Panama City surprises nearly everyone who visits. Most people know it for the canal, but Central America's most modern capital also has a gleaming skyline of towers, a beautifully restored colonial old town and rainforest right inside the city limits. Set on the Pacific coast, it has been a crossroads between two oceans and two continents for centuries.

Watch enormous ships rise and fall through the locks at the Miraflores visitor center, one of the best places to see the Panama Canal in action. Wander the colorful streets, rooftop bars and historic ruins of Casco Viejo, the old quarter. Then hike the trails of Metropolitan Natural Park, a rainforest where you can spot sloths and toucans with skyscrapers on the horizon.

Nonstop flights reach Tocumen International Airport from major U.S. hubs, and Panama City is also a starting or ending point for many canal cruises. On the way in, look for dozens of cargo ships lined up offshore waiting their turn to cross. I'll plan your canal visit, hotel and day trips, and I can tie it all into a Panama Canal cruise.