Tour of City and Canal – Full Day

Ref. T-001

This historical tour will begin with the ruins of “Old Panama,” the first city founded on the Isthmus by the Spanish and later attacked by the British pirate Henry Morgan in 1671. After the tour of “Old Panama”, we will travel through a scenic and modern part of the city en route to the “Casco Antiguo” (Old Quarters), built in 1673 after “Old Panama” was sacked and burnt. The predominant architectural style of the “Casco Antiguo” is French and Spanish colonial styles. This part of town is the home of the famous Golden Altar, which survived Morgan's plundering and destruction of “Old Panama”; the “Flat Arch,” which engineering structure was key for the United States' decision to construct the Panama Canal; churches and a cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Grand National Theater, the Bóvedas (prison chambers), and the French Plaza with the written history of the Canal on it murals. At the Independence Plaza , a most beautiful building houses the modern Museum of the Interoceanic Cana l .

Next we will continue to Flamenco Island , one the three islands, which form a causeway at the entrance of the Canal. Here we will have lunch and later proceed to the Miraflores Locks. Of the three sets of locks in the Canal, this is the closest to Panama City . You will observe the magnitude of this engineering marvel, which operates a century later using the same hydraulic system since its inception. There will be a short audiovisual presentation and other exhibits at the Visitor's Center.

From the watchtower you will have an excellent view of the operation as a ship crosses the locks in either direction.