Together with your English speaking guide you will enjoy a Panama City Tour that shows you a part of Panama you would not see on a normal tour.
In the morning you start with a public bus ride from your hotel to the 5 de Mayo Square. From there you will start walking on the Central Avenue – a pedestrian area with local shops, restaurants and people selling from fresh fruits to cheap watches pretty much everything. Along the way you will enter a narrow market, try local refreshments like Guarapo (Sugar Cane Juice) or Agua de Pipa (fresh Coconut Juice) and visit the Café Coca Cola – a historical Café where Politicians used to meet to make important decisions. This area of Panama City is very local and you will hardly meet any tourists.
You will then get to the Casco Antiguo, Panama City’s colonial district. Walk through the narrow streets and admire the lovely buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. Among the places you will visit with your guide are San José Church with its famous Golden Altar; French Plaza and its monument for the engineers of the Panama Canal; the thick city walls that used to protect this part of the city; the Presidential Palace as well as the Central Plaza and the impressive Cathedral.
After this historical excursion you will continue to the Fishmarket. Early in the morning, the local fishermen come here to sell their catch. The Fishmarket is also the restaurant that serves the freshest fish and seafood in town. You will enjoy a nice lunch (not included) before continuing by bus to the Old Panama or Panama Viejo.
Panama Viejo was the first European settlement on the Pacific coast of the Americas. This first Panama City was looted and destroyed by the notorious English buccaneer Henry Morgan in 1671 and therefore abandoned. Today there are only ruins left. Still, the tower of the ancient cathedral is standing and has become a landmark of the town. Together with your guide you will walk through the ruins that build a huge contrast to the modern skyscrapers of today’s Panama City and climb the ancient tower.
After the tour you will be taken back to your hotel.
Important Notes: On this tour you will be walking for approximately 3 – 4 hours and the sun in Panama is quite strong. Make sure to put on sunscreen and wear a hat even if it’s a cloudy day. You will mingle with locals on this tour – although it is safe please avoid bringing large sums of money, big cameras and flashy jewelery on this tour.
