The best way to rent a car in Colon, Panama

[Cdn2ndtimecruiser]

Hi!

 

I'm hoping someone on CC can give some guidance on renting a car in Colon, Panama. Here is my situation: I'd like to rent from a company that is either close or has pick-up from the cruise pier. Given the number of people in our party and the varied locations we want to visit (e.g. we are meeting some of my husband's business colleagues as well as doing some touring), I don't think it's practical or economical for us to use taxis. I'd prefer to rent before we get to Panama so we aren't spending too much time filling out paper work or find out that no cars are available when we dock.

 

Any advice on would be greatly appreciated!

[BillB48]

My recommendation is don't. While Panama is not rife with people staging accidents or the like, driving is better left to someone else. Signage is inconsistent and sometimes depending on where you are going, parking is a major challenge. This is predicated on neither you or husband are not seasoned drivers in Panama. There are not that many key highways so you could probably stumble through and find your way, but do you really want to spend your short time there feeling your way around? Find a tour operator, there are a few mentioned on various threads here such as My Friend Mario and robtads or any one else you cab find and see what they can do for you to provide transportation to where you would like to go. You can always fall back to the taxis at the pier, they are negotiable.

 

Just for reference I lived in Panama for a very long time and have returned several times since I left... the last time I rented (not a great experience) was 1998 and I have since gone to securing a driver.