Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. For the price of a ticket that currently runs around $17 (verify at visitcanaldepanama.com before you go), you can stand a few meters from a ship being lifted 26 meters between two oceans. Understanding how that actually happens is most of the reason a visit here is worth the money, so here is the mechanism first and the history behind it second.