Air Panamá and Copa Airlines operate several flights daily between Panama City (Albrook Airport, code PAC) and Bocas del Toro's Isla Colón International Airport (BOC), a journey of about 45 minutes. Flights fill quickly in high season — book ahead.
By road, the journey from Panama City takes 8–10 hours: bus to David (5–6 hours), then a connecting bus to Almirante (2–3 hours), then a water taxi across the lagoon to Bocas Town (30 minutes). The Bocachica ferry also runs a car ferry from Almirante, useful if you're bringing a vehicle — though few visitors bother given that everything in Bocas Town is walkable and water taxis handle inter-island transport. From San José, Costa Rica, the crossing at Sixaola/Guabito brings you to the Changuinola bus terminal, from where a water taxi reaches Bocas Town in about 30 minutes.