Downtown Panama City

The area northeast of the old city, stretching from the neighborhoods of El Cangrejo to Punta Paitilla, is where you'll find most of the city's office towers, banks, hotels, restaurants, and shops. As Panama City's economy grew and diversified during the 20th century, those who had money abandoned Casco Viejo and built homes in new neighborhoods to the northeast; apartment buildings and office towers soon followed. Many of Panama City's best hotels and restaurants are clustered in El Cangrejo, which lies just west of busy Vía España and is dominated by El Panamá, the city's original luxury hotel, which covers a small hill there. Just to the east of El Cangrejo is the Área Bancária (Banking Area), which stretches southeast to Calle 50 (Calle Nicanor de Obarrio), another of the city's main arteries. A few hotels and a good selection of restaurants are scattered through the Área Bancária, amidst the gleaming towers of international banks. A few blocks to the southeast of Calle 50 is Avenida Balboa, another of the city's major thoroughfares, which curves along the coast between the Casco Viejo and Punta Paitilla. Between Calle 50 and Avenida Balboa you'll find the neighborhoods of Bella Vista and Marbella, which hold an interesting mix of tree-lined streets, apartment towers, aging mansions, and modern shopping centers. Just to the east of Marbella is Punta Paitilla, a small point packed with skyscrapers.