The Panama Canal is a unique place and this is the main way to see it from land. Unfortunately most of the visiting spaces are closed at the moment. Make sure to co W when a ship is scheduled to pass through the locks.

I went here after doing a partial canal transit, and it definitely is a great viewpoint to see how the canal works. However, it is VERY crowded. People are pushing to get a view, holding their phones way up high in front of you and you're shoulder to shoulder with people. There's a super tiny gift shop that you can't even walk in with all the people. If you don't like crowds, this isn't the place for you.

While the site is impressive and historically significant, it is not yet ramped up to accommodate the volume of visitors. Very crowded and many parts are not yet returned to open. God for a quick visit to take a quick picture and say you were there.

I echo what other recent reviews have said. The visitor centre was still closed in late December. Very crowded viewing area - and despite the morning peak time for ships none going through. Get your visitor information at the excellent Canal Museum in the Casca Viejo and watch the ships from the Amador Causeway .

Get here early. Frankly, with the actual visitors centre under construction the ticket price ($18USD) is only worth it if you get to watch a ship go through. Saw a lot of people arriving after the ship had gone through and I'm not sure how long they would have to wait to see the next one. Maybe the IMAX movie is worth it but didn't stick around as it didn't start for another 45 mins and had more stuff to go see. Can't even explore the visitors centre because it's closed. The viewing platform is tight and crowded with people. Glad I did it, wouldn't bother doing it again

Fascinating engineering feat worth seeing. Visitor center is undergoing remodeling so it was somewhat limited but still very worthwhile. Recommend seeing the Imax movie at the visitor center first if possible. there are specific times that are optimal to go (eg~8Am or after 2PM) Has Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Cafe in visitor center

Plan on spending at least two hours for the movie and the viewing of the lock as a ship passes through. Be forewarned, ships aren't constantly in transit, but are usually there in the morning before noon and after 2. We went and the wrong time the first day and decided to return the following day instead as no ships were passing when we arrived. The movie is in English with Spanish subtitles. The bathrooms were clean and the snack bar, extensive - cold and hot coffee drinks, snack foods and a light sandwich selection. Nothing fancy, just enough to cool you off after standing in the heat to watch the ships pass.

No need to book a taxi or trip to the Miraflores canal visitors centre. You can take the C810 public bus from just outside the Albrook Metro Station. The journey costs 25cents, lasts 20mins and drops you in front of the centre’s entrance. Arrive 8am! Ships pass into the canal through the 1914 locks between 8-10am. Or there’s an afternoon shift when the ships exit the locks. And little in between these times.

We visited here on a Wednesday in early January 2023. The weather was perfect- sunny and warm. When our tour bus first arrived at 11 am, we were told that there were no ships arriving to pass through the locks until 2 pm. So, first tip- check when a ship will be going through, otherwise it would be a disappointing visit here. We came back at about 1:50 pm and the place was very crowded with spectators to watch a Holland cruise ship Zandamm pass. We did see the Miraflores locks open to allow the passage of the ship. Simultaneously, in the the new locks that are larger than Panamax south of Miraflores, we could see that an even larger cruise ship was passing through. One issue is that the cost of watching this is a bit exorbitant at over $16 USD per person. You cannot just see the Miraflores Locks, you are also given a ticket to an IMAX film about the Panama Canal's history.

Really enjoyed visit. Easy to do Uber and then pay entrance. Short imax documentary on the history of the canal. Was well made but distracting by sheer numbers of US tourists industrial eating during the viewing. Never been to a documentary viewing where people binge eat junk food