My Trip to Panama

My Panama Travel Guide comes from a seven-day trip that gave me three completely different experiences in one country: the modern skyline and historic neighborhoods of Panama City, the Caribbean islands of Guna Yala, and the laid-back atmosphere of Bocas del Toro.

I arrived in Panama from the United States and spent my first day exploring on my own before my wife flew in from Colombia. I even took the Metro from the airport toward the city, something I always enjoy doing when public transportation makes it practical.

Once we were together, Panama City became our base for the first part of the trip. From there, we explored the city and made a day trip into the islands before eventually flying across the country to Bocas del Toro.

I already documented the entire trip day by day in my 7-Day Panama Itinerary, so this page is meant to give you the bigger picture and help you decide which parts of Panama you might want to explore.

Panama City: Two Very Different Sides of the Capital

Panama City surprised me with just how modern it feels. High-rise buildings dominate the waterfront, and from our hotel we had some incredible views across the city and ocean. Our location also put us close to restaurants, entertainment and much of the activity of modern Panama City.

But the city changes completely when you get to Casco Viejo.

Walking through the historic district gave us colonial architecture, narrow streets, restaurants, bars and a much different atmosphere from the skyscrapers just a short distance away. We returned in the evening as well, when the restaurants and streets take on another personality.

We also went to a dinner show during our stay, giving us something beyond sightseeing and another look at Panamanian culture and entertainment.

Panama City worked particularly well as a base because we could enjoy the city one day and leave it behind completely the next.

A Day in Guna Yala and the San Blas Islands

One of the biggest changes of scenery came when we left Panama City for a day in Guna Yala, also widely known to travelers as the San Blas Islands.

This wasn’t the resort-style Caribbean. These are small tropical islands surrounded by clear water, boats and seemingly endless views across the Caribbean.

One of our stops was Nugnudub, where palm trees, sand and water were basically the entire attraction. Sometimes that’s enough.

We spent the day moving among islands, swimming, eating and simply enjoying a part of Panama that felt far removed from the capital we had left that morning.

For me, this was one of the experiences that made the Panama trip work so well. You don’t necessarily have to choose between a city vacation and an island vacation here. We were able to experience both during the same relatively short trip.

Flying to Bocas del Toro

The next major part of the trip required getting on an airplane.

Instead of flying from Panama City’s main international airport, we departed from Marcos A. Gelabert International Airport, commonly known as Albrook Airport, for the domestic flight to Bocas del Toro.

Bocas immediately felt different.

After arriving, we had something to eat and then took a boat out to the overwater accommodation I had reserved for the birthday portion of the trip.

This was one of those places where getting there was part of the experience. We arrived by boat, checked in, unpacked, went swimming and had some time to enjoy the property and the water.

Unfortunately, our plans changed unexpectedly when my wife became ill. We ultimately had to leave the property, return to Bocas Town and find another hotel.

It wasn’t how I expected that particular birthday evening to go, but travel doesn’t always cooperate with the itinerary.

Fortunately, Bocas wasn’t finished with us yet.

Island Hopping Around Bocas del Toro

The following day we were able to continue with an island excursion we already had scheduled.

That brought us back onto the water and through some of the scenery that makes the Bocas del Toro archipelago worth visiting.

One of our stops was Cayo Zapatilla #2 on Isla Bastimentos, part of the protected marine environment around Bastimentos. Here it was back to white sand, tropical vegetation and Caribbean water.

We made several stops during the excursion, ate, relaxed and spent much of the day moving through the islands before eventually returning for our flight.

After the previous night’s unexpected change of plans, it turned into a much better ending to our time in Bocas.

Panama City, San Blas or Bocas del Toro?

The interesting thing is that I wouldn’t substitute one of these places for another. They provided completely different experiences.

Panama City gave us the restaurants, skyline, nightlife, history and convenience of a major international city.

Guna Yala gave us a relatively easy escape into a much simpler Caribbean island environment.

And Bocas del Toro felt like its own destination altogether — colorful, tropical and centered around boats, islands and life on the water.

If you only have a few days, Panama City can easily stand on its own. With a week, however, getting outside the capital dramatically changes what a trip to Panama can look like.

My 7-Day Panama Itinerary

We packed quite a bit into seven days.

Rather than duplicate the entire trip here, I’ve documented it separately in my 7-Day Panama Itinerary, where I go through the trip day by day with photographs from each part of the journey.

→ Read My 7-Day Panama Itinerary

If you’re planning your own trip, you don’t have to follow ours exactly. In fact, one lesson from our trip is that plans sometimes change after you’ve already arrived.

But combining Panama City with at least one of Panama’s Caribbean destinations is something I would absolutely consider again.