Climb UP Climbing Center

Climb UP is a bouldering centre in Carnaxide, in the Oeiras council just west of Lisbon. Rafaela Bastos opened it in 2018, and the team still runs it as a community gym that also organises national competitions. When it opened, a NiT report described 302 m² of climbable wall and a layout split into a children’s area, the boulder zone, a yoga space, a gym and a café lounge. That was the 2018 plan; today’s website talks only about the climbing, so ask what’s still there.

Bouldering means climbing short walls without ropes or harnesses, over deep padded mats. Each route, called a problem, is marked by holds of one colour, from easy to very hard. For children it’s the simplest way into climbing: there’s no knot to tie and no one to hold a rope, just shoes on and up.

Climb UP is set up for beginners. You don’t need to book or have any experience. The gym’s four steps are:

1. Turn up during opening hours in comfortable clothes.
2. Staff explain how the gym works, its zones and the safety rules.
3. They show you the basics: how to fall, how to read a problem and where to start.
4. You pick a problem at your level and try it, at your own pace.

Climbing shoes (pés de gato) can be hired for €4, and liquid chalk for €4, both with a deposit.

If you’d like more help, book a private beginner lesson. It cost €28 including shoes when checked, and is useful if neither parent nor child has climbed before.

The team resets the problems every week, so a child who comes regularly always has something new to try. When checked, the website listed routesetting on Mondays from 10:00 and Wednesday mornings from 10:00 to 13:00, and said part of the gym may be closed off while that’s happening. If you’re coming on a Monday or Wednesday morning, expect some walls to be out of use.

The FAQ says the gym has activities for children, and the price list has a student and child rate for entries, cards and classes. For groups, birthday parties and school classes, Climb UP asks you to get in touch. The website doesn’t mention a weekly kids’ club or give a minimum age, so phone before bringing a young child and ask which walls and classes suit their age.

Group classes are led by the gym’s own instructors and focus on technique, movement and progress. They cost €15 for students and children and €17 for adults per class when checked. A regular place is €53 a month for once a week (children’s rate).

The price list, valid until 31 December 2026, gave these rates (adults first, then students and children):

• Single entry: €12 or €10
• Off-peak single entry, weekdays 10:00 to 16:00: €8
• Ten entries plus one free: €98 or €88
• Off-peak ten-plus-one card: €77 or €62
• Monthly Free Pass: €68 or €55
• Off-peak Free Pass: €45
• Group class: €17 or €15
• Private lesson (beginner): €28 with shoes
• Group activity for five or more: €25 per person with shoes

Families of three or more get 10% off entries and classes, with proof of relationship on ID cards. Quarterly, half-yearly and yearly payments for monthly plans are 15%, 20% and 25% cheaper.

The off-peak weekday rate is worth knowing for home-educating families: an unhurried weekday morning costs €8 each.

Birthday parties on the walls are planned and priced case by case. Groups of five or more pay €25 each with shoes included and a member of staff with them.

Bouldering walls are low, but falls onto the mats are part of it, and some children dislike that feeling. It’s a gym, not a play centre, so there are no soft-play extras. The website gives no minimum age, so very young children may be limited to the easiest problems.

JumpYard Lisboa is also in Carnaxide, if the climbing leaves any energy for trampolines. For roped climbing on 12-metre walls, Escala 25 under the 25 de Abril bridge is the next step up.

Do you need to book Climb UP?

No. Beginners can turn up during opening hours. Classes, parties and group sessions are booked by phone, email or in person; there’s no online booking.

Is there a children’s price at Climb UP?

Yes. Children and students paid €10 for a single entry when checked, or €8 on weekdays between 10:00 and 16:00.

What do we need to bring for bouldering?

Comfortable clothes you can move in. Climbing shoes and chalk can be hired for €4 each.

Does Climb UP have a kids’ club?

The website doesn’t list one. It has child prices for entry and group classes, and asks you to get in touch about groups, parties and school classes.