Panama City Travel Tips on a Budget: 8 to Know
8 things worth knowing before you land in Panama City
Most of what trips up first-time visitors here is money, transport and two similarly-named neighborhoods, not culture shock. Here’s what actually matters.
1. The dollar is the currency, full stop
Panama’s official unit is the balboa, but it’s pegged 1:1 to the US dollar and exists only as coins, all banknotes in circulation are literal US dollar bills. There’s no exchange rate to calculate and no currency desk to find; bring dollars or a card with no foreign-transaction fee.
2. Tap water is safe to drink
Unusual for the region, and worth knowing before you spend money on bottled water out of habit. Panama City’s tap water meets the same standard most US cities do.
3. Skip the taxi desk at Tocumen
Official taxi desks in Arrivals charge fixed zone rates, $30 to $40 to the center, no meter and no haggling. Uber, Cabify and DiDi can’t pick up at the arrivals curb, so walk to the signposted rideshare zone across from the terminal instead; the fare drops to roughly $15 to $25 outside surge pricing, and it’s the better deal almost every time.
4. Casco Viejo and Panama Viejo are two different places
Casco Viejo is the restored, still-standing colonial old town. Panama Viejo is the ruins of the original 1519 city, sacked by pirates in 1671, a separate site 20 to 30 minutes away. Mixing them up on a map leads to a wasted afternoon.
5. Know where not to wander after dark
Casco Viejo’s core is heavily policed and fine day or night, but El Chorrillo, which borders it directly, and San Miguelito are not places to end up in by accident. A $3 to $6 Uber between neighborhoods at night solves the problem entirely; walking is the only real risk here.
6. Metro Line 3 isn’t running yet
Lines 1 and 2 are open and cheap, $0.35 to $0.85 a ride. Line 3, a monorail extension, is still under construction with test runs expected later in 2026 and a real opening more like 2027 or 2028. Don’t plan a route around it.
7. Learn a little Spanish, but don’t stress about it
English covers most tourist-facing situations in Casco Viejo and the main hotels, but a few basic greetings and menu words go a long way in fondas and markets where English is less common. Panamanians are generally patient with visitors making the effort.
8. Bargaining has a place, and it isn’t everywhere
Mercado de Artesanias and similar crafts markets expect haggling; the fixed-price boutiques in Casco Viejo proper don’t, and pushing for a discount there tends to land awkwardly. Restaurants and the Metro are fixed-price everywhere.
For the full cost breakdown these tips feed into, see the main Panama City guide ; the things-to-do guide covers where these apply day to day.
Write down the rideshare zone location before you land. Tocumen’s signage is clear once you know to look for it, but it’s easy to miss on a first pass through a new airport.