This is a must do on a trip to Panama City. Plan to spend a few hours watching the huge vessels go through the lock. The announcer spoke in Spanish and English to ensure everyone had an excellent experience. Make sure to watch the IMAX movie on the history of the Panama Canal.

This is a must-do if you are visiting Panamá City. At first, to me, it sounded a little boring, but wow! I loved every minute! We watched the movie (narrated by Morgan Freeman), and I learned so much about the history of the canal and the role the US played. I would recommend this to anyone...especially those who have an interest in history.

I heard the ships pass thru the locks early in the AM or after 2pm, so I left my hotel from downtown (Riu) and took an Uber at 2pm. I arrived and went to buy my tickets and saw the next IMax movie started in 5 minutes...great timing. The workers were friendly and helpful (I left my hat in the theater and they were waiting for me to come get it). As I walked out of the theater, there was a ship passing through the lock! As they say, "Timing is everything" and it couldn't have been better. After this I easily got an Uber to see Casco Viejo!

This was an enjoyable, fascinating visit. The museum is still closed, so go to the canal museum in Casco Viejo for a detailed background, although the IMAX film gives a brief history. Check the ship transit schedule on the Visit Canal de Panamá website before you go. On the day I visited, ships were supposed to transit Miraflores only until 7:45 a.m., but when I got there at 8, the last ship was just approaching. Otherwise, the next transit would have been in the early afternoon. N.B.: once you leave the viewing platform, you can't go back, so check the IMAX film schedule and plan accordingly. Getting to Miraflores with public transport is easy. At Albrook bus station, take the C810 bus leaving from bahía D (bay D), for $0.25 (you need a Metrobus or Rapi-pass card). It loops between Albrook and the Miraflores Visitor Centre.

From Albrook station bus C810 drops passengers at ticket office( US$ 10,00 entrance fee ). It's not worth pay US$ 7,00 to watch the Imax movie, go straight to the platform view and do not miss any ship. No ships will pass between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm( time to change directions in the channels and then a good chance to see the movie ). In the morning ships come from the left side of platform view, afternoon they come from the right side. In my opnion it's better and more pleasant in the morning, in the afternoon the scorching sun is on our faces, bring a hat. From 2:30 to 5:00 pm I saw four ships passing the locks ( nov 2023 ).

Always a hit with visitors. Wish the top floor was open, but love the new IMAX theatre and 3D movie. Don’t forget to check the vessel transit times do you don’t miss the action

A great observation area to view the new locks and the obstructed view of the old ones. Interesting visitor center with a short film about the history. Very abbreviated but enough detail to get the idea. With the time

Miraflores Visitor Center is a quick and affordable uber from the city. I tried to look up times of ships passing through but struck out so I chose to get there at 9a. I was lucky and caught the last ship passing through for the morning (apparently 10a is the last time) going East. The ships going on the other way pass through in the afternoon. I found the facilities very clean and accommodating- the viewing platforms are very easy to access and provide great views and there are announcements explaining the whole process.

As a tourist, the Panama Canal at Miraflores was high on our to do list and it did not disapoint. With advice from our hotel recptionist, we were told to just go on our own as it is pretty straightforward. Therefore, booking a tour isn't necessary. You can ask daily where you are staying for the ship schedules as some ships are smaller, you can look out for bigger ones to get full experience. She gave us the scheduled time ships were due to pass through and we calculated the lenght of time for getting there and lenght of the Imax documentary which is 45mins. Uber cost $16 Usd from our hotel & $17 per person for imax & ship viewing. Documentary is in 3D narrated by Morgan Freeman in English. We were extremely lucky that unexpectedly a ship that we did not know off was passing through as soon as the movie ended. About 45mins after , 2 huge container ships made their way through. Apart from the heat, and a lil issue as if you come late you cannot see to the front and people dont move, it is a great experience . If you are not really into ships it may not interest you but for us we really enjoyed it .

My visit to the Miraflores Locks in Panama was truly unforgettable! The entire experience was a blend of stunning views and fascinating history. Watching the massive ship navigate through the locks was awe-inspiring, and the informative movie provided great insights into the engineering marvel of the Panama Canal. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable, making the visit even more enjoyable. I highly recommend this attraction to anyone visiting Panama; it's a must-see that beautifully showcases the country's rich maritime heritage!