Museums in Panama City: A Short Guide to Panama City’s Art, History and Culture
Visiting Panama City as a tourist is a delight! I’ve had the fortune to travel many times to this beautiful and cosmopolitan Central American city and I always find it fascinating. The history, the art, the culture, and you can LIVE it all through the many excellent museums that Panama City has to offer to its visitors. Museums in Panama City are usually open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday, except for holidays and weekend schedules may vary. Admission fees range from 0.50 cents to $5.00 USD in most cases; some have kids’ price and offer additional services like Audio guides for an extra cost.
As a traveler, I find it very helpful to have at hand the reviews and comments of others that have traveled before me, so I’ve put together the following guide, although short, of Panama City Museums hoping it may make your Panama City travel planning a bit easier! As a quick tip, and even if I’ve done it before, I always like to start with a Panama City Tour, particularly it if it’s your first time to Panama City. A Panama City Tour allows you to check out all the local attractions and Panama City highlights packed together in a few hours, including some of these Panama City museums. After this city overview, you can come back later on and at your own pace to truly experience the spots that might interest you the most! Hope you find this guide and tips helpful! Please note, all Museums in Panama are closed on Mondays so plan your trip accordingly.
Panama City Museums:
- Afro-Antillean Museum
Located on Ave. Justo Arosemena and Calle 24 Este, three blocks northeast of Plaza 5 de Mayo. This modest, wooden museum is dedicated to the West Indian workers who dedicated their lives, and some even lost it, in the construction of the Panama Canal. Thanks to their work, the face of the world and international trade changed forever. Hours of Operation: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday.
- Panama’s Banco Nacional La Casa Museum
La Casa Museo of Panama’s National Bank was built in 1925 as a beautiful private residence in the neighborhood of La Exposición. Since 1983, it’s been dedicated to preserving the history of Panama and of its first bank. Located between Ave. Cuba and Calle 34, the two stories building with different architectural styles has been a true custodian of Panama’s legacy and an enriching experience to its many annual visitors. Hours of Operation: 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
- Bolivar Museum
Located across from Bolivar Square, this place has real historic importance and has been declared Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Not only is the building a remnant from the original Franciscans’ Convent but it served as meeting location for Bolivar’s Congress (Amphictyonic Congress of Panama) called upon by Latin American hero Simon Bolivar prior to the famous Ayacucho Battle. The museum has the original protocols available for visitors to see with its proper transcription so people can read it easily. The museum has a replica of Simon Bolivar’s gala sword, which was made with gold and over 1300 diamonds! The original is sitting in Caracas, Venezuela. Hours of Operation: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday.
- Museum of Colonial Religious Art
Located next to the ruins of the Santo Domingo Church and Flat Arch (Arco Chato) in Casco Viejo, between Ave. A and Calle 3, the “Museo de Arte Religioso Colonial” as it’s called in Spanish displays a collection of Colonial-era religious pieces, dating from the 16th and 17th century when Panama was still under Spanish rule. These works are the only survivors from the sacking of Panama Viejo by pirates back in the day! Insider note: Casco Viejo is the historic district and a true cultural jewel of Panama City, totally worth the visit! Hours of Operation: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday.
- Museum of Contemporary Art
Located on Ave. De los Mártires, the Contemporary Art Museum in Panama City is the only one of its kind in Panama. It showcases permanent exhibits of flourishing as well as well-known Panamanian and other Latin American artists alongside temporary exhibits, plus a cultural center with activities for all ages. You can check out their temporary shows at the Panama Museum of Contemporary Art website. Hours of Operation: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday.
- History Museum of Panama
Again in the Casco Viejo area, the History Museum of Panama is located on the second floor of the 1910 neoclassical building of the Municipal Palace, on Ave. 7 Central next to the 1903 Independence Square. There you’ll find all sorts of historic items of Panama throughout its different time periods, allowing you a better understanding of the significant events that have made Panama and Panama City what they are today. Hours of Operation: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
- The Interoceanic Canal Museum
The Panama Canal Museum, also known as the Interoceanic Canal Museum, is located in a French style building between Calle 5ta and Calle 6ta formerly used as a luxury hotel from way back in the day and later as the French headquarters during the French construction period of the Canal. It is one of the most visited museums in the isthmus because of the subject it brings up, the Panama Canal, and a mandatory stop if in the city for sure. The Panama Canal Museum, along with the real Panama Canal, stand as proof of mankind’s wits and capacity of making the unthinkable happen: connect two oceans and change the face of the world forever. Hours of Operation: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Tuesday through Sunday.
- Natural Science Museum
Located on Ave. Cuba and Calle 29, the Natural Science Museum occupies the building that once was Panama’s National Museum for three decades. The museum’s main mission is to build awareness on the importance of preservation of the country’s, and the world’s, natural resources by displaying representative exhibits of geology, paleontology, local and foreign animal specimens. You’ll definitely enjoy a visit to the Natural Science Museum, whether you consider yourself a science geek or not. Hours of Operation: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Tuesday through Sunday.
- Panama Viejo Visitors’ Center
If you’re visiting the ruins of old Panama City, better known as Panama La Vieja, this is where you ought to start. The two-story building located on Vía Cincuentenaria, 2 km east of ATLAPA chronicles the old settlement’s history, from the time it was an indigenous village to becoming one of the wealthiest and most important centers of trade on the Western Hemisphere. The old settlement which is today Panama La Vieja was abandoned in 1671 after the sacking and looting of the city by pirate Henry Morgan! Insider note: The 16th-century ruins of Old Panama City are the remains of the oldest European settlement in the Pacific coast. Several columns, stone buildings, part of the fort and part of the cathedral still remain. It’s truly a blast to the past! Hours of Operation: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Tuesday through Sunday.
- Reina Torres de Arauz Museum
The Museo Antropológico Reina Torres de Arauz is Panama’s finest museum of pre-Columbian art and pieces. Its display of gold amulets, painted ceramics and permanent exhibits of artifacts dating from before the arrival of Christopher Columbus are an astonishing showcase of the rich cultural heritage of Panama. By the way, the museum was named after Panama’s most notorious and pioneering anthropologist Reina Torres de Araúz, who dedicated her life to preserving Panama’s pre-Columbian treasures. Insider note: Panama, unlike other Latin American countries, has not lost its indigenous population. There are actually 7 native tribes that still exist in Panama, and who strive to preserve their culture as intact as possible in the midst of modernity. There are tours available to visit some of these tribes’ villages, allowing tourists and visitors experience a bit of Panama’s pre-Columbian past still alive in its people, ways and customs. Hours of Operation: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday; Sat-Sun and holidays 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Smithsonian Marine Exhibition (Punta Culebra)
The Punta Culebra Nature Center, also known as the Smithsonian Marine Exhibition, is an open-air museum focused on marine science and education. Opened since 1996, the center offers visitors a great location to learn more about coastal and marine environments, their importance and the importance to preserve them. It extends over 1.5 hectares and offers visitors a unique experience to learn about Panama’s natural history and marine environments. And it is only 15 minutes away from the heart of Panama City! Insider note: The PCNC has a turtle and shark pool, aquarium exhibits, a touching pool and a lookout point with impressive views of the entrance to the Panama Canal! Hours of Operation: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday, Sat-Sun from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. during school year (March to December). During summer vacation and mid-year vacation the museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Whether strolling down the old quarters of Casco Viejo, the ruins of the old settlement in Panama La Vieja, witnessing the clock-working mechanism of the Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal or visiting the museums that highlight Panama’s history, art and rich culture, Panama City won’t let you down!