LOCAL CULTURE
PARKING
Parking lots or any place with parking might have a person who will say "Bien cuidado" to you - asking to take care of your car in return for a couple of quarters. Some are trustworthy and some aren't. It's very common.
Sunny Mornings
The daytime temperatures in Panama throughout much of the year can be in the high 90s to low 80s almost anytime of the year and at night things cool down to around 70 degrees. In the rainy season you can usually expect bright and sunny mornings, temperatures in the mid 80's, light breezes and afternoon rains.
TAXI METERS
Local taxis don't use taxi meters. A fair rate is set by zone. Within the city area prices vary but should never be more than $5.
TRAFFIC HOURS
7am to 8am and 5pm to 7pm, are the times with most of the traffic is in the city.
DID YOU KNOW ?
Between two oceans
Panama touches both the Pacific and Atlantic Oeans and you can get to each of them within 45 minutes from Panama City. Panama Canal connects both oceans through around 50 miles Canal. About 25 minutes away from the hotel, you can catch the coast to coast rail service. Have breakfast in the Pacific, and enjoy lunch in the Caribbean.
Multicultural
Due to the construction of the Panama Canal and the massive foreign influence, our country has a very multicultural population. A great variety of races and costumes can be seen everywhere.
Insurance
Panama is one of the first countries in Central America to offer free medical insurance to every tourist.
WHAT TO PACK
Clothing
The weather is warm tropical all year round, with an average temperature of 80º F. Bring comfortable clothes, during the day shorts, summer dresses, flip flops, sneakers, don’t forget your sun glasses and sun block. At night Panamanians likes to dress up: Men wear slacks, dress shirts or polos and Women wear dresses, skirts, pants or dressy jeans. If working in an office, appropriate business dress is required. Please note that due to the warm weather in Panama, air conditioners are always set up to very cool tempertaures. A sweater or light jacket may be required while indoors.
Electricity converter
If you are travelling from Europe to Panama, a 220v to 110v electricity converter will be very useful.
US dollars
Our official currency is the Balboa; however please note that all transactions are in US Dollars. The US dollar is the official currency used in all business transactions. Panamanian coins are of the same value, size and metal as US coins, though both are frequently used. If you don`t want to exchange your currency before your trip (ex. Euros), we have plenty of ATMs and also accept bank cards on most networks (Plus, Cirrus, MasterCard, Visa, Amex).