I don't think you need a car for one day. Take taxis. I don't think any hotels are within walking distance of Miraflores, if that's what you mean by visitors center.

Upon arrival, if you meet a driver and car you are comfortable with, you can probably arrange with driver to take you around the next day.

I think it's more interesting to see ships going through locks than being on the boat, having done both. Unless you want the cruise for other scenery or relaxing, I could probably do without it.

Definitely taxis. We are experienced Costa Rica drivers and thought Panama City was a nightmare--not worth the navigation worries for just one day!

Definitely taxis, my recommendation:
Wildside Panama canal in the morning (looking for wildlife inside the Panama Canal lake from the comfort of a exploration boat). Visit the Locks visitor center in the afternoon, it takes less than two hrs to see everything under the locks if you are with kids.
http://www.senderopanama.com/Day%20Tours/Wild%20Side%20of%20the%20Panama%20Canal.htm

Driving in Panama is not for everyone. Think of downtown Manhattan during rush hour. If you are an aggressive vs defensive driver, you will be okay. However, since most streets are not properly signed, if you are not familiar with getting around you will spend most of your time in frustration, which would be such a shame since there is so much to enjoy in Panama City. For an ultimate experience I recommend contacting one of the local tour operators who will provide you with transportation and an bilingual interpretive guide.

Now, that we have completed our travel, I wanted to share our experience. We had booked to stay at a hostal, which had arranged for us to be picked up from the airport ($35). The driver of the minivan was a bank employee (Sebastian), looking for extra income over the weekend, and spoke some English. On our way in, we agreed with Sebastian to give us a 7-hr tour of the city for $65.

When we arrived close to midnight at the hostal, it seemed less family-friendly. The owner apologized that he had asked his receptionist (who had made our reservation) to let us know that their hostal caters to mostly party crowd.
He was however, very helpful in making reservations at the closest hotel (Marriott Courtyard), and arranged for us to be dropped there. He had Sebastian meet us at the Courtyard.

Sebastian, in fact, came with another guy, whose English was better (no extra charge). For that price, convenience and very friendly & proud locals doubling up as guide & driver, I think it was an experience very well worth it.

At the end of the day, they dropped us to the airport for us to catch our onward flight to Cali, Colombia.

HI PG

Do you have direct contact information for Sebastian? Did he have a reliable vehicle?

We will be in Panama City in October arriving on Friday and departing Monday. We are looking for suggestions on day trips as well as a driver.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. What is a suggested tip for the driver and guide?


MicaelaG

You stated the following:

For an ultimate experience I recommend contacting one of the local tour operators who will provide you with transportation and an bilingual interpretive guide

Any Suggestions?

BMCKNIGHT - Just Google Panama Certified Naturalist Guides or Panama Interpretive Guides and you will find a few of those companies who have certified guides on their staff. These are individuals who have invested in their career as guiding professionals. One can have all the knowledge in the world, but if they don't have the interpretation skills to share that information in a compelling manner, than it's nothing more than a bunch of dry facts.

You can also feel confident that what they are telling you is not made up. These are career guides who are careful not to jeopardize their credibility by making up information in an attempt to avoid saying, "I don't know." 9 times out of 10, if they don't know the answer to your question, they will call someone who does!

Thank you for the reply

Hi,
I have been to Panama several times in the past months for short periods of time and used Alexis Flores of www.panamalocaltours.com His English is excellent, and he is a professional tour guide who knows lots of history. He picked me up from the airport, took me to a great hotel within my budget, and picked me up again for the tours. He let me custom build my tours because my time was short. He was able to recommend how we could pack the most sightseeing in the shortest amount of time due to traffic. You will definitely want someone you know for transportation. The yellow taxi drivers have tried to take advantage of me, thinking I didn't know where they were taking me - the long way- in order to charge me more money. They recognize people from the states and charge more immediately.

Good luck with your trip. I believe if you contact Alex through www.panamalocaltours.com you will be extremely pleased.
Readershaven

Hi Readersheaven

Thank you for the reply. I am so sorry for the delay in responding. I had back surgery and have been out of pocket for awhile.

Was there anything that you especially enjoyed, sights, sounds, eating, activity etc....?

What did Alex charge for pickup at the airport? Do you know if he is certified?