Shopping in Casco Viejo: Best Places for Fashion, Gifts & Panama-Made Style
Shopping in Casco Viejo (also known as San Felipe) isn’t something you do between activities. It becomes one of the activities you remember most. This is where shopping shifts from transaction to discovery where you find the piece you’ll still talk about a year from now. Not because it was cheap, but because someone made it with pride and placed it in your hands with a story.
This 40-acre UNESCO-protected neighborhood feels like a movie set that never ends pastel buildings leaning into each street corner, balconies dripping with bougainvillea, church bells announcing the hour, and artisans selling heritage directly from their hands. Here, you’re not being sold things. You’re being introduced to Panama.
I’ve lived in Casco Viejo since 2008, I visit fifteen hotels over 3,400 guest rooms to brief concierge and front-desk teams on what’s worth recommending this week. Not last year. Not before the pandemic. Right now. Casco moves fast and the best spots still feel like something only locals know about.
So when travelers ask, “Where can I find something authentic to take home?” This is the itinerary I give them. And now, I’m giving it to you.
Start Your Shopping in Casco Viejo at the Mola Museum
Begin your shopping journey at the Mola Museum on Plaza Cathedral not to purchase anything, but to understand everything. It’s free, compact, and it gives you the cultural lens you need before you buy a single item. The Guna people (also known as Kuna.), one of Panama’s Indigenous communities, create molas: layered, hand-cut textiles where every line and symbol carries meaning. These pieces aren’t just fabric their identity.
Spend twenty minutes inside and you’ll step back onto the street with sharper eyes. Shopping in Casco Viejo teaches you to instantly recognize authentic craftsmanship versus factory-printed imitations. That knowledge feels empowering when you later meet a Guna woman hand-stitching a design that reflects generations of tradition.
You’re not just buying a pattern you’re honoring a story. And that’s the entire point of shopping in Casco Viejo.
Where Culture Becomes a Gift You Can Hold
Casco is filled with artisans whose hands do the storytelling. The work here does not need a marketing label its quality is obvious. Look for:
• Hand-cut mola textiles
• Wounaan and Emberá baskets
• Beaded jewelry
• Natural décor crafted from native materials
You aren’t buying souvenirs; you’re supporting traditions preserved through pride and skill. Many artisans sell directly on the street or inside small galleries around Plaza Catedral and along Avenida A. Ask questions. The stories add value to what you take home.
Fashion in Casco Viejo — Style With a Sense of Place
Panama’s creative moment is happening here. Designers in Casco pull inspiration from Afro-Panamanian rhythm, Indigenous geometry, Caribbean color, and colonial elegance. This is not fast fashion. This is timeless, breathable style built for the tropics and perfect for evenings on a rooftop.
These boutiques are run by people who live the lifestyle they design for hot days, social nights, and a district full of staircases and cobblestones. They understand clothes need to move, breathe, flatter, and survive a sunset cocktail without melting.
Expect linen that feels luxurious, dresses that move from beach to dinner, menswear with quiet sophistication, and accessories that carry cultural memory. When you’re shopping in Casco Viejo, you’ll see silhouettes that hint at the curves of the coastline, prints inspired by traditional patterns, and cuts designed to feel confident in the heat. This is clothing that complements Panama not competes with it..
A small warning: there’s a good chance you’ll wear what you buy that same night. I’ve seen countless travelers walk out of a boutique, turn the corner, and suddenly look like they planned their outfit around the skyline because here, style and setting truly meet.
Explore Calle 9, Calle 10, and Avenida A the heart of this style movement. Step inside the shops even if you don’t plan to buy. Talk to the designers. Try on something you’d never pick up at home. Fashion tastes different when the place changes you first.
Jewelry & Accessories — Wearable Art With Meaning
Casco’s jewelry is designed to start conversations. Makers incorporate volcanic stone, Pacific-shaped glass, textures inspired by ancient goldwork, and natural elements unique to Panama. Styles range from modern simplicity to bold statements but every piece is personal. These aren’t accessories to fill a drawer; they’re memories you can wear.
Many pieces reflect Panama’s cultural echoes Guna geometry, pre-Columbian curves, or patterns drawn from the tide rising against the old seawalls. When you’re shopping in Casco Viejo, you’ll often see the artist right there in their own small shop, happy to explain the symbolism they forged into metal or wove through thread. They’re not just selling jewelry they’re sharing identity.
“Luxury feels better when you can meet the person who created it.‘
Men’s Style — Finally, Something That Works in the Tropics
Men are usually an afterthought in tourist shopping districts. Casco breaks that trend. Local designers understand the climate, the culture, and the need to look sharp without overheating.
Look for tailored linen shirts, lightweight jackets, footwear made for cobblestones, and color palettes that fit Panama not the tour bus. And just like Chanel a lady Shop may always have that one item that you could pick up for that man in your life.
Coffee & Chocolate — Panama’s Sweet Spot
Panama produces some of the world’s most celebrated coffee, including the globally recognized Geisha varietal. Chocolate makers in Bocas del Toro and Chiriquí elevate single-origin cacao with rich tropical profiles. These gifts are affordable, pack perfectly, and always appreciated.And buy extra you’ll want some later
Rum — The Panama Gift People Actually Want
Rum isn’t a gimmick souvenir here it’s a symbol of Panama’s identity and generational craft. The country’s volcanic soil and sugarcane tradition create a depth of flavor you simply won’t find in mass-produced blends. And Casco Viejo is where you’ll meet the producers who treat rum like a love letter to the land itself.
Think warm notes of caramel and panela. Citrus lifting through the finish. Hints of cacao and coffee reminding you this is a country with fertile roots. Casco’s best rum bars including standouts like Pedro Mandinga make it easy to taste your way into the story, then take that story home in a bottle designed to impress.
This is the gift you open with friends the bottle that sparks travel envy. It’s smooth enough for sipping, sophisticated enough for collectors, and bold enough to stand on its own next to the world’s top labels.
When you pour that first glass back home, you’ll remember the rooftop breeze, the cathedral bells, the night you decided that vacations should always taste this good.
“Bring home something that tastes like where you’ve been and share the memory”.
Art Galleries — Bring Home a Piece of the View
Casco Viejo is a living gallery. Artists paint the skyline they see each morning, sculpt the sea breeze into form, and capture the mood of plazas at dusk. Art becomes the ultimate proof that you were here something you’ll admire for years.
And the best part? Shopping in Casco Viejo means you’re buying directly from the people who create the work. Many galleries double as studios brushes still wet, canvases drying in the corner, the artist themselves talking you through the hidden story inside the frame. It makes the moment personal. You don’t just buy art — you inherit memory.
Casco’s galleries are beautifully varied. Some showcase bold contemporary artists pushing boundaries in color and form. Others highlight Indigenous talent, Afro-Panamanian identity, and the textures of a country still writing its story. You’ll find photography that captures the raw energy of the streets, and mixed-media pieces that fold history into modern expression.
A simple rule: if a piece makes you stop walking, step inside. A conversation might follow… and suddenly you’re shipping a canvas home because your walls deserve a view too.
The story of where you bought it stays with the frame always.
Gifts for Families & Kids — Small Hands Love Big Surprises
Not every gift needs a deep cultural story. Some are simply joyful. Kids love bright little surprises hand-painted animals, mini molas they can pin to school backpacks, chocolate molded into jungle creatures, and colorful trinkets that feel like treasure. And parents love them even more because they pack flat, travel light, and thank goodness don’t make noise on the flight home.
Casco’s kid-friendly boutiques make shopping easy for families. Bilingual storybooks about Panama’s wildlife, soft plush turtles that nod to the islands, and tiny wooden boats inspired by the Panamá Canal all spark curiosity. These are the keepsakes that turn “show-and-tell” into a global adventure and make a family trip feel like something children truly own a piece of.
Quick Wins for Layovers & Short Visits
Casco Viejo solves the challenge of short time in Panama City. Arrive by Uber, walk plazas and seawalls, pick up authentic gifts, and get back to the airport without stress. Everything here travels easily, and for anything too large, Mail Boxes Etc. can ship directly to your home.
Time disappears; value doesn’t.
Shopping That Lives Inside History
Few places let you shop inside a district that reinvented itself. Casco rose from near abandonment to one of Latin America’s most celebrated historic neighborhoods. Every purchase supports a community that chose restoration over demolition.
You arrived curious you leave connected.
Multiplaza in the city, When You Want Global Brands Too
Casco is originality.
Multiplaza is international prestige.
Panama City isn’t just competing with global shopping capitals it’s leading the region. People fly in from across Central America and the Caribbean specifically to shop at Multiplaza. It’s that good. With more than 300 brands under one roof from Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Tiffany & Co., Gucci, and Dolce & Gabbana, to Zara, Penguin, and the latest tech and beauty favorites this mall serves every budget, every lifestyle, every generation. Families come for school shopping. Executives come for luxury tailoring. Trendsetters come for the newest global drops.
And it’s effortless: clean, modern, air-conditioned, and only 15-20 minutes from Casco Viejo. The smartest travelers do both boutique discovery in Casco followed by runway glamour at Multiplaza. That’s how you shop Panama City like you mean it.
What to Avoid — A Friendly Truth With a Laugh
If someone on Avenida A tries to convince you that one tiny jar will erase 20 years, fix jet lag, lift your mood, and maybe even make your ex regret their life choices… smile kindly and keep walking.
There are two of these “miracle” shops on Avenida A you’ll spot them by the enthusiastic employees and the wild promises. Here’s the deal if these products actually worked…
Silicon Valley would own the formula and the founder would be on the cover of TIME.
Now if you truly believe you’ve discovered the fountain of youth in a 30ml bottle?
Please buy more. Buy the store. Bottle the dream. Live your fantasy.
But for the rest of us: Save your money for handcrafted gifts that come with a story, not a sales pitch.
Fast Facts – Shopping in Casco viejo
- Best time to shop: Afternoon & early evening
- Best fashion streets: Calle 9 + 10 + Avenida A
- Best artisan zone: Around 1st – 2nd Street
- Top packable gifts: Coffee & chocolate
- Most impressive gift: Wounaan basket or craft rum
- Best break: Rooftop cocktail with a view
Q&A — Shopping in Casco Viejo
Ask where they’re made. Many are from Ecuador honesty matters.
Yes with street artisans. No in boutiques prices reflect craftsmanship.
Yes especially in well-lit areas with active foot traffic.
Coffee, chocolate, or rum — universally appreciated.
Almost all do. Keep some small cash for artisans
Final Word — Take Home Something With a Heartbeat
Shopping in Casco Viejo isn’t about adding weight to your luggage. It’s about adding value to your memories. Walk slowly. Look up. Ask a question. Someone will answer with pride.
When you unwrap that gift months later, you’ll remember the plaza, the breeze, the smile from the person who made it.The best gifts don’t sit forgotten in drawers. They live in memory. Bring home something crafted with meaning and let a piece of Casco Viejo travel home with you.
🌟 Thanks for wandering through our guide to Shopping in Casco Viejo — and for spending a few moments with the makers, artists, and small boutiques that keep this old neighborhood beating with color and soul. Casco has a way of lingering with you… the textures, the voices, the light on the walls. I’m glad you felt a piece of it here.
And if today’s walk left you wanting a little more — a deeper thread to follow, a corner you haven’t turned yet — these might help you map out your next wander:
- Return to the homepage for more curated traveler insights
- Planning ahead? Explore Panama City Panama Hotels — ideal for a night before or after your cruise
- Discover the deeper story behind the district in Casco Viejo History
- See more of the neighborhood with our Sightseeing in Casco Viejo guide
🛎️ If you’re a cruise line or tour operator, let’s connect. Casco Viejo deserves to be experienced as it truly is — lived, loved, and never rushed.
🧭 Out and about with James.
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