, even after a night out.

What should you not do in Panama?

Don’t wander at night outside the tourist areas of Casco Viejo. Don’t photograph Guna people without asking permission (sometimes there’s a fee). Don’t underestimate the humid heat.

Is it worth travelling to Panama in November?

You can go, with a few caveats: rainy season. The dry season, from December to April, is best; in the rainy season, do your excursions in the morning.

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Guide reviewed 18 October 2026. Seasonal data, places and areas: the same ones the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.

Photos: cover, Ivo Kruusamägi (CC BY-SA 4.0). Panama City, Dronepicr (CC BY 3.0). Guna Yala, P.sutermeister (CC BY-SA 4.0). Bocas del Toro, Dronepicr (CC BY 3.0). Boquete, FranHogan (CC BY-SA 4.0). Panama Canal, Paul Harrison (CC BY-SA 4.0). Portobelo, en:User:Tedder (CC BY 3.0). El Valle de Antón, Garrison Gunter from State College, Pa, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0). Pedasí, Inzay20 (CC BY-SA 3.0). Contadora Island, Dronepicr (CC BY 3.0). Coiba, Dronepicr (CC BY 3.0).