How walkable is Panama City?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Panama City has a walkability score of 70 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. It ranks joint 285th of 690 cities worldwide.
What's within walking distance of the centre
1,352 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Panama City. The nearest grocery is about 2 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, banks, parks and culture & entertainment.
Groceries
- Metro Plus, 4 min
- In & Out Pty, 5 min
Restaurants & bars
- Pío Pío, 1 min
- Panaderia LA BAGUETTE, 1 min
Shopping
- Galerias España, 1 min
- Lithium LED, 1 min
Coffee
- Mentiritas Blancas | Vía Argentina, 6 min
- Cafe Unido, 6 min
Banks
- Banco General, 5 min
- Multibank, 7 min
Parks
- Parque Benito Juárez, 8 min
- Park and Padel Panama, 11 min
Schools
- Paper Boats Learning, 10 min
- Colegio Episcopal, 11 min
Books & libraries
- El Hombre de La Mancha, San Francisco, 15 min
- Cultural Bookstore, 18 min
Culture & entertainment
- Teatro La Estación, 7 min
- Karaoke Live Gastrobar, 11 min
Measured from the centre at 8.9897, -79.5220, the point near Panama City's middle with the most places in walking range. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the centre there are about 80 street intersections per km², and blocks average 108 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Panama City's score of 70 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 93 within 1 km of the centre, 72 from 1 to 3 km out and 61 from 3 to 5 km out. 41 of the 91 points within 5 km fall on water or on land without streets, such as hillsides, forest or farmland, and are left out, so the score describes only the built-up part. 56% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot. Walkability falls off steeply away from the centre, so check a specific address on the map.
- 90+
- 70–89
- 50–69
- 25–49
- 0–24
Each hexagon is the score at a point, 1 km from its neighbours, across the 5 km around central Panama City. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 94 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 93 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 72 | 67% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 61 | 32% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cartagena, Colombia, Colombia | 469 km | 48 |
| San José, Costa Rica, Costa Rica | 512 km | 79 |
| Bello, Antioquia, Colombia | 528 km | 53 |
| Medellín, Colombia | 532 km | 80 |
| Barranquilla, Colombia | 564 km | 64 |
Questions about walking in Panama City
Is Panama City a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Panama City has a walkability score of 70 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. Its centre scores 94. The score covers about 80 km² around the busiest point rather than the whole city, and suburbs further out are usually less walkable, so check a specific address on the map. It ranks joint 285th of 690 cities worldwide on How Walkable.
How does Panama City compare with nearby cities?
Panama City sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 70, against Cartagena, Colombia (48, 469 km away), San José, Costa Rica (79, 512 km away) and Bello, Antioquia (53, 528 km away).
Which part of Panama City is most walkable?
Panama City's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 94. Walkability averages 93 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south-west (averaging 76) and falls most to the west (24).
How is Panama City's walkability score calculated?
For Panama City it is the average of 50 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 28 of them score 70 or more. Each point counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and loses up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long, using open map data from Overture Maps (release 2026-09-23.1) and OpenStreetMap. It measures what is within a walk, not what the walk is like: pavements, traffic, safety, hills and heat are not part of the score.
This page is generated from open map data with a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. City position and population from GeoNames.
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