Panama City
The city is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal. The city is the political and administrative center of the country, as well as a hub for international banking and commerce.
Panama City is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 410,354 in the city proper and 1,086,990 in the Panama District. The metropolitan area has over 2,100,000 people.
The city of Panama was founded on August 15, 1519, by Spanish conquistador Pedro Arias Davila. The city was the starting point for expeditions that conquered the Inca Empire of Peru. It was a stopover point on one of the most important trade routes in the American continent, leading to the fairs of Nombre de Dios and Portobelo, through which passed most of the gold and silver that Spain mined from the Americas.
On January 28, 1671, the original city was destroyed by a fire when the privateer Henry Morgan sacked and set fire to it. The city was formally reestablished two years later on January 21, 1673, on a peninsula located 5 miles from the original settlement. The site of the previously devastated city is still in ruins, and is now a World Heritage Site and popular tourist attraction.
Google map of Panama and Panama City
https://zombra.precompro.com/select/
Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo, Panama City
Panama Viejo (Old Panama) is where our magnificent Sofitel Legend Hotel is located, just a few blocks away from the Presidential Palace. UNESCO added Panama Viejo to the World Heritage list in 1997. It justified its inclusion on the grounds that the site is the "oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the Pacific coast of the Americas."
Our 5-Star hotel; the Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama City, the backdrop for James Bond's 22nd film motion picture "Quantum of Solace" (2008), and where in 1953, the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II graced the Club with her presence, was awarded the best hotel in Central America by "Travel+Leisure" Magazine. Your breakfast is prepared by a Michelin chef and includes American and vegetarian options. Unveil the mystery at Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo, where Arcano, a hidden rum speakeasy, (with private elevator - and hidden door), invites you to a world of clandestine charm and vintage tropical sophistication. The Bridge of the Americas is 2.7 miles away, and the airport is 3.7 miles away from the hotel.
https://www.guestreservations.com/sofitel-legend-casco-viejo-panama-city-panama-city/booking?s=aboutthehotel&msclkid=44474ccb2f681e1fc911246af8764bb3&ctTriggered=true
Travel + Leisure: World's 100 Best Hotels Awards 2024, 2025
Travel + Leisure: #1 Favorite City Hotel in Central & South America 2025
Travel + Leisure: #3 Favorite City Hotel in Central & South America 2024
Travel + Leisure: The 500 Best Hotels in the World 2025 List
Conde Nast Traveler: Reader's Choice Award 2024 - Top 10 Hotels Central America & Caribbean
Hotel & Lodge Magazine France, Most Prestigious Hotels of the World 2024
Panama Hats
"El Palacio del Sombrero" offers an exclusive boutique experience, showcasing a diverse selection of hats - from accessible options to the most refined and luxurious pieces. In addition, the boutique features a fascinating exhibition on the raw materials and craftsmanship behind the sombrero pintado panameno.
"El Guayacano Hats" - 100% Paja Toquilla ~ Panapa, Provincia 10 Panama City is also very close to our hotel.
Panama Hats are not made in Panama, but in Ecuador! A high quality store is located five-minutes away from our hotel, and there you can buy a hat, (which took three years to make) for $35,000 . . . . which I have photographed. The hat pictured above cost $125.
Enjoy this 13-minute youtube:
https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=original+panama+hats+for+men&&mid=35D28A14A100835017A035D28A14A100835017A0&FORM=VAMGZC
David McCullough's monumental (definitive) book: "The Path Between the Seas," is highly recommended. The National Book Award-winning epic chronicle of the creation of the Panama Canal, a first-rate drama of the bold and brilliant engineering feat that was filled with both tragedy and triumph.