Plaza de Francia

About this place

An elegant square at the far southern end of the old quarter, on the edge of the sea, honouring the French who began digging the Panama Canal in the 1880s under Ferdinand de Lesseps, builder of the Suez Canal, before their project collapsed after diseases such as yellow fever and malaria killed thousands of workers. At its centre stands a tall stone obelisk crowned by a Gallic rooster, ringed by busts of engineers and scientists, among them the Cuban doctor Carlos Finlay, who found that mosquitoes carry yellow fever, a discovery that made finishing the canal possible. Stone plaques tell the story of the French attempt. Behind the square, the Las Bóvedas promenade runs along the old sea wall under flowering arbours, with stone vaults in its walls that were once cells and storerooms, now craft shops and restaurants. The promenade looks over the bay, the Bridge of the Americas and the ships. It is lovely just before sunset, when the sea breeze blows. Casco Viejo is fairly safe by day with tourist police around, but avoid the neighbouring districts after dark and use registered taxis.