Cementerio Francés

Panama Canal


This cemetery in Paraíso on the road to Gamboa about 5km north of the Pedro Miguel Locks dates from between 1880 and 1889. Though there are just 300 crosses and other markers visible here, it contains many of the 22,000 diggers and other workers from France, China, India, Spain and Panama who died of malaria or yellow fever during France's early attempt to dig the canal.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Panama Canal attractions

1. Pedro Miguel Locks

1.48 MILES

North past the Miraflores Locks, the Pedro Miguel Locks can be seen from the highway to Gamboa. One hundred meters beyond the locks there’s a parking…

2. Miraflores Visitors Center

3.44 MILES

The easiest way to visit the Panama Canal is to head to the Miraflores Visitors Center, just outside Panama City. This modern center features a four-floor…

3. City of Knowledge

3.71 MILES

Once the headquarters for the US Southern Command in Panama, ‘Ciudad del Saber’ is today a government-sponsored center for education, research and…

4. Parque Nacional Soberanía

5.12 MILES

This 195-sq-km national park is one of the most accessible tropical rainforests in Panama. It extends much of the way across the isthmus, from Limón on…

5. Baha’i House of Worship

5.61 MILES

On the northeastern outskirts of Panama City, the white-domed Baha’i House of Worship is the mother temple for all of Latin America. It looms like a giant…

6. Parque Natural Metropolitano

6.16 MILES

On a hill north of downtown, this 265-hectare park protects vast expanses of tropical semideciduous forest within the city limits, and serves as an…

7. Mariposario Metropolitano

6.3 MILES

With 1600 species, Panama City's butterfly garden is a worthy stop for nature lovers. Fifteen-minute guided tours explain the life cycle of butterflies…

8. Explora Center of Science & Arts

6.63 MILES

Mini travelers (and those young at heart) will love this museum dedicated to interactive learning. Six exhibition rooms explore such themes as electricity…