Panama City rewards a thin wallet: the rainforest hill above the old Canal Zone costs nothing to climb, ceviche runs B/.1.75 a cup at the fish market, and the metro crosses the city for 35 cents. Three days built around free miradors, fondas and public waterfront.
The 199 m hill above the old Canal Zone is free to climb from the Quarry Heights gate — a paved 30-minute road walk past sloths and toucans to a mirador over the skyline, Casco Viejo and the Bridge of the Americas. Open 06:00–17:00.
The 1671 golden altar survived Henry Morgan's raid because the friars painted the mahogany and gold leaf black to disguise it. Entry to the church on Avenida A is free, with only a donation box by the door. Open roughly 07:00–20:00 daily.
Three kilometres of reclaimed waterfront park stretching from Casco Viejo to Punta Paitilla: free outdoor gym, basketball courts, a skate bowl and a marked bike lane, with the Pacific on one side and the bank towers on the other.
The vaulted 17th-century sea wall at the tip of the peninsula is public and unticketed. Climb the stone stairs by the French obelisk for the sightline over Amador Causeway, the Bridge of the Americas and ships queuing for the Canal at dusk.
Panama's fish market at the Casco Viejo entrance sells corvina ceviche in cups for B/.1.75–3 at the upstairs stalls, while the fondas out back plate whole fried snapper with patacones for about B/.7. Open 06:00–17:00, closed Mondays.
Panama's oldest café, trading since 1875 on the corner of Plaza Herrera, still runs a fixed-price comida corriente — sancocho, rice, beans and fried plantain for about B/.5–7 — served under ceiling fans to pensioners and taxi drivers.
The pedestrianised stretch from Plaza Cinco de Mayo to Santa Ana is where the city actually shops: B/.2 fruit cups, B/.5 T-shirts, loudspeaker touts and the El Machetazo store — the cheapest place to stock snacks, water and sunscreen.
A 24-hour cafeteria beside the Gran Terminal where you point at trays: stewed beef, arroz con pollo, yuca and a fresh chicha for roughly B/.5–6. Plates are charged by weight and it fills with bus drivers between shifts.
The only tropical rainforest reserve inside a Latin American capital: 232 hectares with five marked trails and B/.4 foreigner entry. The Cerro Cedro loop climbs 45 minutes to a mirador over the Canal, the towers and the bay. Open 06:00–16:00.
A flat B/.0.35 ride on the air-conditioned metro from 5 de Mayo to Albrook is the cheapest city tour going — elevated track over Curundú before it dives underground. Buy the B/.2 rechargeable card once and reuse it all trip.
The 6 km causeway, built from rock excavated for the Canal, links four islands to the mainland. Rental stands at the entrance charge roughly B/.5–8 an hour, and the ride out to Flamenco gives an unbroken skyline view with ships anchored offshore.
The far end of the causeway is a free public promenade: fishing boats, pelicans on the rocks, and the sun dropping behind the Bridge of the Americas with the whole skyline lit across the bay. Benches and a breeze the city otherwise lacks.