Panama City Free Walking Tour

This free walking tour takes between 2 hours and 15 minutes and 3 hours and covers the old town of Panama City on foot. The guide speaks English. It starts on the steps of the Gazebo in the centre of Plaza de la Independencia. The route links the Santa María la Antigua Cathedral, San José Church, Santo Domingo Church and Plaza Francia, and ends at Plaza de Simón Bolívar.

The first stop is in front of the Santa María la Antigua Cathedral, crowned by two bell towers decorated with mother-of-pearl inlays, with a façade of classical and Renaissance elements carved into the stone. The route then follows the central streets to San José Church, home to the Altar de Oro, an 18th-century Churrigueresque altarpiece made of mahogany and covered in gold.

Next comes Santo Domingo Church and the Arco Chato, an 18th-century structure that used to support the old choir of the parish, followed by Plaza Francia, where seven vaulted spaces that formed part of the city's defences can be seen. The tour ends at Plaza de Simón Bolívar. The order of the stops may vary for organizational reasons.