By Ramiro Del Rio
Panama in 7 days with San Blas: a realistic itinerary
A week in Panama gives you two days in the capital (Casco Viejo and the Canal), a full day in San Blas and three days elsewhere: El Valle de Antón or Portobelo without flying, Boquete or Bocas del Toro with a flight. Put San Blas mid-trip, never the day before you fly home.
Three rules before you plan the week
San Blas takes the whole day. Pickup is at 05:00 from your hotel, it is about 2 h 30 by 4x4 to the port of Cartí, and you are back in the city late in the afternoon. Nothing else fits that day, and the next one is better without an early alarm. We walk through the journey in how to get to San Blas.
Leave a spare day after it. Rain does not cancel a tour, but rough seas do: if the port authority closes the port, no boat leaves. With San Blas on day 3 or 4, you have days left to move it. With San Blas on day 7, you do not.
A day, or a night if it fits. This itinerary treats San Blas as a day tour with a return to the capital; if you can give it more time, Starry Night (2 days) or Guna Explorer (3 days) let you sleep on an island.
Days 1 and 2: Panama City
Day 1, Casco Viejo. If you land in the morning, give the afternoon to the colonial quarter. On UNESCO’s list it is the Historic District of Panamá: it became a World Heritage Site in 1997, and in 2003 the archaeological site of Panamá Viejo, about 8 km away, was added to it. It is best explored on foot, towards sunset.
Day 2, the Canal and Panamá Viejo. The Miraflores Visitor Center, on the Pacific side and within the city area, lets you watch ships pass through the original locks. The Canal Authority runs a second centre on the Atlantic side, at Agua Clara, overlooking the locks of the expanded canal that opened in 2016; it is in Colón province, so it fits better on the day you go to Portobelo. In the afternoon, the ruins of Panamá Viejo round off the visit.
Tip: spend nights 2 and 3 in the same city hotel. San Blas pickup is from your hotel, and not packing at 04:30 helps.
Day 3: a full day in San Blas
This is the day of the week that depends most on the weather. Before you book, check what each month brings in when to visit San Blas: December to April is the dry season, while May to November brings heavy, short showers, usually outside boat hours.
The kind of day is up to you. To see as much as possible in one go, read how island hopping across the cays works; if you would rather have a quiet island and beach time, there are single-island tours. They are all on our San Blas tours page.
Two practical points for that day: bring cash or a card for the comarca entry fee, paid on arrival, and learn a couple of Guna words to say hello. People notice.
Days 4 to 6: pick a second region
This is where the trip branches, depending on how much you want to move.
No flights: Portobelo and Isla Grande
Portobelo is about 105 km from the capital by road, on the Caribbean coast of Colón. It has the colonial forts UNESCO listed as World Heritage in 1980 and an Afro-colonial culture of its own. A short boat ride from the La Guaira pier takes you to Isla Grande. Bear in mind that it is another Caribbean beach destination, so it helps to know what sets it apart from San Blas; we compare them in San Blas or Portobelo and Isla Grande.
No flights: El Valle de Antón
About 124 km west of the city, roughly 2 hours along the Pan-American Highway, according to Frommer’s. It is a mountain town inside the crater of an extinct volcano, with cooler air, trails and waterfalls. A good contrast with the sea day: green instead of turquoise. Two nights are enough.
With a flight: Boquete
The Chiriquí highlands, coffee and mountain country. By road it is about 6 to 7 hours from the capital, so the practical option is to fly from Albrook airport to David (roughly an hour) and continue about 45 minutes by road to Boquete.
With a flight: Bocas del Toro
A flight of roughly an hour from Albrook. It is Panama’s other big archipelago, with a very different feel: a town, restaurants, surf. If you are already doing San Blas, ask yourself whether you want two island destinations in one week; we weigh it up in San Blas or Bocas del Toro.
Day 7: getting home without stress
Head back to the capital on the afternoon of day 6 or early on day 7, depending on your flight time. If the sea forced you to move San Blas, this is the last possible slot, but only with an evening flight: the tour gets back to the city late in the afternoon, not at midday.
A common mistake is chaining Boquete and Bocas in the same week as San Blas. It can be done, but you spend more hours in airports and on roads than anywhere else. With seven days, one region on top of the capital and San Blas is what you actually get to enjoy.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need for San Blas? The essentials fit into a day tour from Panama City, with pickup at 05:00 and a return late in the afternoon. With more time, there are 2- and 3-day stays sleeping in a Guna cabin.
Which day of the week should San Blas go on? In the middle of the trip, for example day 3 or 4. If the sea forces the port to close, you still have days to reschedule; with San Blas on the last day there is no margin.
Can you do San Blas and Bocas del Toro in one week? Yes: San Blas as a day tour from the capital, and Bocas with a flight of about an hour from Albrook. Keep in mind they are both Caribbean island destinations; El Valle de Antón or Boquete offer more contrast.
How long does it take from Panama City to El Valle de Antón? About 2 hours along the Pan-American Highway, roughly 124 km west. It is the closest mountain escape to the capital and needs no flight.