Free Zone

does anyone know how far it is from the port on colon to the freezone looking to do some shoping but want t be safe doing it?:p can we walk or should we take a taxi?

The entrance is actually pretty close to the Colon 2000 pier where most of the cruise ships dock, but I'm not sure it is a good idea to walk it. There is another but as well... the Colon Free Zone is not really a place for the individual shopper. You can see jewelry, electronic etc. storefronts which look like any other free standing store, however their primary purpose is to sell to other wholesale vendors and not to the general public. Now the following info is very dated as it has been quite some time since I was last in the Free Zone proper. They will let you in with a passport and you can buy in any of the stores that will sell to individuals. You are not supposed to personally take anything out of the FZ but there was never an issue on anything you could wear out.... read jewelry. There maybe a method in which you could have something delivered directly to the ship much like they do at the duty free shops at airports... I do not have any direct knowledge on that.

Good luck, but honestly I think your time might be better enjoyed by taking in some of the sites Panama has to offer. So many times the "good deals" provided by duty free are on the elusive side.

The Colon Free Zone, second largest in the world, is primarily a Latin American distribution point for everything ... Caterpillar parts can be brought into Panama duty free, stored in the Free Zone, the shipped out as needed. Same for everything else. Goods can be imported in less than final form, labeled and packaged, in and out, no tax. All of the ads for the Free Zone are targeted not to the general public who can't get in, but to buyers who are in Panama to buy big quantities ... think a container load of jeans, etc. There are a few small units that will sell retail but finding them is a challenge. Think a good-sized city to itself with warehouse after warehouse. I can't imagine, even if you could get in, that it would be anything but a waste of your precious time in Panama.

The Free Zone is a neat thing for Panamanian retailers. They keep limited, or very little inventory. You want to buy a stove ... other than a display model ... the store orders it out of the free zone from the manufacturer not having to pay taxes until its taken out, or tie up money in their own inventory, or have their own warehouse.

It just isn't for cruise passengers ... try St. Maarten instead which has become, unfortunately IMHO, a giant mall.

Regards, Richard

thank you so much for the information... then its on to panama city:p