{"id":1296083,"date":"2026-08-14T10:37:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T10:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/?p=1296083"},"modified":"2026-08-14T10:37:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T10:37:18","slug":"free-things-to-do-in-panama-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/free-things-to-do-in-panama-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Things To Do In Panama City"},"content":{"rendered":"

Panama City has a reputation problem. Visitors land, see the wall of glass towers along Avenida Balboa, get quoted \u20ac22 for a canal visitor centre ticket, and quietly assume the whole place is going to bleed them dry.<\/p>\n

It isn’t like that. Some of the best free things to do in Panama City<\/strong> are the ones locals do every weekend: walking the seawall at sunset, hiking a hill in the middle of the city for skyline views, drifting through 350-year-old plazas with a coffee in hand. This guide covers what actually costs nothing, where the near-free stuff is (because \u20ac2 ceviche deserves a mention), and where to stay so your nightly spend stays sensible.<\/p>\n

Prices are in euros and rounded. Panama uses the US dollar day to day, so expect small variations at the till.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Luis Aleman<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tBook Hostels In Panama City<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/p><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfd9\ufe0f What are the best free things to do in Panama City?<\/h2>\n

The short answer: walk. Panama City rewards people who move slowly through it, and almost every landmark worth seeing sits on a free street.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Free thing to do<\/th>\nWhere<\/th>\nWhy bother<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Cerro Anc\u00f3n hike<\/td>\nAnc\u00f3n<\/td>\nBest skyline and canal-mouth view in the city, no ticket<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Casco Viejo plazas<\/td>\nSan Felipe<\/td>\nPlaza de la Independencia, Plaza Bol\u00edvar, Plaza Francia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Las B\u00f3vedas seawall<\/td>\nCasco Viejo<\/td>\nSunset over the bay with the towers glowing behind you<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cinta Costera<\/td>\nAvenida Balboa<\/td>\n5km of waterfront path, joggers, families, sea breeze<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Amador Causeway<\/td>\nAmador<\/td>\nWalk out into the Pacific and watch ships queue for the canal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mercado de Mariscos<\/td>\nChorrillo<\/td>\nLoud, chaotic fish market, free to browse<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Start Cerro Anc\u00f3n before 8am.<\/strong> The climb is short but exposed, and by mid-morning the humidity turns it into a sauna. The road up is paved and safe, and sloths in the trees are common.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Kaori Hirakata<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\ud83d\udeb6 Are there free walking tours in Panama City?<\/h2>\n

Yes, and they are the fastest way to make sense of the place.<\/p>\n

Most free walking tours in Panama City<\/strong> start in Casco Viejo, usually near Plaza de la Independencia, and run on a tip basis rather than a fixed price. Guides are local, the route is roughly two hours, and the history you get (pirate raids, canal politics, why the old city moved) changes how the rest of the trip reads.<\/p>\n

A few practical notes:<\/p>\n