Panama City

Built in 1907, the interior of this ornate Casco Viejo theater has been completely restored. It boasts red and gold decorations, a once-magnificent ceiling mural by Roberto Lewis (one of Panama’s finest painters) and an impressive crystal chandelier. Performances are still held here. For information visit the office at the side of the building.

Founded on August 15, 1519, by Spanish conquistador Pedro Arias de Ávila, the city of Panamá was the first European settlement along the Pacific. For 150 years it flourished as Spain exported Peruvian gold and silver to Europe via Panamá. In 1671, Captain Henry Morgan sacked the city and it was relocated to the present-day Casco Viejo. Today much of Panamá Viejo lies buried under a poor residential neighborhood, though the ruins are a must-see.

On a hill north of downtown, this 265-hectare park protects vast expanses of tropical semideciduous forest within the city limits, and serves as an incredible wilderness escape from the trappings of the capital. Two main walking trails, the Nature Trail and the Tití Monkey Trail, join to form one long loop. On the loop, a 150m-high mirador (lookout) offers panoramic views of Panama City, the bay and the canal all the way to the Miraflores Locks.

Elevating humble Panamanian staples to haute cuisine, this 16-seat eatery is Panama's hottest reservation. Chef Jose prepares ñandu beans (native black beans), crisp, tender pork and ñame (an indigenous tuber) in playful, revelatory fashion. Servers have an intimate, casual rapport through a cascade of eight courses. Reservations are best made months in advance. Drinks are extra.

Replete with brass fixtures and polished wood bars, this gorgeous low-lit brewpub serves its own award-winning small craft beers, alongside tasty thin-crust pizzas or bratwursts (mains US$3 to US$9). After-work happy hour is just catching on, but it goes gangbusters here in indoor and outdoor spaces. A second location is on Vía Argentina.

Get your seafood fix above a bustling fish market. Come early, as service at peak time is painfully slow. Gems include whole fried fish and cavernous bowls of ‘Get Up Lazarus’ soup (a sure hangover cure). Outside, stands ladle out delicious US$3 plastic cups of ceviche, including classic concoctions, Mediterranean style (with olives) and curry.