Need for rental car in Panama City?

[ROBERT MASTERSON]

Jessica,
Thanks for your responses to date. My wife and I will be arriving PC Intl airport on Feb 21 for about 20 days driving around and touring Panama including looking at potential retirement real estate. I plan to rent a renal car for most of our trip around the country. We plan to spend the first 4-5 days in Panama City being tourists, including a one-day trip on the Canal, as well as one at least one day looking at potential real estate in the City and possible suburbs.

Questions: 1. do I need a rental car in the city? Is it possible to sight-see the city without a rental car and plan to take taxis and walk to the Old Town and other tourist attractions, restaurants etc? 2. Do you know a hotel (REASONABLE RATE = less then $100-$150/day) in PC that would be convenient to Old Town and most other attractions that we could use as base to tour from? #> Do you ever recommend a realtor to show properties in PC? If so, I can correspond directly with them and let them know what we might be looking for – rental first the later to buy? Would like to see potential properties in our purchase budget before renting.
Thanks for your help. Looking forward to our trip. Bob Masterson

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Hi Bob,

1- Driving in Panama City can be very frustrating and even scary if you’re new. While a rental car is great for driving from Panama City to/in other parts of the country, I think for most people it’s less stressful to explore Panama City via taxis or walking, etc.

Rental Cars: There are many rental companies in Panama, including National Rent A Car: http://www.nationalpanama.com/english/index.htm. Find more companies listed at: http://www.panamatours.com/Services/serv_carentals.htm.

Taxis are available nearly everywhere and are very inexpensive. Fares within the greater metropolitan area are usually $3 to $5. Visits to outlying areas like the Panama Canal Miraflores visitor center can cost $6 to $10. Taxis do not use meters; they carry charts showing the price increase by district and number of passengers. Taxis are yellow and have ID numbers painted on their sides. Taxis charge extra for pickup at hotels, airports, and other tourist destinations. It is not customary to tip yellow taxi drivers (unless the driver has gone above and beyond or helped load luggage). Always ask the taxi driver what the fare will be before getting in.

Tocumen Airport fare (yellow taxi) should be $25 total for up to two people or $10 each for groups. “Tourism taxis” are white, you will find them at Tocumen Airport. These and private ground transport companies usually charge around $35 total for up to two people. For more airport fares see: http://www.tocumenpanama.aero/index.php?cccpage=transporte_publico. Services like Uber do operate in Panama but are not regulated by the government, insurance authority, etc., so caveat emptor. I have successfully used one of these services called TuChofer.com (which has a phone app you can download and which uses GPS to tell the driver where you are, track your ride, etc) several times.

Waze is an excellent app to have on your smart phone and help you navigate Panama City.

2- There are a great many new hotels in Panama, which recently had a hotel construction boom with more rooms in the pipeline than any other country in the region save Brazil. I usually just check review sites like Trip Advisor to see which hotels are getting the best ratings at the time. You’ll find listings online for everything from hostels and B&Bs to big hotels and resorts, so depends on what you’re looking for, and what area you want to stay in. If it is your first visit to Panama City then you might want to stay at a downtown hotel to be in a central location like Bella Vista or El Cangrejo where it is easy to get taxis. (See the Panama City section of your Panama Insider website for a neighborhood breakdown including major arteries). Not as central: Casco Viejo and the Ancon district, in what used to be the US military panama Canal zone. Both have their own charm but can feel “far” as they’re 10 to 20 minutes from downtown so you might want to visit them but stay elsewhere, especially since Casco is the area of choice for nightlife in Panama City and can get a little congested and loud, especially weekends. Panama City is small in terms of area, so everything is quite close…but traffic can be heavy during the day, especially 7-8am and 530-630pm rush hours.

3-Send your real estate/rental queries to Pathfinder International Real Estate, exclusive marketer to International Living:

Pathfinder International Real Estate
info@pathfinderinternational.net
Website: http://www.pathfinderinternational.net

Let us know if you have any other questions and enjoy Panama.

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Hi Bob,

For some reason my carefully typed out reply seems to have disappeared, trying again. Please let me know if I miss anything or you have more questions. thanks very much.

1- driving in Panama City can be frustrating and even scary if you’re new. While a rental car is great for driving from Panama City to/in other parts of Panama, you might find it less stressful to explore Panama City on foot or letting someone else do the driving.

Getting around Panama City:

Rental Cars: There are many rental companies in Panama, including National Rent A Car: http://www.nationalpanama.com/english/index.htm. Find more companies listed at: http://www.panamatours.com/Services/serv_carentals.htm.

Taxis are available nearly everywhere and are very inexpensive. Fares within the greater metropolitan area are usually $3 to $5. Visits to outlying areas like the Panama Canal Miraflores visitor center can cost $6 to $10. Taxis do not use meters; they carry charts showing the price increase by district and number of passengers. Taxis are yellow and have ID numbers painted on their sides. Taxis charge extra for pickup at hotels, airports, and other tourist destinations. It is not customary to tip yellow taxi drivers (unless the driver has gone above and beyond or helped load luggage). Always ask the taxi driver what the fare will be before getting in.

Tocumen Airport fare (yellow taxi) should be $25 total for up to two people or $10 each for groups. “Tourism taxis” are white, you will find them at Tocumen Airport. These and private ground transport companies usually charge around $35 total for up to two people. For more airport fares see: http://www.tocumenpanama.aero/index.php?cccpage=transporte_publico. Services like Uber do operate in Panama but are not regulated by the government, insurance authority, etc., so caveat emptor. I have successfully used one of these services called TuChofer.com several times. Panama City is quite small in terms of area but traffic can be heavy especially during rush hours (7-8am and 530-630pm) so although everything is close sometimes it can take an hour to cross town.

Waze is an excellent app to have on your smart phone and help you navigate Panama City.

2- There are a great many new hotels in Panama, which recently had a hotel construction boom with more rooms in the pipeline than any other country in the region save Brazil. I usually just check review sites like Trip Advisor to see which hotels are getting the best ratings at the time. You’ll find listings online for everything from hostels and B&Bs to big hotels and resorts, so depends on what you’re looking for, and what area you want to stay in. If it is your first visit to Panama City then you might want to stay downtown (more central), in areas like Bella Vista or El Cangrejo where it is easy to get taxis and even the metro (in the Panama City section of your Panama Insider website you will find a breakdown of city neighborhoods and avenues).

Not as central: Casco Viejo and the Ancon district in what used to be the US military Panama Canal zone…both have their own charm but can feel “far” as they’re 10 to 20 minutes from downtown so you may want to just visit them but stay closer to downtown. Also Casco is the nightlife spot of choice for the city and can get a bit congested and loud.

3- Send your real estate/rental queries to Pathfinder International Real Estate, exclusive marketer to International Living:

Pathfinder International Real Estate
info@pathfinderinternational.net
Website: http://www.pathfinderinternational.net

Your Panama Insider missive for January will be out next week with a little writeup/video of the Cinta Costera or coastal belt, which one can drive or walk from downtown to Casco.

Enjoy…

[CHRIS K.]

Hi
further to the rental car question, is an International Drivers License required to rent a car in Panama?
Thanks

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Hello,

No you do not need an international driver’s license to rent a car or drive here.

Tourists can drive in Panama for up to 90 days, If asked by a traffic police officer, you should be prepared to show your valid home country driver’s license and your passport–both the photo ID page and the page bearing your entry stamp, so officials can calculate how many days you have been in the country.

If you plan to be here for more than 90 days you will not be able to continue driving on your home country license: https://internationalliving.com/country_clubs/panama/visas-and-residence/

Best,

Jessica Ramesch
IL Panama Editor

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