Miraflores Locks in El Porvenir

The architecture is amazing..remember this was built 50 years back when the technology was not at its best...see if u r able to catch a vessel go thru...its a great experience

I was so lucky to see Cruz ship pass through canal when I visited. It is awesome. Feltl this is one of best experience ever.

Made it in time to see a ship going through the locks. Great experience. It was close to closing time when we arrived. Did the museum and brought a hat from the gift shop

What an honor to be able to see such a marvel in person! Theres no way I could go to Panamá and not visit the historic Panama Canal - Miraflores Locks. Its important to note that there are two actual locks. Theres a museum in La Ciudad Panamá but that doesnt provide the same in-person experience you get by witnessing the Locks open and close to incoming ships. Words just arent enough to full describe what its like knowing the importance of the Panamá Canal project, expansion, and necessity to the entire globe.One thing to note is that in order to beat the long lines, is its best to arrive before noon. There was a lot of traffic on the way to the Miraflores Locks, due to construction of a new Metro rail line. When I visited early afternoon on a Saturday, we walked right to the ticket counter and entered with no wait. There are several viewing levels, a souvenir shop, and an IMAX theater (which Im not sure if it was open). I also heard there was a cafe and maybe a restaurant, but I did not see them. I was so fascinated by the opening and closing of the Locks. Uber was only $5 back to the city. This was a MUST SEE and Im SO glad I did. Que rico Panamá! 🇵🇦 😍Side note: If you have a friendly Uber driver, on the way there, you may be able to stop and take pictures at Mirador de Las Americas which is a tribute from China and their 150+ years in the Americas.

Need to be careful when to come if one wants to see passing boats. Its best to arrive after noon to see that.Cinema is still closed due to Covid though, even though no other measures are in place for visitors.

It was nice to visit Miraflores Locks, its impressive to see Panama canal. I wish IMAX was open ibwas very disappointed that its still closed and I wish there was a food courts for hungry visitors.

This is a great place to stop by for about an hour to see how the canal works. Its better to go there around 2pm to see larger ships going through the canal. It does take a while for the ship to actually go through but is worth checking out. The museum is pretty interesting and has a nice gift shop. It is a little outside of the Panama City but easily reachable by Uber.

Unique architecture of engineering! Wonderful! Be sure to booking your tickets in advance via the website.

Great history, and well organized. Kind staff- awesome to get to see not one but 2 ships go through! I know some times there is not much traffic but that day was a busy one :). Please allow yourself a lot of time because if boats go through its easy to miss out on the history if youre on a timeline.

Witnessing two container ships, one big and one "super", transiting the locks was far more interesting than I anticipated. A great experience. My guide had an app on his mobile phone showing ships entering and transiting the locks so we arrived in perfect time to see the transits. You definitely want to time your visit well.

So awesome I could have watched for hours. The top deck was packed. There’s another observation space on ground level, I don’t know why they didn’t tell us that for an hour.

the canal is huge with many a big locks, well the biggest spot in the countrythis is my personal opinion based on my personnal experience i mean this is what i thought and what i felt in this place the time i was there, certanily we are not juging anyone in here, nothing more nothing less, and i would like to share it on line with you, thank you

There is an unique experience, better to be attentive to the schedules the ships are able to pass because there is a timeframe when they are not. All the people is really nice, helpful and professional. You can reserve the tickets or arrive until 5 pm to get it directly on the place.

Absolutely incredible experience to see especially if you get to witness ships sailing through as well! Definitely worth seeing, even if you dont get to see a ship. Cant visit Panamá without going! Pretty easy to get to from Albrook mall, 810 bus stops right outside the entrance inside the complex. The best time for this is around 15:00. The museum is OK, not a lot of information and most of the exhibits were not on show due to work being carried out. The restaurant was also closed. (August 2022).

Very interesting place it took me less than 20 minutes to finish the trip I was on hurry . And the price is 10$ p/p

It was a wonderful experience watching the container ships move through the canal. I watched a documentary on the canal widening a while back and thought one day I would visit Panama and see the canal. Being there in person was a dream come true. I visited with a large group and would definitely visit again with my family. We had to climb about four floors to reach the observation platform. It was worth the walk.. BTW elevators are available. Along the way lining the walls are various photos, replicas of various Canal equipment and the control station. While there you can take a souvenir photo to commemorate your visit. The tour guide if Incould call him that was very knowledgeable about the canal and also about the particular vessel that was passing while we were there. I would definitely recommend a visit to the Canal if you visit Panama.🇵🇦

The original and best place to see the locks. Unfortunately the museum and cinema are still closed at the moment, so really its just the viewing gallery. Still impressive as always , but if you want the film and museum call to see if its opened yet

Was told there would be no ships coming thru the locks that day, but we were fortunate enough to see a container ship pass thru! So exciting after learning about the Panama Canal in school as a youngster.

It is the place to be in Panama, such a great view, great project, and very organized, it’s a must see and visit, great amazing unforgettable experience.

Its great to visit one of the locks on the Panama Canal. The Miraflores lock is really close to the city centre and if timed correctly you get to see a ship transition. It really phenomenal

I had low expectations for the Panama Canal and only went so I could check it off the list, but it was actually a lot more interesting than I was expecting. Id definitely recommend going with a guide because I learned so much more than if I had gone solo (however if you pay for entry, and go upstairs through the museum to the terrace to watch the ships pass, there is an employee sharing useful information and history on a microphone). The museum that you have to walk up to was interesting though we didnt spend too much time at each exhibit since the main act was upstairs. It was surprisingly mesmerizing watching the locks in action and the ships pass. We were told its better to come in the afternoon to ensure seeing ships. There was also a gift shop, and an IMAX theater but I believe the latter is currently closed due to COVID. Overall a must see if you find yourself in Panama not only because its "the thing" to do, but also because its quite a unique and fascinating experience.

Really cool spot to see some boats go through the locks.For note: right now it looks like they only have boats going through around 9am and 3pm. We went at 8:30 and barely caught the last boat of the day going through.Since the museum is closed right now (I assume for COVID? no idea but a terrible reason, especially since the observation deck is wall to wall peoplewatching a boat go through is the highlight. It takes about 25 minutes from start to finish to watch one and it is narrated by someone from the location in both English and Spanish with some very interesting facts and history.

The visitor centre was an excellent view point. We were lucky to watch two different ships passing through the locks into the Pacific ocean. One lock chamber usually drains in 8 minutes and then the doors open for another 1 or 2 minutes. There was a load speaker explaining what is happening in both English and Spanish languages.

The staff was very nice and honest, they give the right words to you as tourist and suggest to come where there are ships crossing the locks. A great experience after a short museum visit.

A great museum and even greater viewing experience of the great Panamanian locks. My mom and I got to take lots of cool photos and rush downstairs in time to watch the ships carried through the lock right in front of us. So much history and so many experiences collected into one place. Life wouldnt be the same if Panama did not provide for the world its services. Incredible.

If you, like me, want to watch how ships go through the canal, to be there half an hour before 9am or 2:30pm, because there will be too many people and not easy to find a good watching spot. (Not crowded, but all people are staying by the balcony. Also, you have to take a time-lapes video in order to see the water going up or down to bring the ships go through the locks. But if you just want some pictures and see the ships, its easier.

Well worth the uber ride. And $10 entrance even though the museum is closed but the viewing decks are open. Hint do not do a tour to this. Its like watching paint dry. Although the size and construction are a must to see.

Panama city is an old historic town. The locks build in poor condition by rugged individuals is an engineering marble. The old locks are still today, after 100 years letting freighters thru that when built, no-one could envision. Panama itself has the same issues as a lot of countries in Central America. Very poor condition for most and very good fir the rest. It shows in dramatic fashion

I cant believe the changes theyve made since the last time I was here 10 years ago. The viewing platform is incredible. There is lots of room for everyone.

Good overview of panama canal. If you want to see a ship, check with the staff before entry when the next ship arrives. Should usually not be a problem (~30 ships a daybut in our case there was no ship for the next 5 hrs.

On the Carnival Spirit doing a full transit. To me this transit is fascinating. I thought that I would see more wildlife from the ship but maybe they mostly come out when the sun isnt so high and hot. The locks worked the way they were supposed to.

Very interesting to see how the ships are passing through the locks on the canal. Too crowded to be able to see anything properly though. Considering there are bunch more viewing platforms they were there but not available, not sure why provide such a poor experience. The queue to get inside wasn’t bad, maybe max 10 min. Afterward there were 4 floors with short exhibitions and then you reach a viewing platform. Probably takes like an hour for a ship to pass. Be careful with the time when you go (check their website on that day), since the place is mostly interesting when there are ships and you can actually see low it’s working. There was no cafe open. Easy to take an Uber from the city and back. Nice little souvenir shop onsite.

Great experience to see the Panama canal and ships passing it. Badly most of the museum is still closed and restaurant is no more there. Root cause was said is COVID but to be honest, the whole city went back to normal operation just here it is said not to work out.

Great museum with interesting historyMake sure you get there during the two time frames each day that boats pass through the canal to see it in action

Incredible experience in witnessing the transit of a ship.Equally incredible is the construction project to actually design & make The Panama Canal.The museum/tour is part of the visitor pass.The observation deck allows views to the entire process of a ship transiting the canal.A must see in my opinion!

Get here between 8 and 10:30 am or after 2 pm to see the ships traverse the lock. Very exciting to see a tanker raised 27 feet. Interesting museum. Been here 3 x. It will be fifty times better when restaurant and cafe overlooking the locks reopen. Worth a trip for sure: one of the biggest public works project on the planet.

Its one of the nice locks to see the Panama canal.I enjoyed the experience watching from the lock as compared to being on a boat and crossing the canal.Please try to go during the time when ships pass - I went from 3 to 5PM, the line starts at 2:30 so its helpful to be on time to get a place to stand for the best view to watch the ships pass by and also its very convenient to go from the city and I dont think you need to hire a tourist guide for it

Friendly staff and informs you of when the next ship is going through. You only have a hour on the viewing deck. If deck is full it is hard to view the ship. Wish they would add a row of seats to view then people standing behind can also see the ships and canal. The exhibition is great to look at and read while walking to the forth floor viewing deck.

Well I know I should give it 5 stars but I am not that much into the Lock. I mean its nice to have seen it once in a lifetime...but nothing special to me. The history of it is very sad any many, many people died building it.

Be warned that the really interesting museum you can no longer stop and read. Not sure why theyre charging $10 because all youre allowed to do is walk up to the observation deck.Still worth it to stop and watch the shops passing through. Engineering wonder for sure!

Great experience. 3 floors of a small museum and the 4th floor is an overlook of the locks. Organized entrance procedure. I recommend making a reservation.

It was incredibly cool watching a massive cruise ship transit the locks. View from the observation deck is worth the price of admission. Photos can not do it justice. Thouroghly entertaining!Note that as of February 2022, the canal museum and Imax theater are closed temporarily due to covid. Still worth the visit!

Must to see! I actually stop in Panama just to see that.Incredible to see how ship pass through. Entrance $10 for foreign adults. Museum and small souvenir shop inside. You can stay inside watching the ships as long as you want.About 40min from airport and 15min from center.

Very interesting to see how the system works, they can handle up to 38 ships per day, they only go in one direction half the day then switch an go the other, lots of ships waiting

The tour was so awesome. You cant get the info unless you visit to get the experience. Total awesomeness and magic infront ur eyes. The tour person was well knowledgeable of all aspects

It would be nice if they post online the scheduled times of the ships that will be crossing. We arrived at 10 am Monday, but there was no ship crossing until 12:30pm. Also if you pay the entrance you are only allowed to stay inside for 1.5 hours (30 mins on the terrace), therefore me and all the others that arrived at 10am either left and came back later 20 mins from cityor viewed the canal with no action

Miraflores Locks was a great place to hang out and learn about the Panama Canal. Sadly, the museum was mostly closed, so you do have to do some research on your own. On the too floor, a person with a microphone explained what we were looking at in the locks. Plan to spend the whole afternoon there because ships move slowly through the locks.

What an amazing experience!!! Watching the ships go through the locks is a must see! Unfortunately, we got there for The last ship of the morning (even though it was only 8:30). Im not sure how you would be able to tell what ships are coming through, but be aware that ships are not constantly going through the canal. I was also very disappointed that we couldnt go through the museum and the IMAX was closed (its also closed on Mondays we learn from experience). One of the city buses runs to the locks, but the Uber drive was relatively cheap to and from Cosca Viejo-about $6.

A must see while in Panama, l enjoyed it most on the partial transit cruise; the wait to get into the visitor center on land was long due to Covid protocols and half the exhibits were blocked off again due to Covid.

Great way to see the Canal up close and personal. Everything was nice and clean and well maintained. Exhibits were interesting and first class. If you are patient and go at the right time you can witness a cargo ship as it passes through the lock. There was also a nice little gift shop. Though quite pricey.