The easiest and best way to visit the canal is to go to the Miraflores Visitors Center, located just outside Panama City. The recently inaugurated visitors center features a large, four-floor interactive museum, several viewing platforms and an excellent restaurant serving sumptuous buffet spreads within panorama view of canal transit. Tip: the best time to view big liners passing through is from 9am to 11am and from 3pm to 5pm, when they are more frequent.
To get there, take any Paraíso or Gamboa bus from the Albrook Bus Terminal in Panama City. These buses, passing along the canal-side highway to Gamboa, will let you off at the ‘Miraflores Locks’ sign (US$0.35) on the highway, 12km from the city center. It’s about a 15-minute walk to the locks from the sign. Otherwise, you can take a taxi; there’s a 30-minute wait at the locks and from there you get driven back to the capital. Expect to pay no more than US$20 round-trip – agree on the price beforehand.
