Things to do in Panama City in one day: My 24-Hour Copa Layover

The first time I traveled to Latin America with Copa Airlines was to visit The Dominican Republic. But, Copa Airlines always has a layover in Panama City. Sometimes that layover could be over 30 hours long. My layover was for 24 hours and I quickly had to decide on ways to pass time until our next flight. So, instead of spending my entire layover at Tocumen Airport, I decided to head into the city and see how much of Panama City I could experience in one day.

I am writing this guide on things to do in Panama City in one day for people who have a very long layover and would like something to do instead of just sleeping all day at the airport.

Can you explore Panama city during a long layover?

Yes you can. The staff at immigration looked at my ticket and itinerary and saw how many hours I had before my next flight and I was in the clear to leave the airport and explore Panama City at my leisure. Although another time in Panama City, I just arrived from Peru and only had about 6 hours and was told we weren’t allowed to go through and leave the airport because the flight times were too close.

So, just ensure that you have enough time before your flight out of Panama City. I would recommend about 12 hours or more or free time to safely leave the airport, do stuff and still get back 3 hours before your flight.

Best things to do in Panama City in one day

Visit the Panama Canal

Because the canal is a really popular thing here in Panama, we thought that we just had to see it for ourselves. I remember driving from the airport into the city and seeing the Panama Canal stretching for miles. I actually don’t think you should spend too much time at the canal. It got boring for me and unless you’re into engineering, it’ll get boring for you to.

You can book tickets for the visitor centers and I recommend the Miraflores locks. It’s the best place to look at the canal from. In the ticket you get to also see the Panama Canal movie. But, if you don’t want to take up all your time on this one activity, just skip the movie. You can also have nice breakfast or even lunch in Miraflores at the same time you look at the canal.

Explore Casco Viejo

One of the best things to do in Panama if you only have one day is to visit the historic district of Casco Viejo. I stayed in Casco Viejo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area has a beautiful Spanish colonial feel and actually reminded me a little of Antigua in Guatemala, just much smaller and easier to walk around.

Most of our time here was spent just walking through the old streets, checking out the colorful buildings and browsing some of the small shops. We love walkable towns and cities and I personally think walking around somewhere new is the best way to explore and find out where all the cool things are. We also visited the Panama Canal Museum and the Mola Museum, which focuses on the traditional textiles of the indigenous Guna people. The Mola Museum was free and ended up being one of the more interesting stops.

Casco Viejo was also one of my favorite places in Panama City for food. We ate at places like Cafe Unido, Fonda Lo Que Hay, Mahalo Cocina y Jardin and Greek Islands Bistro. Cafe Unido was especially good if you want to try Panama’s famous geisha coffee.

Shop at Albrook Mall

After checking into my hotel, the first place we visited was the Albrook mall. This was because our Uber driver said we’d really enjoy it and could do some fun shopping before heading to our main destination. By the way, things in Panama are very cheap. This is the largest Mall in Central America. Each section of the mall represented by a different animal.

The mall also had movie theatres, an arcade and Amusement park areas for families and regular travelers. Loads of taxis and Ubers frequent this mall to drop and pick up people. So, you can just walk anywhere outside the mall to get transportation wherever you need to go.

One things to note, we were haggled with very persistently over buying things from the different stores in the mall. I separated from my group a little bit and these three women were trying to sell me in soles for shoes. They were complementing my looks and making all kinds of small talk just to make the sale. You can indulge these locals and buy some stuff, but definitely don’t fall for it too often.

Walking tour of Panama City

Now, if you’re really unsure of what to do in literally anywhere you go to, a walking tour is always the best place to start. I think walking around the city gives you a good opportunity to explore things at ground level and give you some cultural immersion. A popular place to do a walking tour is Amador Causeway. This place is really just a long stretch with water on either side. On one side is the Canal and the other side is Panama City, a very cool place to stroll and chill.

Obviously, you don’t have to try and do all of these things. It greatly depends on how you feel. Maybe you want to lie down for a few hours in a room or if you have the energy, walk around the city. These are just some of the cool things I thought of sharing for you guys who don’t know what to do on a Panama layover.

Walk Along the Cinta Costera

This isn’t something I personally did myself, but it’s still a great thing to do in Panama City because you don’t really need to plan much around it. It’s basically a really long waterfront along the coast with views of the skyline and the ocean. I think it’s great for taking pictures just to say, hey I was here and I’ve done that.

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