Panamá Viejo is the ruins of the original Panama City, founded on August 15, 1519, as the first Spanish city on the Pacific coast of the Americas. For 150 years it was one of the richest cities in the Spanish empire, the place where Peru’s silver started its journey to Spain. In January 1671, the pirate Henry Morgan attacked, and the city burned. Today the ruins, a museum and the climbable cathedral tower form an archaeological park in eastern Panama City, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with Casco Viejo.
Below you’ll find the history in brief, what to see among the ruins, and how to visit, with 2026 opening hours and tickets.
Visiting Panamá Viejo: quick facts (2026)
| Hours | Tuesday to Sunday, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. (ticket office closes at 4:30 p.m.). Closed Mondays |
| Tickets | About $17 for non-resident adults and $5 for kids, including the museum, the cathedral tower and the internal shuttle. Under-6s are free on family visits |
| Time needed | About 1½ to 2 hours |
| Location | Vía Cincuentenario, on the coast east of Punta Pacífica, about 20 minutes from the banking district by car |
| Booking | Not needed for individuals and groups up to 25; buy at the ticket office |
Hours are from the Patronato Panamá Viejo, which runs the site. Check before you go, since prices change.
A short history of Panamá Viejo
Founding (1519)
In 1513, Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the isthmus and became the first European to see the Pacific from the Americas. Six years later, on August 15, 1519, the governor Pedro Arias Dávila (Pedrarias) founded Panama on the Pacific shore, on the site of an indigenous fishing village. The name is often explained as an indigenous word meaning “abundance of fish,” though the exact origin is debated.
The richest crossroads of the empire
Panama became the base for the conquest of Peru in the 1530s. After that, the city was the Pacific end of the trade route across the isthmus. Silver and gold from Peru arrived by ship, were carried by mule train along the Camino Real and the Camino de Cruces to Nombre de Dios and later Portobelo on the Caribbean, and were then shipped to Spain. European goods moved the other way.
The work was done largely by enslaved Africans. A census in 1610 counted about 4,800 people in the city, and roughly 3,500 of them were enslaved. The city had a cathedral, convents, a hospital, the Royal Houses (Casas Reales) where the government and treasury sat, and merchant homes of wood and stone.
Henry Morgan’s attack (1671)
On January 28, 1671, Henry Morgan arrived with about 1,400 buccaneers after crossing the isthmus from the Caribbean, where they had taken Fort San Lorenzo at the mouth of the Chagres River. The defending militia was defeated outside the city. The governor ordered the gunpowder stores blown up, and the fire destroyed most of the city. Morgan’s men stayed about a month and left with 195 mules loaded with loot and many prisoners.
Rather than rebuild on the open, hard-to-defend site, the Spanish moved the city about 8 km (5 miles) west to a walled peninsula, founded on January 21, 1673. That’s today’s Casco Viejo. Panamá Viejo was abandoned, and many of its stones were reused in the new city. For more on Morgan and other pirates, see Henry Morgan and the pirates of Panama.
What to see at Panamá Viejo
The cathedral tower
The square stone tower of the old cathedral is the symbol of Panamá Viejo. The cathedral was rebuilt in stone in the early 1600s, and the tower may have doubled as a lookout. You can climb the stairs inside to a viewing platform with views over the ruins, the bay and the modern skyline. The contrast between the two is the best photo of the visit.
The Plaza Mayor museum
The site museum explains the indigenous settlement before the Spanish, the colonial city and its trade, and the attack of 1671. It has archaeological finds and a scale model of the city as it looked before the fire. Start here if you can, as it makes the ruins easier to picture.
The Plaza Mayor and the Royal Houses
The main square was small and irregular, with the cathedral and town hall on its east side. Nearby were the Casas Reales, the seat of the royal treasury, the high court (Real Audiencia), the prison and the governor’s home, protected by a moat. Only foundations remain.
Convents and churches
- La Concepción: the only convent for nuns in colonial Panama, founded in 1598. Its ruins include a large cistern.
- Compañía de Jesús: the Jesuit church and college.
- San Francisco: the largest convent in the city, covering about two blocks.
- Santo Domingo: the Dominican convent, built in brick and stone in the early 1600s, which helped it survive the 1621 earthquake.
- La Merced: on the western edge of the city. It survived the fire, and its facade was later taken apart and rebuilt at the Iglesia de la Merced in Casco Viejo.
Hospital de San Juan de Dios
The city’s hospital started as a modest wooden building in the 1520s. In 1620 the city handed it to the Order of San Juan de Dios, whose friars from Lima turned it into a stone complex with a church, cloisters and wards.
The bridges
- Puente del Rey (King’s Bridge): a stone bridge built between 1619 and 1634 at the start of the Camino Real, the road across the isthmus. It’s one of the oldest surviving bridges in the Americas.
- Puente del Matadero: the main entrance to the city over the Algarrobo River. It was rebuilt in stone in 1607 and named for a nearby slaughterhouse (matadero).
Casa de los Genoveses
On the bay, this was the base of Genoese merchants who held the license to bring enslaved Africans to the city in the 17th century. It’s a sobering reminder of who built the city’s wealth.
Tips for visiting Panamá Viejo
- Go early. There’s little shade, and by midday it’s very hot. Bring water, a hat and sunscreen.
- Use the shuttle that runs between the visitor center and the ruins, included with your ticket.
- Climb the tower last for the best light in the late afternoon (remember the ticket office closes at 4:30 p.m.).
- Look for the craft market near the entrance, with molas and other handicrafts.
- Combine it with the Cinta Costera, Casco Viejo or the fish market on the same day. More ideas in things to do in Panama City.
How to get to Panamá Viejo
- Taxi or Uber: about 15–25 minutes from the banking district, depending on traffic.
- Hop-on hop-off buses in Panama City usually stop at Panamá Viejo.
- By car: there’s parking at the visitor center.
FAQ
Is Panamá Viejo worth visiting?
Yes, especially if you like history. It’s the oldest European city site on the Pacific coast of the Americas, and climbing the tower gives one of the city’s best views.
What’s the difference between Panamá Viejo and Casco Viejo?
Panamá Viejo is the ruined first city (1519–1671). Casco Viejo is the second city, founded in 1673 after Morgan’s attack, and it’s a living neighborhood.
Did Henry Morgan burn Panamá Viejo?
Historians still debate who started the fire. Spanish forces blew up the gunpowder stores as the pirates arrived, and the fire spread through the mostly wooden city. Either way, Morgan’s attack destroyed the city.
Is Panamá Viejo open on Mondays?
No. As of 2026, it’s open Tuesday to Sunday.