Casco Viejo is the main event within the city limits of Panama for tourists. Colonial architecture, art galleries, great restaurants and bars and the cities trendiest hotels combine to form a tourist center that doesn't feel completely contrived. I don't know that I'll return to Panama City strictly for tourism, but if I do come back for any reason, you'll find me sleeping, wining and dining in this neighborhood.
Walking through this historic sight takes you back to the days of the Conquistadores. From here the gold from South America flowed across to Portobello on the Caribbean side.
It's in Panama city and it's a lot of rocks and walls that are the remains of the old Panama . Really nothing worth seing. Dangerous neigberhood
Panama La Vieja or "Old Panama" is actually quite unique. This area was the original Panama City, of sorts, until it was ransacked by pirates. Rather than rebuild the Spanish just left their ruined structures and moved down the shoreline. Modern Panama City has enveloped the Old Panama and has turned these ruins into a park. With signage and a clear road to follow you can take a close-up glimpse of nearly ancient Spanish colonial ruins. They're still left in shambles and some just barely give you an idea of what the structure once looked like. You can almost imagine this city was once surrounded by tropical forest and mangroves on the Pacific Coast. The main attraction is a climb up the stairs of the tower which obviously didn't afford the old city enough warning several centuries ago.This attraction is free. Be sure to bring water and protect yourself from the sun. Allow at least an hour. Bathroom facilities are located at the museum and the other end at the parking lot. Taxi from the center of the city should cost around $2.50-$3.00. Be sure to check out the artisan market located just outside the museum (closes at 5pm).
the ruins heere are nice and worth a walk thru! some really nice picture spots and pretty area of wetlands with alot of birds and interesting trees! the view from top of the tower is GREAT!
Old colorful buildings, dating back to colonial times line cobblestoned streets. This is a wonderful place to just wander around and explore.
Great place to visit for a few hours if you are into seeing ruins and learning the history of the original city. A quick cab ride for a few bucks will get you to/from the site.
Usually I have a difficult time getting my husband to walk around ruins. This site was especially well done. He actually enjoyed it. The signage was great and provided the needed information in both Spanish and English. Climbing to the top of the church tower was not difficult and it was a good view.
The ride from our Cangrejo location to Panama Vieja was through dense traffic, a longer trip than I had anticipated in relation to map distance. The museum was very well done, but there was not enough posted information in English for non-Spanish speakers. We drove from the museum to the area of the historic buildings,some partially standing, and it was interesting to see the size of the old Panama City original site. We did not get out of our hired van to walk amongst the ruins. When visiting Panama City one should probably make it a point to see the historic Panama Vieja, but if one were in the city for only three days, I would say skip it.
Wonderfully preserved foundations of the first European settlement in the new world. Better signage and a route map would be helpful as a audio tour would be too.