Plaza de la Independencia

Panama City


In this plaza, in the heart of Casco Viejo, Panama declared its independence from Colombia on November 3, 1903.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Panama City attractions

1. Museo del Canal Interoceánico

0.03 MILES

This impressive museum is housed in a beautifully restored building that once served as the headquarters for the original French canal company. The Panama…

2. Palacio Municipal

0.03 MILES

This neoclassical Casco Viejo building, dating to 1910, houses the modest Museo de Historia de Panamá.

3. Museo de Historia de Panamá

0.04 MILES

The modest Museo de Historia de Panamá has a small selection of exhibits covering Panamanian history from the colonial period to the modern era.

4. Catedral Metropolitana

0.05 MILES

The headquarters of the Panama archdiocese. Construction started on this 1796 cathedral in 1688.

5. Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús

0.07 MILES

These days only a shell, this 1741 convent and church in Casco Viejo was destroyed in a fire and further damaged in an earthquake but remains a thing of…

6. Parque Bolívar

0.1 MILES

In 1826, in a schoolroom opposite this Casco Viejo park, Simón Bolívar held a meeting urging the union of the Latin American countries. Bolívar eventually…

7. Palacio de las Garzas

0.1 MILES

The Palacio de las Garzas is named after the great garzas blancas (white herons) that reside here. The president of Panama lives on the upper floor.

8. Museo de Arte Religioso Colonial

0.11 MILES

Housed beside the ruins of the Iglesia y Convento de Santo Domingo, the Museo de Arte Religioso Colonial has a collection of colonial-era religious…