The Old City (Casco Viejo)
The Old Part, also known as Casco Antiguo or the San Felipe district, is the most colorful part of Panama City. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1997. It is a city within the city, and a great place for a walking tour. You can wander down narrow brick streets, sip an espresso at an outdoor café, visit old churches, and see wrought-iron balconies spilling over with bright tropical plants. It has an unusual blend of architectural styles.
This charming old community’s churches, pedestrian walkways and historical plazas and palaces make it a must-see on any tour of Old Panama ().

Museo del Canal de Panama / Panama Canal Museum
- E6 ON MAP
 Erected in 1874-75 as the Grand Hotel. In 1881 it became the head office of the French canal company. For a time it belonged to the U.S. Isthmian Canal Commission, and in 1912 it became the main Post Office. Since 1997 it is the Panama Canal Museum.
 

Teatro Nacional / Panama National Theatre - E6 ON MAP
Designed in 1905 by the Italian architect G. N. Ruggieri, the National Theatre stands on the site originally occupied by a convent. The inside decoration is the work of the Italian artist E. Corrado and the paintings are the work of the Panamanian artist Roberto Lewis. The theatre opened in 1908.
 

Plaza Bolivar - E6 ON MAP
This plaza goes back to the 1756 fire,   which destroyed the houses that originally stood on this spot. In 1883 the empty lot was named Bolivar Plaza. A monument commemorating the one-hundredth anniversary of Bolivar Amphictyonic Congress was placed in the middle of the plaza in 1926.
 

Plaza Herrera - E6 ON MAP
This  plaza originated in the wake of the 1781   fire. Known in the mid- nineteenth century as Plaza del Triunfo (triunfo means victory). It was used for bullfights. In 1887 it was renamed Herrera Plaza in honor of the Panamanian   general and statesman Tomas Herrera (1804-54).





 

Palacio Municipal / The Municipal Palace - E6 ON MAP
The Municipal Palace was erected on the site of the colonial town  hall where independence from Spain was proclaimed in 1821. It was designed by architect G. N. Ruggieri. Finished in 1910, it is one of the best example of neo - Renaissance architecture in Old Panama.

 

Iglesia De San Francisco - E6 ON MAP
The first Franciscan church was built in the late seventeenth century, but the   1737 and   1756 fires destroyed it and it had to be rebuilt. Beginning in 1918 it was totally remodeled in the manner of European eclecticism by architect Leonardo Villanueva Meyer.

 

Edificio Bolivar - E6 ON MAP
This building was originally the Franciscan convent, although in the nineteenth century it was adapted to other uses. Most of the original structure was demolished between 1921 and   1932 and replaced by the existing building. Today it is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The 1826 Amphictyonic Congress brought about by Simon Bolivar took place in the Bolivar Hall. The sole remnant of the original convent. It was restored in 2000 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The documents of the Amphictyonic Congress lent by the Brazilian government are on exhibit here.
 

Plaza de Francia / France Plaza - E7 ON MAP
Present-day Plaza de Francia (France Plaza) was originally a courtyard within the Chiriqui barracks. In 1921-22, it was transformed into a monumental plaza. Designed by architect Leonardo Villanueva Meyer, it commemorates the French canal Enterprise led by Ferdinand de Lesseps. Besides the Monument, on this plaza you will find French Embassy, which picture is below, Esteban Huertas Promenade, Anita Villalaz Theatre, Culture National Bureau, and a beautiful view of the Panama City Bay, Bridge of the Americas and the Causeway - Amador.
 

Embajada de Francia / French Embassy - E7 ON MAP
The Esteban Huertas Promenade begins on one side of the former Union Club and ends at France Plaza. It was laid out in 1944 - 1946 on the Chiriqui bastion, a well-preserved part of the colonial city wall.

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