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Museo del Canal
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Museo del Canal

See all things to do
See all things to do
Museo del Canal
4.5
#1 of 30 Museums in Panama City
Historic SitesCultural ToursHistorical & Heritage ToursEducational sitesHistory Museums
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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About
The Museo del Canal is a non-profit institution at the service of society, which rescues and promotes the historical memory of Panama and its Canal, being a platform for art and culture in all its expressions. We create memorable experiences that exalt Panama's heritage, promote diversity and sustainability, and encourage learning, research, enjoyment, reflection, and cultural enrichment.
Panama City, Panama
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2023
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(35 reviews)
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
2,094 reviews
Excellent
1,126
Very good
718
Average
198
Poor
38
Terrible
14
Colin D
21 contributions
Great Exhbuts About the Canal and its History
Nov 2023 • Family
This museum has a ton of information about the history of Panama and the role of the canal in that history. We had done a free walking tour in the morning where our guide had already given us some good background on the country and the canal. Therefore, a lot of what we saw at the museum felt familiar. There are good English summaries of the longer Spanish captions. You could easily spend two hours here. We tired after an hour and a half or so. Even if you only have an hour, it could still be worth dropping in.
Written 23 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter K
14 contributions
More the Just the Canal
Aug 2023
Well worth visiting. It’s not just about the canal. It’s also about preservation of the local environment, the history of the area, the dynamics between Panamá and the US, and it culminates with an exhibition devoted to Bush’s invasion and how it affected the citizens of the city and the country.
Written 26 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hilary H
¡Thank you for the visit and kind words!
Written 6 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
James H
Forest of Dean, UK34 contributions
A remarkable museum!
Aug 2023 • Friends
One of the best museums I've visited! The narrative of the construction of the canal was very well articulated, and we really enjoyed the parts on the social history in the 20th century. Great exhibits and well priced.
Written 2 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travelling_Bird
Hitchin, UK90 contributions
Fascinating insight into canal history
May 2023 • Family
Visited with primary aged children. An unexpected gem as we learnt so much. In the early exhibitions the English summaries weren’t great but the second floor was well translated and provided a great insight into the canal’s history. We stayed for about an hour and a half. Kids’ interest maintained with interactive exhibitions.
Written 23 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kim G
Pacific Grove, CA3,187 contributions
Comprehensive Panama Canal History
May 2022 • Couples
My husband & I greatly appreciated the comprehensive information on the history of the Panama Canal from inception to completion, housed within the “Museo Del Canal” in Casco Viejo. The Panama Canal proved an astounding engineering feat for numerous reasons, particularly profound for having occurred within the 19th and 20th Centuries, along with the fight against imposing natural elements.
The Panama Canal Museum is housed within the 1874 building where United States and French companies, working on the Panama Canal, performed business. We greatly appreciated that our self-guided, educational visit prior to the viewing of the Panama Canal, offered us a greater understanding of the imposing challenges to construct this gem to the entire world.
Written 17 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
scotdoc2015
Birmingham, UK189 contributions
Museum worth a walk through
Feb 2023
Worth a visit prior to your actual tour. Geo- political- historical- anthropological walk through time. Nice to know the non - USA views locally.
I only wish there was more English language explanation of displays.
Good exhibits.
Seems uninteresting at some stages.
Can take photos and videos, without flashes.
Written 11 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
D1_M1_G1
10 contributions
Excellent guide and exhibits
Feb 2023
We joined an English tour of the exhibit that provided both a history of the canal, but also of the politics of the country that shaped its construction and operation.
Written 27 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
diinslc
North Salt Lake, UT642 contributions
So informative
Jan 2023
If you like museums and have an interest in the building of the Panama Canal, this is a must-see. Conveniently located in the old town, with a reasonable entrance fee (senior discount!), the museum is a wealth of information about the history of the isthmus from pre-Spanish influence through early this century. Most of the exhibits have short English paragraphs to supplement the Panamanian (Spanish?) text and even still, we were over two hours exploring and learning. It's always so instructive to view history from the "other side" and to learn more about history we lived through and didn't understand. It was definitely our highlight in Panama.
Written 6 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CS
Brooklyn, NY13 contributions
A great perspective on the Canal from A to Z
Jan 2023
A great thing to do in Casa Viejo, and at the beginning of your trip. It will put everything else into perspective for you. 4 starts because I wish there was more English for my son, but we really enjoyed understanding the history behind the canal and the effort it took to build it. Also, the museum did not shy away from some of the dark spots of the building of the canal and addressed some of the racism associated with it, but that being said, it did tend to shift that blame to other countries.
Written 6 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sussexrowmark
Rye, UK512 contributions
A fine and informative museum
Dec 2022
A lovely building houses this first class museum. Start on the upper floor to follow the sequential history of the city and canal. Fascinating insights into life in the American Canal Zone but also distressing evidence of racial discrimination. Plenty of photographs and film clips.
Written 2 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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MUSEO DEL CANAL (Panama City) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go