Colón Province · Panama
Colón City travel guide
Colón City is a city in Colón Province, Panama, home to about 242,000 people.
- Best months
- January
- Nearest airport
- ONX4 km · Enrique Adolfo Jimenez Airport
- Currency
- PABPanamanian balboa
- Time zone
- America/Panama
- Language
- Spanish
About
About Colón City
Colón is a city and seaport in Panama, beside the Caribbean Sea, lying near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is the capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's second city.
Colon owes its existence to the Panama Railroad which opened in 1855 as the first rail link from Atlantic to Pacific, making travel from the East Coast of the Americas to the West Coast a lot easier. It has been the Atlantic endpoint of the Panama Canal since its opening and initially profited heavily from both transport links. However, the switch to container freight greatly reduced the demand for labor in Colon harbor and the town entered a decline from the 1960s onward.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Colón City
See
- Colón 2000
- Columbus Cathedral
- Agua Clara Visitor Center, Panama Canal
- Monuments
- San Lorenzo Fort
Do
- Walking Tour
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Colón City
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Colón City are January. April is the warmest month, with average highs of 31 °C; November is the wettest, with about 442 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Colón City: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Enrique Adolfo Jimenez Airport (ONX), about 3.6 km from the city centre in a straight line; Marcos A. Gelabert International Airport (PAC, 57 km) and Tocumen International Airport (PTY, 65 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
The Panama Canal Railroad connects Colón with Panama City and the ride along the canal is very beautiful.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
ONX · Enrique Adolfo Jimenez Airport
PAC · Marcos A. Gelabert International Airport
PTY · Tocumen International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Colón City
Eat
Seafood soup $4, was a great treat with three or four different types of fish in a tasty tomato base. Have with rice and fried plantains with salsa. If you're not into seafood try the roasted chicken with rice or potatoes $1.65.
Stay safe
Colon is considered a dangerous city. If you want to visit the city center you should stick to the REY super market at the Avenida Central, corner Calle 7 and the Washington Hotel. Those places aren't more dangerous than other places in Panama. Avoid the city centre at night.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Colón City: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Colón City?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Colón City are January. April is the warmest month, with average highs of 31 °C; November is the wettest, with about 442 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Colón City?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Enrique Adolfo Jimenez Airport (ONX), about 3.6 km from the city centre in a straight line; Marcos A. Gelabert International Airport (PAC, 57 km) and Tocumen International Airport (PTY, 65 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Colón City?
Panamanian balboa (PAB).
Nearby
Destinations near Colón City
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.