On my visit to Panama City, Panama earlier this year, I spent an afternoon at the Panama Canal, which I was incredibly excited about. Specifically, the Miraflores Visitor Center. This post explains how you can visit the Panama Canal from Panama City.
The Panama Canal – you can see the locks closing.
WHAT IS THE PANAMA CANAL
The Panama Canal is probably Panama’s best know tourist attraction. Aside from that, it is a super important canal that connects the Caribbean Sea (and the Atlantic Ocean) and the Pacific Ocean via Central America, obviating the need for ships to go around South America. And fun fact, the ships go through the canal North to South (not East to West)! It’s been open since 1914, and is operated and controlled by Panama. It’s also a very cool place to visit when in Panama.
The Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal.
WHERE IS THE PANAMA CANAL FOR VISITORS
The Panama Canal Miraflores Visitor Center is located about 30 minutes outside of Panama City, making it an easy half-day visit from Panama City. That being said, there are “canal hotels”, and I kind of wish I had stayed a night there just to watch more large ships.
OPTIONS TO VISIT THE PANAMA CANAL
There are four real options in visiting the Panama Canal. The first, and most famous, is doing the self-guided tour of the Miraflores Locks. The Miraflores Locks are the oldest Panama Canal locks and those that most visit. The second option is to visit the newer Gatun Locks and the Agua Clara Visitor Center. The third option is to take a guided tour of the Miraflores Locks, which is much more expensive, more detailed, and takes a lot longer than the standard self-guided tour described herein. The final option is to take a boat tour (or a cruise) through the Panama Canal. The boat is basically an all day affair.
The Miraflores Visitor Center at the Panama Canal.
GETTING TO THE PANAMA CANAL AS A TOURIST
The easiest way to reach the Miraflores Visitor Center is via car. There is plenty of parking on site. We, however, took an Uber, which was easy and inexpensive both ways. We did not have trouble getting an Uber to return to Panama City. If you don’t want to drive or Uber, many tours go to the Panama Canal. There is also a public bus, but we did not look into that option.
COST OF THE PANAMA CANAL
Entry to the Miraflores Lockes is currently $17.22 for adult tourists. Entrance to the Gatun Lockes is $10 for adult tourists. Children and Panama nationals receive significant discounts.
ACTIVITIES AT THE MIRAFLORES LOCKS
The Miraflores Visitor Center is a sizeable complex that is compromised of an IMAX theatre, a gift shop, a mall-style food court, and an outdoor viewing area where visitors can watch ships go through the canal (during hours its open to ships).
The IMAX theatre shows one movie – a 45 minute video about the Panama Canal hosted by Morgan Freeman, ha. The movie is also in 3D, and it was honestly interesting and provided a lot of information about Panama, the canal, and its creation. I highly recommend the video. It runs for 45 minutes at 8:45 AM, 9:45 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:15 PM, 1:30 PM, 2:45 PM, 4:00 PM, and 5:15 PM. It is very popular to buy food and beverage in the visitor center food court and take it into the theatre to enjoy during the film.
Very into the fact that Morgan Freeman narrates.
As we arrived just before the 2:45 PM IMAX movie, we did not take food or drinks in and instead, visited the food court on our way out. We purchased local craft beers, from La Rana Dorada, and took them outdoors to the canal viewing platform.
Panama local craft beer.
The viewing platform at the Miraflores Visitor Center is an open-air area with bleachers and a roof overlooking the Miraflores Locks. During ship crossing hours, visitors can sit and watch the various boats cross the Miraflores locks. Someone narrates the passing in both Spanish and English. It’s pretty fun and interesting. And, you can really see the little trains that help ships make their way through the canal (you learn about this during the IMAX movie). We stayed for two boats, which took nearly an hour.
Watching a ship go through the Miraflores Locks.
My Rana Dorada beer at the Miraflores Canal.
HOW MUCH TIME TO SPEND AT THE PANAMA CANAL
I would aim to spend between 2 – 3 hours at the Panama Canal for the standard tour. You can cut it a little shorter, or stay a lot longer if you are particularly interested in the topic. Due to the information provided in the IMAX movie, I suggest watching the IMAX movie before visiting the viewing platform.
WHEN TO VISIT THE PANAMA CANAL
The Panama Canal is open year-round to visitors from 8 AM to 6 PM, with the last ticket sold at 5 PM. However, boats only cross the Panama Canal during certain hours of the day. You can find the times during your visit by visiting the online Transit Schedule here. During my visit, boats went through the Miraflores locks in the morning until 9:45 AM and in the afternoon from 3:10 PM. Be sure to check the updated schedule when visiting, as it would be a real bummer to miss the ships.
PANAMA CANAL MUSEUM
Not to be confused the the Miraflores Visitor Center, there is the Panama Canal Museum in Casco Antiguo, Panama City. While the Visitor Center focuses on the actual canal and its operations, the Panama Canal Museum focuses more on the culture surrounding the Panama Canal, including the people who worked on building it, communities in the Canal Zone, and the not-so-great things that went on during its construction and US operation. While totally different than the visitor center, I found the museum really interesting for totally different reasons.
The Panama Canal Museum in Panama City.
Panama Canal themed dishes.
Panama branded cigarettes.
STEAL OUR TRIP
Panama Canal (including the Miraflores Visitor Center and the Agua Clara Visitor Center): Open daily 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM.
Panama Canal Museum (Museo del Canal Interoceánico de Panamá): Plaza de la Independencia, C. 5a Este, Panamá. Open Tuesday – Sunday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Cost: $15.00 per adult.