Casco Viejo at night: a first-timer's guide

Casco Viejo is small, walkable and at its best after dark. This is how to do a first night there without wasting it on the wrong streets.

Getting there and getting back

Casco Viejo sits on a peninsula at the end of the Cinta Costera, about fifteen minutes by car from the Banking District and the hotel zone. Take an Uber or a taxi to the entrance and walk from there. Most of the old town is one-way lanes and pedestrian streets, and parking is a bad use of your evening. For the way back, order a car from a lit plaza or a restaurant door rather than from a side street. It is a safe area at night on the main blocks, and that is where you will want to be anyway.

Arrive at golden hour

Come in around 6 PM. You get the last light on the balconies, the plazas filling up, and the first cocktails before the crowds. Start at Plaza de la Independencia by the cathedral, walk to Plaza Bolívar for the churches and the terraces, and finish the loop at Plaza de Francia on the tip of the peninsula, where the sea wall looks back at the skyline. It takes half an hour at a slow pace and orients you for the rest of the night.

Dinner, then drinks

The old town eats late but not as late as Madrid. Dinner at 7:30 or 8 leaves you plenty of night. Casco Viejo has more restaurants per block than anywhere else in the country, from Panamanian tasting menus to pizza on a rooftop. Book anything with a view. Then move to drinks, which is where the neighbourhood really earns its reputation.

Rooftops first, hidden bars second

The rooftops are the obvious move and they are worth it: a first drink with the skyline across the bay, the cathedral towers below you. Do one, not three. After that, go down. The most interesting bars in Casco Viejo do not have views. They have unmarked doors, passwords and forty seats, and they are where you will remember the night. We wrote a separate guide to the best speakeasies in Panama City.

What to wear

Smart casual. It is warm and humid year round, so light fabrics, but the old town dresses up at night and the speakeasies especially. Comfortable shoes matter more than you think. The streets are brick and cobblestone, and you will walk more than you plan to.

A few practical things

• Cash and cards. Everywhere takes cards. Keep a little cash for tips and the odd street vendor.
• Timing. Bars fill from 10 PM and most close between 2 and 3 AM. Speakeasies close earlier and are calmer, which is part of their charm.
• Stay on the peninsula. Casco Viejo ends abruptly at the Avenida de los Poetas and the Santa Ana side. Do not wander past it on foot at night.
• Weekends. Friday and Saturday are lively and loud. Thursday is the locals' night and the best one for hidden bars.

If you would rather not plan it

Our Old Town Speakeasy Tour is built exactly for a first night in Casco Viejo. Meet at 7:00 PM, three hidden bars, one signature cocktail at each, finger food, and a host who knows the doors and the passwords. Private for groups of ten or more, about four and a half hours, $95 per person. Details on the home page.