Exciting shopping at the
Colón Free Zone!

The "business of Panama is business" and there is no better place to do business than at the Colón Free Zone, one of the largest free trade emporiums of the Western Hemisphere. Each year, thousands of businesspeople from around the world visit the Free Zone to establish commercial alliances resulting in the import and export of thousands of tons of goods of every corner of the globe.

The Free Zone is also a place for you. Hundreds of tourists include visits to Colón in their itineraries, attracted by the Free Zone’s Swiss watches, computers, and designer clothes, but most of all, by its "zero tax" policy.

The big question is: how to get to Colón? There are many easy ways to get to Panama’s "Caribbean capital" from Panama City. Here are our recommendations:

By taxi: Most, if not all of Panama City’s taxi drivers are willing to take you to the Free Zone. You can hire them for approximately $60.00 one way. You can either contact a taxi company through your hotel’s front desk or hire one on the street. Make sure to negotiate the price before you board the taxi.

By bus: An excellent service of large, comfortable buses links Panama City and Colón, departing from Gran Terminal de Transporte, located in Albrook (buses are air-conditioned and feature TV/DVD players and other amenities.) Gran Terminal is a large, modern facility featuring waiting rooms, stores, pharmacies and even shower rooms. Express buses, which take approximately one hour, depart every hour. Regular buses (no air conditioning) could take up to two hours to get to Colón. The price of an express, one-way ticket is $2.00. (For more information, call: 314-6248.)

The Free Zone: A world of opportunities.

Colón is in the process of building a new bus terminal, since current facilities are less than adequate. Please keep in mind that crime rates in Colón are high. Therefore, if you plan to visit the city by bus, it is best that you hire a taxi as soon as you arrive at the terminal. Dress down and remove all valuable items from sight. The Free Zone –a gated, high-security area—is only a few blocks away.

By rented car: Traveling by car always gives you a higher degree of freedom and control over your time. Colón is 80 km. northeast of Panama City, approximately an hour’s drive from the capital. If you choose to drive, the easiest way to get to Colón in a rented automobile is via the Corredor Norte expressway. If your hotel is located in the banking district, it is best to get on Vía España and turn right on Avenida Martín Sosa, which will lead you directly to the Corredor Norte’s toll booths. A series of road signs will lead you to the entrance of the partly-finished Autopista-Panama-Colón, a toll way which currently ends near the town of Chilibre. Speed limit is 110 KPH. (When finished, the trip to Colón is expected to last approximately 25 minutes.)

At Chilibre, the Autopista merges into the Boyd-Roosevelt Highway, a winding, two-lane road best known as "La Transístmica", where speed limit is reduced to 80 KPH. Note that this road is used by a large number of container trucks at all times. Traffic on this highway, the potholes of which are being repaired in a number of areas, is often congested during the morning and evening rush hours.

By train: The Panama Canal Railway Company, the resurrection of the historic Panama Railroad, offers a deluxe passenger service to Colón, departing from the Corozal train station. The train leaves Panama City at 7:15 a.m. and returns at 5:15 p.m. The price of a round-trip ticket is $35.00 ($20.00 one way). Lasting approximately 55 minutes, the train ride is a wonderful experience, offering beautiful vistas of verdant tracks of rainforests and the Panama Canal. As recommended in the bus-travel option, make sure to hire a taxi as soon as you reach Colón. For more information, call: 317-6070.

By plane: Aeroperlas, Panama’s largest domestic airline, offers daily, scheduled flights to Colón, departing from Albrook’s Marcos A. Gelabert Airport, and arriving at France Field Airport, near the Free Zone. Flights last approximately 20 minutes. For more reservations, call: (507) 315-7500.