Experience the best of Colón

Colón stands on Manzanillo Bay at the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal, and was founded in the 1850s as the terminus of the Panama Railroad, which crossed the isthmus before the canal existed. Ships waiting to enter the canal anchor off the harbour, a large free trade zone lies beside the port, and cruise ships call at the terminal. The city takes its name from Cristóbal Colón, as Columbus is known in Spanish.

The Gatún Locks lie a short distance to the south, and the Agua Clara Locks of the canal's expansion have a visitor centre with a view of ships passing. Fort San Lorenzo, a Spanish fortress above the mouth of the Chagres River, and the harbour town of Portobelo, with its forts, are listed by UNESCO. Isla Grande and its beaches lie to the east.

Caribbean Panamanian cooking brings coconut rice with seafood, fried fish with patacones, ceviche and sancocho, the national chicken soup. Afro-Caribbean traditions shape the music and festivals along the coast. The dry months run from January to April, and the Caribbean side is wetter than the Pacific side for the rest of the year.