Top Things to Do in Casco Viejo, Panama City, Panama

While visiting Panama, I attended two weeks of Spanish classes at Casco Antiguo Spanish School. The school is located in Casco Viejo, a revitalized historic quarter of the city. The popular UNESCO World Heritage Site features beautiful churches, nice plazas, a variety of museums, countless stores, and hip restaurants. Every day after class, I took in a few sites. Below is a list of things to do:

Casco Viejo has five churches which are all free to visit while wearing respectable clothing. Most open around 7:30am and close around 8pm. I visited all of them, a few more than once, and found popping in just before my 8am class or after my early dinner were the best.

Since most suffered from fires, were abandoned, were used for other purposes, and underwent renovations, they each offer a different feel. The quaint Iglesia San Felipe Neri is far different from the Catedral Metropolitana, one of the largest in Central America.

Casco Viejo is full of plazas with small green spaces and a few shade trees. Take a break from the hot sun on one of the park benches. Pick a busier plaza like the Plaza Mayor to watch the daily life of Casco Viejo or find a quieter spot with a light breeze at La Plaza Francia. Each of the six plazas has something special to offer. For more detailed information on the plazas, visit my post, The Plazas of Casco Viejo. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).