Click on the name of a neighborhood for pictures, a map, and more details about the area.
1 – Downtown Puerto Armuelles
Downtown is made up of mostly small commercial shops and buildings. It starts near the Dolphin Monument and goes down to the pier. For a list of businesses in Puerto Armuelles, please see the Business Directory.
Read More about Downtown Puerto Armuelles HERE
Take our Self-guided Walking Tour #2 of Downtown Puerto Armuelles HERE
Barrios South of Downtown Puerto Armuelles
2 – El Carmen (Silver City)
El Carmen was originally built by Chiquita Banana (United Fruit Company) nearest the pier because it housed the laborers who packed bananas, worked on the dock, and loaded the ships with bananas. It runs from the pier south, along the beach.
Read more about Barrio Carmen HERE
3 – San Vicente & Alto San Vicente
4 – Las Palmas (La Zona)
Las Palmas was built by the Chiquita Banana Company in the 1930’s through the 1950’s. It was an exclusive gated community that housed the company executives.
Read more about Las Palmas HERE
Take our Self-guided Walking Tour #1 of Las Palmas and Spanish Town HERE
5 – Buena Vista (Spanish Town)
Spanish Town is very similar to Las Palmas and located right next door. The homes look alike, but the lots tend to be smaller so the homes are closer together. The original residents were mid to upper management employees of the Chiquita Banana Company.
Read more about Spanish Town HERE
Take our Self-guided Walking Tour #1 of Las Palmas and Spanish Town HERE
6 – Retorno
7 – Monte Verde
Barrios in North Central Puerto Armuelles
6 – Los Angeles
7 – San José
San José is a colorful little barrio located on Avenida San José, just before you cross the last bridge into town and across from the public library. It is a more ‘tranquilo’ neighborhood, comprised mostly of working class families who have lived in the same homes for many years.
Read about the barrio San José HERE
8 – Rio Mar
Barrios North of Downtown Puerto Armuelles
9 – El Palmar
El Palmar is a fairly large community located in the corregimiento of Puerto Armuelles, district of Barú, province of Chiriquí. There are at least 3 sections of El Palmar known as El Palmar Norte, El Palmar Centro, and El Palmar Sur (where the beach communities are located).
Read more about El Palmar HERE
The for sale portion of your real estate listings does not appear to be working.
Hi Shellie! It should be working properly now 🙂
Las Palmas was never a gated area, at least not for the 17 years we lived there. There was also a school, from kindergarten through 8th grade, run by the United Fruit Company, with teachers brought in from the States. It was a wonderful place to live and it will always be our second home, if only in our thoughts.
There is a gate arm, which is locked in the “up” position now, and a guard shack at the entrance. According to old-timers, Las Palmas was a gated community a long time ago. Not since I’ve been here, although there has been talk about possibly making it a gated community again some day.
Hi Debbie. I did a little research and to me it seems Rio Mar is a pretty decent looking neighborhood. Do you have any input you could share about it? Thanks. Johnny.
Hi Debbie,
My wife and I have lived in Panama for the past five years…..dividing time between Panama City and Pedasi. We have decided we would like to live in Puerto, and plan to visit in August or September, 2019, for a 10-14 day visit . Where are the best places to stay and can you recommend a broker to show us around. Thanks. John
Hi John, Here are a couple of recommendations for places to stay in Puerto: https://visitpuertoarmuelles.com/category/hotels-lodging
You can find more Hotels & Lodging under the Business Directory on this site. Let me know when your dates are more firmed up and I will be happy to meet with you. In the meantime, I will add your name to the newsletter and send property updates as well. Saludos, Debbie Fishell, Editor
Can you tell me about San Vicente neighborhood? How does it compare to the other neighborhoods in safety? We are looking for a modest and safe neighborhood where we can immerse ourselves with the locals and still find someone to speak English. Impossible?!
Just about everywhere in Puerto will be Immersion into the culture. This is not a big expat area yet. There are enough English speakers to socialize with and the locals are happy to work around your language barriers (sign language is acceptable!). San Vicente is a bit rough around the edges, but there are a few expat families living there and they love it.