SHOPPING IN PANAMA CITY
To go shopping in Panama City is quite an experience. There are big shopping centers where it's a pleasure to browse and buy at the great variety of specialty shops that thrive around the world's commercia l crossroads. Among the stores and boutiques you'll find attractive deals in jewelry, perfumes, porcelain, home and office decorations, video and photo cameras, sports equipment and many other items.
Centuries ago, Panama was the Spanish Empire's great American commercial center. Since the canal opened, the products of the most exotic and far-away cities that flow through here have turned Panama into one of the world's important commercial centers, where just about anybody can buy just about anything. Panama City's established Avenida Central shopping district has now been converted into a picturesque pedestrian mall from the Cinco de Mayo Plaza to Santa Ana Park. Walking these cobblestones among the pretty planters you'll find plenty of benches where you can take a break and?why not??drink something cold before continuing your shopping adventures.
On Via Espaņa, a street that boasts two five-star hotels, you can visit exclusive stores there, or visit any one of dozens of banks that can help you make your stay in Panama convenient. The El Dorado shopping district, located along a street officially named Ricardo J. Alfaro but popularly known as Tumba Muerto, has many exclusive stores that offer the full gamut of articles that a visitor might want to buy.
If you want a more rustic commercial experience during your visit to Panama, there's no better place than the Arteans' Market in Panama La Vieja, whose stores offer fascinating jewelry in the pre-Columbian style and other delicate Panamanian artworks.
DURATION: 3 Hrs.