Getting to Panama City-Tocumen International

TRANSPORTATION TO PANAMA CITY-TOCUMEN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Panama City is the capital of Panama and is located 50 miles from Shelter Bay on the Pacific Coast. There are several options for getting there.

If you choose to take the “Express” bus from Colon to Panama City it will take 2 hours and the bus route eventually ends at the Albrook Bus Terminal. If you know where you want to go you can get off the bus anywhere along the way.

If you are traveling to Tocumen then you get off at the Albrook Bus Terminal and take a taxi from there to the airport.

The bus is $2.50 one way. The bus is air conditioned and often very cold.  Bring ear plugs if you are sensitive to noise.

Another option is to rent a car or yet another is to hire a taxi to take you directly to your destination. A Taxi from Shelter Bay Marina to Tocumen Internation Airport is about $65.00.

The Panama Canal Railway is another way to get to Panama City. The train leaves the Colon station at 5:15 every afternoon and makes a return trip the next day at 9:00 in the morning. The train only operates on week days, but please check the railroad schedule for changes in departure times.  If you plan to take the train, there is a very interesting web site packed with facts about the railway, its history and a collection of old photographs and maps of Colon and Panama in general.  This information will make the journey more meaningful.  Look it up at www.trainweb.org/panama. 

Purchasing a good map of Panama City will make your excursions easier. A “Mapi” map of Panama City can be purchased at Arrocha Pharmacy’s throughout the city. Learning your way around by districts will help when telling a taxi where you want to go and with planning an efficient route through the city.


Remember to allow extra time for lock/canal and city traffic. It is approximately 60 miles from the marina to the airport.