City of Knowledge

Panama City


Once the headquarters for the US Southern Command in Panama, ‘Ciudad del Saber’ is today a government-sponsored center for education, research and innovation. Located on 120 hectares of open green spaces overlooking the Panama Canal, it’s also the setting for many of the city’s biggest events including the capital’s annual Jazz Festival.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Panama City attractions

1. Miraflores Visitors Center

0.55 MILES

The easiest way to visit the Panama Canal is to head to the Miraflores Visitors Center, just outside Panama City. This modern center features a four-floor…

2. Pedro Miguel Locks

2.28 MILES

North past the Miraflores Locks, the Pedro Miguel Locks can be seen from the highway to Gamboa. One hundred meters beyond the locks there’s a parking…

3. Parque Natural Metropolitano

2.57 MILES

On a hill north of downtown, this 265-hectare park protects vast expanses of tropical semideciduous forest within the city limits, and serves as an…

4. Mariposario Metropolitano

2.66 MILES

With 1600 species, Panama City's butterfly garden is a worthy stop for nature lovers. Fifteen-minute guided tours explain the life cycle of butterflies…

5. Panama Canal Murals

3.36 MILES

The story of the monumental effort to build the Panama Canal is powerfully depicted in murals by notable artist William B Van Ingen of New York. The…

6. Cementerio Francés

3.71 MILES

This cemetery in Paraíso on the road to Gamboa about 5km north of the Pedro Miguel Locks dates from between 1880 and 1889. Though there are just 300…

7. Museo de Arte Contemporáneo

3.86 MILES

This wonderful privately owned museum features the best collection of Panamanian art anywhere, an excellent collection of works on paper by Latin American…

8. Museo de Ciencias Naturales

3.86 MILES

Museo de Ciencias Naturales has sections on geology, paleontology, entomology and marine biology, as well as an impressive display of taxidermy.

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