Panama Metro
Panama Metro
4.5
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- PanamaVagabondChitre, Panama304 contributionsBest transportation in Panama CityThe metro is the most cost-effective and efficient mode of transportation available in Panama City. The trains are frequent, clean, and on time. the system is a little crowded during rush hour as everyone ones to use it.Visited December 2022Written 13 February 2023
- Paul FSt. Petersburg, Florida45 contributionsGreat if it goes where you want to go.Clean and Reliable. Trains were generally full. Took an hour to get from El Congrejo to Tocumen Airport. A taxi might take 30 or 40 minutes. Cost was $.80 with a $2 Metro card. cards easy to recharge and the 3 of us used the same card. Only negatives are the lack of benches at the stations and no signage directing you to the stations from the surrounding area.Visited June 2023Written 20 June 2023
- SilverTraveler2Castle Rock, Washington230 contributionsEfficient, Inexpensive, and SafeJust had our first trip on the Panama City Subway. Staff was very helpful in obtaining our Metro Card and showed us how to charge it. Very simple process. Uou scan your card to enter and scan your card on the way out. Thirty-five cents to ride either one stop or the entire length of Line 1. The cars were very clean, and everyone onboard was fine. No drama, no threats, no graffiti. There were plenty of young people and they were dressed nicely. This is the first subway that I've ever taken, in any city, and it was great. We took the trip all the way to the Albrook Mall/National Bus Terminal, and you couldn't ask for a better service.Visited August 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 23 August 2023
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4.5
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SilverTraveler2
Castle Rock, WA230 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
Just had our first trip on the Panama City Subway. Staff was very helpful in obtaining our Metro Card and showed us how to charge it. Very simple process. Uou scan your card to enter and scan your card on the way out. Thirty-five cents to ride either one stop or the entire length of Line 1. The cars were very clean, and everyone onboard was fine. No drama, no threats, no graffiti. There were plenty of young people and they were dressed nicely. This is the first subway that I've ever taken, in any city, and it was great. We took the trip all the way to the Albrook Mall/National Bus Terminal, and you couldn't ask for a better service.
Written 23 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew M
7,280 contributions
Jun 2023
The Metro has been recently extended to the airport. It is conveniently located between Terminal 1 and 2. If arriving at Terminal 1, turn to the left when exiting and head in the direction of Region 1. There is a grey ramp with metal crowd control barriers leading to it. Follow the barriers, walk under the ramp, and as soon as the corner is reached the entrance to the Subway will be seen. If you arrive at Terminal 2, exit to the right and walk along the sidewalk next to the terminal, as soon as you have turned the corner the subway will be in view.
To access the subway, there is an elevator which can be taken to level 2, or an escalator leading to the upper level. A Metro Transit card is required to enter the subway. The vending machine is on the left before reaching the turnstiles. The machine only accepts US$ bills in denominations of $1, $5, $10 or $20. A ride from the airport to the town center costs less than $1, assuming that you don't make any mistakes.
The Airport section of Line 2 only travels to two stations, then returns to the airport i.e. ITSE and Corridor Sur. On the train, all announcements are in Spanish and the display is also in Spanish. The airport trains are new, and have a light display above the door indicating the station. You have to get off at Corridor sur to access the other stations on Line 2. The airport track is in the middle of the Corridor Sur Station. If you disembark on the left, this track goes north to San Felipe. If you disembark on the right, this track leads to San Miguelito, which is a connecting station to Line 1. If you make an error, walk downstairs and across to the correct platform. Note that there are digital display boards which show how much minutes before the next train arrives, and the direction that it will be heading in.
When I took the Line 2 train to San Miguelito, I was surprised that there were neither displays nor announcements of stations on the Train. This can be really uncomfortable, as the signage at each station is small and easily missed if you are looking out of the train. When arriving at San Miguelito, exit the train and walk to the right, then follow the crowd down the escalator. The Line 1 transfer is down this escalator, a short walk through the terminal building an up another escalator. As a general rule keep looking for transfer to Line 1 signs, and when in doubt go right, as left usually leads to the subway exit. When at the San Miguelito Line 1 track, check the direction of the train on the digital display. The Albrook station is in the direction of the city center i.e. south, the San Isidro station is heading in a north west direction where there are few attractions.
I took the first train at 5:05am and was at the Albrook terminal a few minutes before 6am. This is a great way to avoid the rush hour on the subway. Panama City always seems to have traffic, and the subway is by far the most efficient method of travel. The subway is mostly a sky train, and doesn't spend much time below the road level, so you can see views of the city as it is travelling.
To access the subway, there is an elevator which can be taken to level 2, or an escalator leading to the upper level. A Metro Transit card is required to enter the subway. The vending machine is on the left before reaching the turnstiles. The machine only accepts US$ bills in denominations of $1, $5, $10 or $20. A ride from the airport to the town center costs less than $1, assuming that you don't make any mistakes.
The Airport section of Line 2 only travels to two stations, then returns to the airport i.e. ITSE and Corridor Sur. On the train, all announcements are in Spanish and the display is also in Spanish. The airport trains are new, and have a light display above the door indicating the station. You have to get off at Corridor sur to access the other stations on Line 2. The airport track is in the middle of the Corridor Sur Station. If you disembark on the left, this track goes north to San Felipe. If you disembark on the right, this track leads to San Miguelito, which is a connecting station to Line 1. If you make an error, walk downstairs and across to the correct platform. Note that there are digital display boards which show how much minutes before the next train arrives, and the direction that it will be heading in.
When I took the Line 2 train to San Miguelito, I was surprised that there were neither displays nor announcements of stations on the Train. This can be really uncomfortable, as the signage at each station is small and easily missed if you are looking out of the train. When arriving at San Miguelito, exit the train and walk to the right, then follow the crowd down the escalator. The Line 1 transfer is down this escalator, a short walk through the terminal building an up another escalator. As a general rule keep looking for transfer to Line 1 signs, and when in doubt go right, as left usually leads to the subway exit. When at the San Miguelito Line 1 track, check the direction of the train on the digital display. The Albrook station is in the direction of the city center i.e. south, the San Isidro station is heading in a north west direction where there are few attractions.
I took the first train at 5:05am and was at the Albrook terminal a few minutes before 6am. This is a great way to avoid the rush hour on the subway. Panama City always seems to have traffic, and the subway is by far the most efficient method of travel. The subway is mostly a sky train, and doesn't spend much time below the road level, so you can see views of the city as it is travelling.
Written 4 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul F
St. Petersburg, FL45 contributions
Jun 2023
Clean and Reliable. Trains were generally full. Took an hour to get from El Congrejo to Tocumen Airport. A taxi might take 30 or 40 minutes. Cost was $.80 with a $2 Metro card. cards easy to recharge and the 3 of us used the same card. Only negatives are the lack of benches at the stations and no signage directing you to the stations from the surrounding area.
Written 20 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christinah525
Shirley, NY467 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
Very easy to navigate. Get the metro app and it will
Help a great deal while planning your trips. The trains run from 5am- 10pm or 7am-11pm. Very inexpensive and will get you to major tourists attractions.
line 1- .35 cents a trip ( you pay both on the way in and out of train)
Line 2 - .50 cents a trip this line takes you to the airport for just .50 cents.
The trains can get crowded but they are so clean. People are friendly. Employees are helpful. You must buy a metro tren card $2.00 one time only. Then you can add whatever value you would like.
The metro bus can take you also closer to destinations where the train may not reach.
Line 3 is in the process of being built.
Places to visit:
Casco antiguo
Mercado de Mariscos
Cinta Costera ( panama sign)
Amador Causeway (2 panama signs one in the middle the other all the way at the end Isla Flamenco)
Miraflores Observation deck
Albrook mall ( stop on train)
Metro mall (stop on train)
A must do… so much fun
Be careful with local cabs they tend to raise prices for tourists. Use Uber app a lot cheaper.
Help a great deal while planning your trips. The trains run from 5am- 10pm or 7am-11pm. Very inexpensive and will get you to major tourists attractions.
line 1- .35 cents a trip ( you pay both on the way in and out of train)
Line 2 - .50 cents a trip this line takes you to the airport for just .50 cents.
The trains can get crowded but they are so clean. People are friendly. Employees are helpful. You must buy a metro tren card $2.00 one time only. Then you can add whatever value you would like.
The metro bus can take you also closer to destinations where the train may not reach.
Line 3 is in the process of being built.
Places to visit:
Casco antiguo
Mercado de Mariscos
Cinta Costera ( panama sign)
Amador Causeway (2 panama signs one in the middle the other all the way at the end Isla Flamenco)
Miraflores Observation deck
Albrook mall ( stop on train)
Metro mall (stop on train)
A must do… so much fun
Be careful with local cabs they tend to raise prices for tourists. Use Uber app a lot cheaper.
Written 16 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PanamaVagabond
Chitre, Panama304 contributions
Dec 2022
The metro is the most cost-effective and efficient mode of transportation available in Panama City.
The trains are frequent, clean, and on time.
the system is a little crowded during rush hour as everyone ones to use it.
The trains are frequent, clean, and on time.
the system is a little crowded during rush hour as everyone ones to use it.
Written 13 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
xylophone7
Johnson City, TN202 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
Easy to use, clean, employees were helpful, cool a/c in train
Easy to find stations as they look like buildings
Easy to find stations as they look like buildings
Written 14 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BVinLA
Los Angeles, CA93 contributions
Oct 2022 • Friends
The card purchase and charging process was a little confusing at first as they are separate processes. But once I had my card it proved to be a very efficient and reliable metro. The per ride price is a bargain compared to most subways, the trains are clean, the wait times low, and stations had modern wait time displays so one is never left wondering when or if a train will come. Overall I found the metro useful.
Written 8 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary Carmen F
2 contributions
Aug 2022
Very Clean trains and very busy .The place is amazing, every station is clean and got a lot people helping the passangers that may not be familiar with the stations.
Written 7 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
chand132
POS, TRINIDAD5 contributions
Aug 2022
well organized. you will need to purchase and load a metro card in order to use the metro. card can be used on the public bus system as well.
Written 8 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MUFan-TRIP
Cape Coral, FL37 contributions
Aug 2022 • Solo
I used the Metro to get back to my Airbnb after visiting the Locks on a 1 night stay in Panama. I had a feeling using the vending machines might be a challenge so I searched all over the internet for some clear English instructions but couldn't find any. So hopefully you can pick up things from my experience.
First of all Most vending machines are only for reloading $ on a card you already have. The machines that do dispense cards DO NOT have an English button. Even the staffed kiosks couldn't sell me a card. They just changed my $ bills for fresh crisp ones and pointed to a vending machine.
To get a card you have to select a box in the upper left of the touch screen. I asked several of the others standing in line and even they seemed confused by the title of the touch screen button.
Here's the next trick. The vending machines only take cash. 1s or 5s. Once you select this box in the upper left a green light comes on by the bill slot. You have about 4 seconds to get your 2 $ bills in this slot. If one goes in but the second gets spit out because it's wrinkled and you don't get it back in in time the machine voids your request BUT keeps your dollar. Now I know why the staffed desk insisted on giving me crisp dollars.
Assuming you make it past this the machine spits out your Rapid card.
But this card has no funds on it. So you have to select a different item ( this option is clearer in Spanish), and once the green light turns on quickly but carefully put in a couple bucks to load the card.
One more thing. Everyone told me at Metro subway rides were always 50 cents which is a great deal. But that's not completely true. If you start in downtown and then transfer to line 2 which heads close to the airport they charge you an additional surcharge when you try to get off. So don't cut it to close particularly if you're using one card across several people.
Aside from the difficulty getting a card if you are a nonspanish speaking tourist to Metro is very nice. The stations are clean and easy to get in and out of. It's crowded but safe.
First of all Most vending machines are only for reloading $ on a card you already have. The machines that do dispense cards DO NOT have an English button. Even the staffed kiosks couldn't sell me a card. They just changed my $ bills for fresh crisp ones and pointed to a vending machine.
To get a card you have to select a box in the upper left of the touch screen. I asked several of the others standing in line and even they seemed confused by the title of the touch screen button.
Here's the next trick. The vending machines only take cash. 1s or 5s. Once you select this box in the upper left a green light comes on by the bill slot. You have about 4 seconds to get your 2 $ bills in this slot. If one goes in but the second gets spit out because it's wrinkled and you don't get it back in in time the machine voids your request BUT keeps your dollar. Now I know why the staffed desk insisted on giving me crisp dollars.
Assuming you make it past this the machine spits out your Rapid card.
But this card has no funds on it. So you have to select a different item ( this option is clearer in Spanish), and once the green light turns on quickly but carefully put in a couple bucks to load the card.
One more thing. Everyone told me at Metro subway rides were always 50 cents which is a great deal. But that's not completely true. If you start in downtown and then transfer to line 2 which heads close to the airport they charge you an additional surcharge when you try to get off. So don't cut it to close particularly if you're using one card across several people.
Aside from the difficulty getting a card if you are a nonspanish speaking tourist to Metro is very nice. The stations are clean and easy to get in and out of. It's crowded but safe.
Written 12 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
christina s
Chicago, IL1 contribution
I am a solo female traveler and looking at Panama. I think I will make plans for April., however,
I can"t find any information on their spring break season and if it gets crazy at that time of year. I want to avoid crowded times. Are the two weeks after Easter busy or slow?
drogilmour
Guatemala City, Guatemala2,709 contributions
I would say those weeks are rather slow; local people have come back to the cities after Easter Break and are not spending money at restaurants nor hotels, so basically is just foreigners also doing tourism which is not to be considered a big crowd. It will be a fine time to visit the country and you will still get a the warm weather and little or no showers that characterize April. The May showers bring somewhat more bearable temperatures.
christina s
Chicago, IL1 contribution
Can you get the metro from the airport to the city,where you are staying?
scbest63
Santa Marta, Colombia31 contributions
No, sorry, the metro does not operate between the airport and the city. Perhaps you can try Uber.
are there city buses or metro from the airport to Albrook central bus station?
Bocasbuay
Panama City, Panama42 contributions
You can take a MetroBus from outside the airport. Close to Tocumen Airport theres a Line 2 for the Metro.
Fran Aranda
6 contributions
Hola soy Fran de nuevo. He de corregir una cosa a mi comentario. En la est. Iglesia del Carmen sà hay servicio de ventanilla para comprar y recargar los billetes. Esto ha facilitado el uso del metro de Panama.
Fran Aranda
6 contributions
Hola para los turistas resulta complicado que no se pueda pagar con targeta de crédito y , peor que las máquinas para comprar los billetes de metro NO den cambio. No hay personal humano para atender dudas. Creo que se puede facilitar , si hay voluntad, el uso del metro en Ciudad de Panamá. Gracias
Mufka
4 contributions
Is the line 2 of Panama Metro system to Tocumen Airport open (from the picture on their website it looks like it might be)? And what bus goes from the airport to TUP metro station which should be the closest one to the airport? Is there a free shuttle from the airport to TUP metro station or how can I pay on the bus (is it still impossible to buy the Metro card at the airport?)?
Thanks a lot.
Is the airport already connected to the metro? Can you go to the city from the airport using the airport?
Mark
Burlington, Canada1 contribution
Hello going to royal Decameron in farralon in two weeks I plan on busing from rio hato to downtown Panama City Avenida Balboa PH 60 B does the bus go downtown or just to Albrook airport. I want to ferry to Cantadora island does this leave just once a day. I have ferries app but not working. how much and how long a ride. Thanks to all
DonnaMichigan
Holland, MI19 contributions
When will the airport section be ready for use?
wilsongirl
Withernsea, UK463 contributions
When we were there a few weeks ago it was due to open in a couple of weeks!
Building works seldom go to plan, I think it is now due to be opened on 28th January 2019 now.
Happy travels.
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Claim your listingPANAMA METRO: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Panama Metro
- Hotels near Panama Metro:
- (0.04 km) Ciudad de Panamá, Panamá
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- (0.23 km) MARINN PLACE Financial District
- (0.31 km) Patty's Casitas
- (0.23 km) DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Panama City - El Carmen
- Restaurants near Panama Metro:
- (0.12 km) Kaandela Casco Viejo
- (0.15 km) De Palo Pa Rumba
- (0.12 km) Felix B Maduro
- (0.06 km) Domino's Pizza
- (0.17 km) Miami Pizza Express