Shopping in Panama

The strategic geographical location of Panama has meant that it has been an important trading post for centuries. From before Columbus discovered America, through to the time of the Spanish Conquistadors and up to today, Panama has attracted traders, buccaneers, pirates and various others in search of a steal.

Take advantage of the endless variety and great value of the goods on sale in Panama!

This Panama Shopping Guide gives information about shopping regions, shopping hours and some of the items you may wish to pick up while you are in Panama. As most of the best shopping is to be found in Panama City, you may also wish to take a look at our Panama City Shopping Guide. And if you find yourself needing abit of fuel for your shopping escapades, make sure you check out our Panama Restaurant Guide, for information on all the best and tastiest dishes of Panama.

Panama Shopping Guide

You can buy luxury items from all over the world in duty-free Panama and save at least one-third on the regular prices. The Tocumen Airport has a multitude of duty-free stores. However, if you're sailing into Panama on a cruiser and want to buy duty-free goods at the shopping complexes like the Flamingo Centre on the Amador Causeway, there will be a limit set to how much you can buy.

In the bigger shopping malls here you can find great quality and brands from around the world (including Panama), but you can expect to pay as much as you do in the United States. The best buys in Panama include local goods such as native costumes, leather ware, patterned and beaded necklaces from the Guaymí Indians, jewellery with precious stones, handicrafts of carved wood, mahogany bowls, straw products, electrical equipment, ceramics, papier mâché artefacts and macramé.

Local Crafts

Panama may be a small country in comparison with Mexico, but its native handicrafts are as beautiful and creatively inspired. A genuine souvenir made by one of the seven existing tribes of Panama is a must-have. In fact, Artesania (indigenous handicrafts) are the most popular shopping items in the country. Also popular as gifts and souvenirs are Mola – the reversed appliqué panels created by Kuna Indian women. These are either tailored into shirts, sewn onto beach bags, or sold as panels so you can frame them or sew them onto pillowcases. You can find other handicrafts such as Ngobe-Bugle dresses, tagua nuts, Embera Indian baskets and masks or tiny vegetable ivory figurines in the markets mentioned below.

The markets are open every day from 8 or 9 am to 5 or 6 pm, and until about 2 pm on Sundays. The huge Mercado Nacional de Artesanias in Panama Viejo (beside the Visitor Centre) has handicrafts from across the country. There is a small YMCA Handicrafts Market in Balboa on Avenida Arnulfo Arias Madrid and Amador. This has mostly Embera and Kuna clothing and arts and crafts. The Kuna Cooperative, which has Kuna handicrafts, is further east on Avenida Arnulfo Arias Madrid. Kids find this market fun as they can get the traditional bead bands fixed onto their arms and legs by the Kuna women (just like the Kuna wear them).

There are many other handicrafts you can buy in Panama such as hand-woven baskets from the Embera Indians of the Darien jungle, which resemble the baskets made by Navajo Indians and tagua nut sculptures (tiny figurines carved from the native tagua nut). If you're looking for souvenirs, Casco Viejo and the Galeria de Arte Indigena near the French Plaza are worth visiting. Even the "Kuna Cages" in Balboa in the former American Canal Zone and the Balboa Artisans Market offer a huge choice of souvenirs. Both these markets are accessible by taxi.

Jewellery

If you want to buy jewellery, check out the Rainforest Design cameo jewellery store and the Reprosa jewellery store. You can find Reprosa shops in Casco Viejo and the Business District. Reprosa offers some wonderful and authentic reproductions of Spanish colonial jewellery and pre-Columbian Indian art. It also has collections inspired by the country's animal and plant life. The good news is that these items are affordably priced. Rainforest Design has fantastic cameo jewellery designed around rainforest motifs and made by the Woonan Indians. You can find these shops at the Canopy Tower and the Marriott Hotel Gift Shop.

Electronic and Household Appliances

In Panama you can buy designer clothes, electronic equipment, cameras, audiovisual equipment and music, oriental items and fine jewellery. As for fashion trends, you can find the latest and most popular brands in apparel, cosmetics, shoes, perfumes, bags, lingerie and accessories. Household appliances, china ware, porcelain ornaments, crystal ware, computerised toys, sporting goods, and articles for your favourite crafts and hobbies are also available in Panama. There are whole blocks dedicated to leading automobile brands.

In Panama City there are large shopping districts like Central Avenue and the Via España with bazaars, boutiques, jewellery stores, gift shops and lots of modern shopping malls. The Free Zone in Colón (45 minutes by car from Panama City) is the largest duty free shopping area and free zone in the world.

Panama City

Panama City offers most of the good shopping options. Various boutiques, gift shops, jewellery stores and shopping malls can be found through the city, especially in the large shopping districts such as the Via España and Central Avenue. The Via España is located in the heart of the banking and hotel district, and there are a plethora of stores located along this commercial artery. Central Avenue, meanwhile, has been converted into a pedestrianised shopping zone, and offers a range of tourist shops. Just 45 minutes away by car is the Free Zone, in Colon, which is the world's largest free zone and duty free shopping area.

What to Buy

Panama's status as a duty free haven means that luxury goods from around the world can be bought at a considerable discount. This includes watches, cameras, photographic and electronic equipment, perfumes, fine crystal and porcelain. There are also some highly regarded local items to be purchased, which include leatherware, patterned, beaded necklaces made by Guaymí Indians, native costumes, jewels and precious stones, straw products, handicrafts of carved wood, ceramics, papier mâché artifacts, macramé and mahogany bowls. There are often special sales on, giving even more of a discount.

Shopping Hours

Shopping hours vary, but most of the stores and shops are open from 9:00 am to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Sunday. You may find some are even open up to 10:00 p.m. from Monday to Sunday.

Methods of Payment

Credit cards can be used everywhere. The cards most commonly accepted include Visa, American Express, Mastercard and Diners Club. Alternately, you can purchase goods using US Dollars, which have the same exchange rate as the local curreny, the Balboa.