For many visitors, public transportation in Panama City looks more complicated than it actually is. You see the traffic, the huge highways, the buses, the Metro stations and all the different neighbourhoods spread across the city and it is easy to think that getting around is going to be a headache. In reality, tourists have a remarkably simple combination available to them: the Metro for cheap, predictable trips and Uber for everything that is farther away, awkwardly located or simply easier by car.
Once you understand those two options, you can get around much of Panama City without renting a car, negotiating taxi fares or spending a fortune on transportation.
The Panama Metro is particularly useful because it is extremely inexpensive. The current regular fares are $0.35 for Line 1 and $0.50 for Line 2, with travel using both lines costing $0.85. The official Metro map and visitor guide show the two main lines and their stations, and the system also reaches Tocumen International Airport through Line 2.
The Metro is easier than it looks
The first thing to understand is that Panama City's Metro is not one enormous complicated underground network like you might find in London or New York. It is much easier to get your head around.
There are two principal lines. Line 1 runs through some of the most useful parts of the central city, while Line 2 runs eastward through a large part of the metropolitan area toward Nuevo Tocumen and provides the connection to Tocumen International Airport.
The important interchange is San Miguelito, where Line 1 and Line 2 connect. Once you understand that station, the whole system starts making a lot more sense.
You don't need to memorize the entire network before you arrive. In fact, there is a much easier way.
Just use Google Maps
One of the great things about travelling in Panama City today is that you don't necessarily need to carry a paper transit map around with you.
Open Google Maps, enter your destination and choose the public transportation option. You can see the Metro stations, the route and the connections needed to reach your destination. You can also look at the Metro map ahead of time and get a general idea of how the lines run through the city.
The official Metro itself also provides an app with information about routes, stations, fares and service information.
For a tourist, this changes everything. Instead of wondering which bus goes where, you can simply look at your phone, find the nearest Metro station and follow the route.
You might find yourself walking ten minutes to a station, riding the Metro for a few stops and then walking another ten minutes to your destination. If Google Maps tells you that the Metro requires an awkward connection or a long walk, that is when you simply switch to Uber.
That combination is remarkably effective.
How do you pay?
This is one of the parts that has become much easier for visitors.
You can purchase a Metro travel card from the vending and recharging machines at the stations. The official Metro information currently lists the card at $2.
But there is also a particularly convenient option for tourists: contactless Visa and Mastercard payments. You can tap a compatible contactless credit or debit card at the appropriate Metro validator to enter and then use the same card again when leaving. The Metro introduced contactless bank card payments specifically as a convenient alternative, including for tourists and occasional users.
That means you don't necessarily need to figure out where to buy a transportation card before your first ride.
If you are travelling alone and have a contactless bank card that works internationally, this can be wonderfully simple. Tap in, ride the train, tap out and continue exploring Panama City.
One important detail is that you need to use the same payment method to enter and exit. The Metro system records the trip between the two validations.
How cheap is it?
This is where the Panama Metro really shines.
A trip on Line 1 is only 35 cents. Line 2 is 50 cents, and using both lines is currently 85 cents.
That is cheap enough that you can stop thinking about transportation as a major part of your daily travel budget.
Imagine spending the morning walking around Casco Viejo, taking the Metro toward another part of the city for lunch, exploring for a few hours and then using the Metro again to get somewhere else. You can make several journeys without coming close to what a tourist might spend on taxis in many other major cities.
Of course, you have to get to and from the stations, which is where walking or Uber comes into play.
Uber fills in the gaps
This is where travelling around Panama City becomes particularly convenient.
You don't need to force yourself to use public transportation for every single journey.
If the Metro station is a 15 minute walk away in blazing sunshine and your destination is only ten minutes away by car, call an Uber.
If you have a backpack and luggage, call an Uber.
If it is pouring rain, call an Uber.
If you are going somewhere outside the practical Metro network, call an Uber.
And if Google Maps gives you a Metro route involving several transfers and a complicated walk through unfamiliar streets, you can simply decide that the Uber is worth the extra few dollars.
The beauty is that you aren't choosing between public transportation or expensive taxis. You are combining two inexpensive options depending on the situation.
What about the local buses?
Panama City also has an extensive MetroBus network, and local buses can take you places the Metro doesn't.
They are useful, inexpensive and used by enormous numbers of Panamanians every day.
But there is a difference between something being cheap and something being simple for a first time visitor.
The Metro is relatively straightforward because you only have to understand the direction of the train and the station where you get off. Buses introduce another layer of complexity because you need to understand routes, stops and which particular bus you need.
That doesn't mean you should avoid buses altogether. If you're travelling around Panama for a longer period, learning to use them can save money and give you a much more local experience.
But if you're visiting Panama City for a few days and your goal is simply to see the city rather than become a public transportation expert, there is a strong argument for keeping it simple.
Metro + Uber + walking can cover an enormous amount.
The airport is now much easier too
One particularly useful development for travellers is the Metro connection to Tocumen International Airport.
Line 2 connects with the airport through the airport branch, making it possible to travel between the city and the airport by Metro rather than automatically taking a taxi or rideshare. The official Metro information explains that passengers arriving at the Airport station can go to street level and use the airport shuttle connection to the terminals.
For a backpacker or budget traveller, this can make a noticeable difference.
Instead of arriving in Panama, stepping outside the airport and immediately paying for a private ride into the city, you have another option. You can look at the Metro route, check where you are staying and decide whether the Metro makes sense for that particular trip.
If your accommodation is right beside a Metro station, it can be an especially attractive option.
If you're carrying three huge bags and your hotel is nowhere near a station, however, Uber suddenly looks much more appealing.
There is no prize for making transportation unnecessarily difficult.
A few things worth knowing
The Metro generally operates from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM Monday through Friday, from 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM Saturday, and from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM on Sundays and holidays, according to the Metro's published information.
The system can become considerably busier during commuting hours. You may see packed trains and busy stations during the morning and afternoon rush. If you are a tourist wandering around with a backpack, travelling outside the busiest periods can make the experience considerably more relaxed.
And remember that the Metro is still public transportation. Keep an eye on your belongings, especially in crowded areas, and don't leave your phone sticking halfway out of your pocket while staring at Google Maps.
The Metro is inexpensive. Losing your phone is not.
You don't have to become a Panama City transportation expert
This is probably the most important thing for first time visitors.
You don't need to understand every bus route. You don't need to memorize every Metro station. You don't need to rent a car. And you certainly don't need to spend your entire holiday studying a transportation map.
Use Google Maps to figure out where you're going.
If there is a convenient Metro station, take the Metro.
If the Metro doesn't make sense, use Uber.
If you're close enough, walk.
And if you're feeling adventurous, try the local buses.
That's really the secret.
Panama City can initially look like a chaotic maze of highways, skyscrapers, neighbourhoods and traffic, but once you break transportation down into these simple pieces, it becomes much less intimidating. The Metro gives you incredibly cheap movement along the main corridors of the city, while Uber gives you the flexibility to go almost anywhere else.
For a backpacker, that combination can be almost all you need.
You can arrive in Panama City, put your backpack on, open Google Maps, find the nearest Metro station and start exploring. And when the map tells you that the next destination is somewhere the Metro doesn't conveniently reach, you don't need to panic.
Just call an Uber.
Then get back on the Metro when it makes sense.
Cheap, simple and flexible. That's probably a better transportation strategy for a tourist in Panama City than trying to master the entire public transportation system in one afternoon.