Cosmopolitan City

The city contains enormous modern buildings, such as the iconic screw (Revolution Tower), multinational hotel chains, restaurants with great chefs, one of America's most sophisticated transportation systems, a large financial center, bars, and nightclubs. Casco is the city's old historic district, which has been undergoing substantial restorations since 1990, transforming it into one of Panama's most fashionable nightlife locations. Elegant pubs, restaurants, tourist stores, vast plazas, cathedrals, and sidewalk cafes abound, all while preserving the neighborhood's historic beauty. It's a great place to spend a few hours walking around, escaping the heat of the day to sip an espresso and gaze at wrought-iron balconies blooming with tropical plants.

The Mercado del Mariscos, or fish market on the port where the fishermen arrive, is a short cab ride away. Restaurants line the market's perimeter. Ceviche, a kind of fresh fish cooked in a bath of onions, limes, and chili peppers, is their specialty. They also have big shrimp and whole fish that were just retrieved from the sea and are ready to be cooked or barbecued. Avenida Central, near the fish market, is a good place to experience authentic Panamanian street culture. It's a long, closed-to-traffic boulevard that runs from Plaza Cinco di Mayo to Parque Santa Ana and is one of the most active districts of town, a bustling commercial center where anything and everything can be found.