For the more adventurous traveler seeking an “authentic” shopping experience, you can’t beat Avenida Central, a pedestrian street and market that stretches from where Justo Arosemena meets Vía España to the Santa Ana Plaza, and that is near Casco Viejo. It’s a scrappy, run-down neighborhood, with cheap stores, outdoor fruit and vegetable markets, and a bustling fusion of ethnic groups shopping for a bargain. Visually, it’s the most colorful neighborhood in town.
Apart from $1-and-under kind of shops, vendors lining the streets hawk clothing, accessories, plastic gizmos, and knickknacks. Shopkeepers like to blare music or announce their deals through megaphones to pull buyers in. It’s a slice of everyday Panama, but it’s also street theater and people-watching as fascinating as catching sight of Kuna Indian women lining up at McDonald’s. Don’t wander too far off Avenida Central, and keep an eye on your personal belongings. This area is patrolled by police and is generally safe during the day.