Where to stay in Panama

Panama City

• Casco Viejo is the restored colonial quarter - the most attractive place to stay and the most walkable. It sits directly against El Chorrillo and Santa Ana, which the FCDO names as higher-crime areas, so the boundary matters and is worth knowing before you walk home at night.
• Marbella, Obarrio and Bella Vista are the modern banking district: towers, restaurants, safe, and characterless.
• Amador Causeway looks out at the canal entrance and the skyline, and is quiet.
• Avoid basing yourself near Albrook unless the bus terminal is the point.

Out of the city

• Bocas del Toro - Caribbean islands, backpacker economy, water taxis, patchy power and internet. Book somewhere with a generator.
• Boquete - highland town, cool, coffee farms, good walking. The one place in Panama where you need a jacket.
• Guna Yala (San Blas) - the islands are Guna territory with their own rules and their own entry fees. Accommodation is basic cabins; there is no wi-fi and often no running water. This is deliberate.
• Santa Catalina and Pedasi - Pacific surf towns, small and cash-only.

Practical

• Do not let anyone into your accommodation who you did not arrange to meet. The FCDO specifically warns that gangs have used this route to burgle.
• Air conditioning is not a luxury on the coasts. Check it is included rather than assumed.