Discover the Best Panama Districts for City Living: Your Ultimate Guide to a Perfect Urban Experience
In this comprehensive guide, explore the most desirable districts of Panama City that cater to every lifestyle. Whether you seek luxury, convenience, or a blend of both, our detailed insights and insider tips will empower you to make informed decisions. Start your Panama journey today!
Unlock the Secrets of Panama's Prime City Living Destinations
Knowledge is Power
PANAMA DISTRICTS
Below, you will find maps of Panama City's districts that are definitely worth looking into. You will find my comments about each area and links to the current classified listings for each area. This will save you a lot of time, and the links will provide current listings that change daily.
This information will enable you to make informed decisions and educate you before you even set foot in Panama. I am not affiliated with anyone here, nor do I have hidden agendas or receive commissions if you decide to buy or rent in Panama. If I do stand to make any kind of commission or finder's fee, I will tell you, and it will be up to you to decide. Please perform your due diligence on the areas you are interested in. I can refer you to a realtor if you wish, but I do not require you to do so.
I have worked very hard to create this exclusive members area because I got tired of seeing friends and expats misled. The story is the same over and over again. I would meet with them after their real estate tours or seminars, and their faces would be glowing with excitement. This is when they begin to ask me about Panama, and of course, I would tell them. Unfortunately, they have been so blinded by luxury that whatever I tell them just goes in one ear and out the other.
Long story short, those who put the blinders on ultimately lost money and were very unhappy about the situation. Many have returned to me at one point or another and said, “You know, you were right!” I have spent nearly 20 years here in Panama and know how the system works.
When I arrived in Panama many years ago, I was fortunate to meet an old-timer who had already been in Panama for quite some time. He pointed me in the right direction as to where to go. The rest I had to learn at the school of Hard Knocks.
Please take the time to examine everything provided on this page and learn it well. Knowledge is power, and with this power, you will be in control when you finally arrive in Panama be it a tour or flying solo.
**Please Note**
The listings below are only as good as the people who listed them. You may find listings that are out of place. I have no control over that, so please read the ads carefully. Use the listings as your guide, then explore what these neighborhoods have to offer. I have no affiliation nor do I get commissions with the links provided below.
Avenida Balboa and the Cinta Costera
When I first arrived in Panama, the Cinta Costera did not exist; it was just Avenida Balboa, and there were few oceanfront high-rises. If you are using a realtor or have paid big bucks to attend one of those International Living seminars, I want to warn you that they are going to bedazzle you with all of this luxury living. I want you to stay focused because what you will be shown can and will blind you from anything else. They have been doing this for years and know exactly how to grab your attention.
Everyone has their own tastes, and you might like it, but I want you to consider these factors first before you commit to living in this area. Also, remember that this avenue borders two sections of Panama: Bella Vista 🙂 and Calidonia 🙁. Here's a breakdown of this prime location:
1. Calidonia (Map Opens in New Window) is okay, but I don’t think it will be one of your favorite places to hang out. I go into Calidonia to shop for my kids' school needs because I can find some great deals. Calidonia is not a place where you go dressed up and wearing all your fine jewelry. You dress down and bring only the cash that you need. Please do not be alarmed; it’s okay to live in a high-rise in this part of Avenida Balboa, but you’re going to have to take a cab every time you need something.
2. Bella Vista (Map Opens in New Window) is the prime real estate of Avenida Balboa. You will be able to walk to the Multi Center Mall, the banking district, and the famous Calle Uruguay, where you will find restaurants, nightclubs, discotheques, and even Hooters!
3. Living in the city noise is a big problem and at times unavoidable. So, when you visit these high-rises or anywhere in the city, try to go during peak traffic hours and during the workweek (Monday – Friday) so you’ll get a better sense of what you are going to have to put up with. When you arrive at the dwelling, tell everyone to be quiet for at least 10 minutes or more and just listen to the sounds of the city. Do this with the windows closed and open.
4. During the weekends and holidays, most city dwellers escape from the city, so it is not a good time to gauge the noise levels. Late in the evening on Avenida Balboa, when there is hardly any traffic on the streets, big trucks bearing down will zip by with extremely loud exhaust pipes. My first night sleeping in one of these high-rises on the 25th floor scared the living daylights out of me. The windows shook, and it sounded like a freight train was about to crash through the bedroom window.
Bella Vista
El Cangrejo
Bella Vista is divided into neighborhoods ("barrios" in Spanish) and they are La Cresta, Campo Alegre, El Carmen, Obarrio, El Cangrejo and Marbella.
These are all great neighborhoods, and you should check them all out. In my opinion, the best of all is El Cangrejo (Click here for El Cangrejo Map; opens in new window). Bella Vista is the center of the city, and Via Veneto, which is also known as Calle 49B Oeste (Click here for Via Veneto Map; opens in new window), is in El Cangrejo. Via Veneto is about four blocks long and might be compared to New York City’s Times Square, but without all the glamour and on a much smaller scale. Expect the usual city noises when living here.
El Cangrejo will have all your necessities within a short walking distance. You will have at your disposal supermarkets, hotels, casinos, all types of shopping from a dollar store to designer clothing, recreational parks, fine dining to familiar fast-food restaurants, banks, medical clinics, dentists, pharmacies, the Metro train, and so on.
I think El Cangrejo also merits a bit more attention. If you notice, El Cangrejo is about dead center in the district of Bella Vista.
Vía Argentina is one of the most desirable places to hang out. You can sit at a sidewalk café or sit in the park. It’s full of restaurants, residential buildings, hardware stores, a really good clinic, clothing stores, ice cream and yogurt shops, beauty salons, pharmacies, dentists, lawyers, and so on.
Vía España, which is a main thoroughfare and home to many large department stores that range from well-known designer clothing and shoe stores to kids' clothing, familiar American fast-food restaurants, liquor stores, banks, shopping plazas, supermarkets, dollar stores, and so on.
Vía España intersects with Avenida Manuel Espinosa Batista, which is also a main thoroughfare. Here you will find gasoline stations, the campus of the University of Panama, and some stores like places to make copies and small food restaurants for the campus and business crowds. The triangle finally ends with Vía Argentina, where you can actually start the tour again by foot.
If you notice on the map everything is within this triangle and it's full of restaurants, casinos, cafés, hotels, car rental offices like Budget, residential buildings from private houses to 50-plus-story buildings, and everything else in between. Inside this golden triangle, you will not need a car to get around. Plus, the new Metro train is available to you at two locations on Vía España. One stop is at Vía Argentina and Vía España, and the other is at Vía España and Avenida Manuel Espinosa Batista, which is the Iglesia Del Carmen stop (Church of Del Carmen).
Remember, you should also exercise the same rule for noise levels. Visit your selection during peak traffic hours and during the workweek (Monday – Friday) so you’ll get a better sense of what you are going to have to put up with. When you arrive at the dwelling, tell everyone to be quiet for at least 10 minutes or more and just listen to the sounds of the city. Do this with the windows closed and open. There are side streets in Bella Vista where the traffic will not be as busy as in other main street areas.
San Francisco
San Francisco consists primarily of upper-middle-class families. It is considered the financial, commercial, and tourist hub of the Panamanian capital. You will find two sections near the coastline of San Francisco called Punta Paitilla and Punta Pacífica. These are the most exclusive high-rise residences in the country and consist mostly of skyscrapers. Here you will also find the very exclusive Trump Ocean Club.
San Francisco is a district that bases most of its economy on the service industry. It has numerous banks, hotels, restaurants, and some of the most comprehensive and modern shopping centers in the country, such as Multicentro Mall and Multiplaza Mall.
You will also find modern hospitals, such as Paitilla Medical Center and Hospital Punta Pacifica. Hospital Punta Pacifica is associated with Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, United States.
If this is your cup of tea, then it’s the right place for you. You will need a car to get around, or you’ll need to take a cab. There are residential buildings within walking distance to Hospital Punta Pacifica and Multiplaza Mall, as well as residential buildings within walking distance to Multicentro Mall.
Amador
The Amador Causeway is basically the city’s playground. It is home to hotels, restaurants, a cruise port, a marina, a conference center, a duty-free shop, and the Biomuseo (also known as The Biodiversity Museum: Panama Bridge of Life), designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry. It has become a very popular spot for walkers, joggers, and cyclists.
It is also a very exclusive place to live and comes with a heavy price tag. You will need a car to get around, but as far as recreation, boating, and fine dining go, Amador is your backyard playground if you choose to live there.
Ancón
Ancón Hill is close to the Panama Canal and offers some spectacular views. I call it a mini-mountain in the city. It’s a very quiet neighborhood filled with lush tropical greenery. You can’t miss this hill as it flies a Panamanian flag at its peak. There are no skyscrapers on the hill, only residential homes.
At the base of Ancón Hill is Ancon, where you will find some apartment complexes. Overall, it is a very nice neighborhood, and you will need transportation to get around.
Please note you will find a hodgepodge of homes through this link, but you will find listings in Ancon.
Clayton
Clayton consists of single-family homes and duplexes. However, Clayton has undergone many additions since I arrived, and now you can also find apartment buildings there. It’s one of the most coveted communities in Panama. The homes and apartments in this area are more expensive than in other areas of the country, and it is also the location of the U.S. Embassy.
The bottom line is that it is very expensive and exclusive, and you will also need a means of transportation.
Albrook
Albrook is another upper-class neighborhood. You will begin to notice that these highly desirable areas all rest at the foot of Ancón Hill and are relatively close to each other. The quiet neighborhoods of Albrook, Balboa, and Clayton are the former U.S. military base housing and administrative buildings. Albrook is also home to Albrook Mall and Albrook Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional Marcos A. Gelabert), where you can catch many local flights to various parts of the country, including the Pearl Islands.
San Felipe
San Felipe is home to Casco Viejo (also known as Casco Antiguo), the old part of town, located in the district of San Felipe. I love it and enjoy spending time there with my family. The best way to describe it is as a blend of New York City’s Village, New Orleans, and Key West, all wrapped up in one. It’s very artsy, trendy, and full of old-world charm. Casco Viejo has been undergoing restoration, and it is required to keep the original facades of these old buildings. You’ll still see some shelled-out buildings, but what they are doing there is just awesome.
Casco Viejo hosts many festivals, including a very cool Jazz Festival. There are lots of things to do there, from visiting restaurants, museums, parks, monuments, historical sites, and old churches, to shopping. Many expats live there and have started businesses. I put Casco Viejo on the must-see and investigate list. It is pricey but well worth it if you have the capital to invest in a restoration project.
Casco Viejo borders Santa Ana and El Chorrillo, two not-so-desirable districts.
Panama treasures Casco Viejo, so you will see a lot of police presence, and it is safe as long as you don’t venture off the beaten path. Like anywhere else in the world, there are good and not-so-good areas. Just use common sense, and you will have a lot of fun.
Juan Díaz
Juan Díaz includes Costa Del Este, Costa Sur, and the gated communities of Versalles. Costa Sur and Versalles are a short distance from Tocumen International Airport, approximately 8 kilometers (4.97 miles) away, and 11 kilometers (6.84 miles) from Panama City. In Costa Sur, you will need a car for shopping as it's a long strip of very nice gated communities. Juan Díaz has become the focus of large real estate development projects, mostly consisting of single-family homes, duplexes, townhouses, and a few apartment buildings, all within gated communities.
Another section just above Costa Sur is home to Plaza Costa Sur, Plaza Versalles, and Plaza Ven Versalles. In these plazas, you will find a supermarket, home improvement center, pharmacy, McDonald's, and a Pollo Tropical, fitness centers, etc. Right next to Plaza Versalles, within walking distance, are very nice gated communities called Versalles 1. Directly in front of this gated community is yet another shopping center called Plaza Panama Versalles, where you will find various shops, including banks.
Lastly, you have Costa Del Este, an upscale residential area with a Commercial Park and Office Park. Here, you will find many large corporate buildings for companies like Adidas and the local cable companies, banks, and many more. The residential areas vary from tall skyscrapers to gated communities with private homes of all kinds. Costa Del Este is completely designed with first-world standards and comes with a heavy price tag.
If you're not into city life, Versalles and Costa Sur are great alternatives to city living, and the cost is still somewhat reasonable. Just remember that the Versalles communities are the ones within walking distance to shopping. Costa Sur and Costa Del Este require transportation. Definitely worth checking out.
As for Ciudad Radial, I personally do not like it. It’s an old township, and I have passed through it a few times. The only thing I have seen is a lot of riffraff hanging about. I'll let you be the judge of this one.
Costa Sur For Sale There is no official subdivision for Versalles but you will find listing for Versalles mixed in with Costa Sur.
Costa Sur For Rent There is no official subdivision for Versalles but you will find listing for Versalles mixed in with Costa Sur.
Ciudad Radial For Sale There is no official subdivision for Versalles but you will find more listing for Versalles mixed in with Ciudad Radial.
Panama Pacifico
Panama Pacifico has been in development since 2007 and is the former U.S. Howard Air Force Base. Located just after the Bridge of the Americas leaving Panama City, Panama Pacifico offers a great alternative to living in the city while remaining close enough to it.
They are currently building commercial centers, and I recently spoke to one of the guards who mentioned they are planning to build two more. Mind you, this is only hearsay. They are also constructing a Riba Smith Supermarket, which I believe is one of the best in Panama.
Panama Pacifico features Panama Pacifico International Airport, offering convenience and continued growth. Surrounded by nature with wonderful mountain views and proximity to the shore, it's important to note that this project is not yet complete. They are still tearing down old military buildings, but much progress has been made, and I find it a lovely place. I foresee many more years of development before completion. This is another place definitely worth checking out.
Conclusion
Panama City offers a diverse range of districts, each with its unique charm and amenities. Whether you're looking for luxury, convenience, or tranquility, you'll find a neighborhood that suits your needs. Always visit the areas during peak hours and weekdays to get an accurate sense of the environment. Use the classified listings provided to explore current options and make an informed decision.
