Complexo Aquático de Santarém

The Complexo Aquático Municipal de Santarém opened on 1 October 2002 and is run by Viver Santarém, the council’s sport and leisure company. It has two halves. The outdoor pools (the Parque Aquático) open only in the bathing season and work like a small water park, with waves and slides. The indoor pools open all year for public swimming and a swimming school with about 2,000 pupils.

Viver Santarém lists these attractions:

• A wave pool (piscina de ondas).
• Slides: three soft, wide slides (pistas fofas) and two spiral tube slides (escorregas em caracol).
• A leisure pool with two water play features, a waterfall and a children’s slide.
• A children’s pool with its own children’s slides.
• A baby splash pool (chapinheiro).
• A jacuzzi.

Around the pools is a large lawn shaded by about a hundred thatched parasols (colmos), a lounger area and a bar with a terrace. There’s also a quieter lawn by the wave pool, the Zona Conforto, where you can rent a family space.

Height and age limits on the rides

The regulations and FAQ set these limits:

• Big slides (soft slides and tubes): minimum height 1.10 m.
• Children’s slides: from 90 cm to 1.50 m tall. Floats aren’t allowed on them.
• Wave pool: under-10s must be with an adult. No floats while the waves are running, and you can’t carry a child in your arms.
• Baby splash pool: only for children up to 5, with an adult. Armbands or baby seats with a bottom support are the only floats allowed.

In 2026 the water park opened from 28 May to 13 September, every day including public holidays, from 10:00 to 19:00. Everyone is out of the water at 18:30. The ticket office opens from 9:00 to 17:30.

Weekdays, full day (2026):

Ticket	At the gate	Online
Under 4	Free	Free
Ages 4 to 12	€8.20	€7
13 and adults	€13	€11.50
Over 65	€8.20	€7
Family: 1 adult + 2 children	€25.30	€22
Family: 2 adults + 1 child	€30.50	€26
Family: 2 adults + 2 children	€34	€30

Weekday afternoons (entry from 14:30, sold only at the ticket office): €5.50 for ages 4 to 12, €8 for adults, €23 for a 2 + 2 family.

Weekends, public holidays and every day in August: €12 for ages 4 to 12 (€10.50 online), €18.20 for adults (€16 online) and €47 for a 2 + 2 family (€43 online). There are no afternoon tickets at weekends or in August.

Family tickets are for children aged 4 to 12. Each extra child in the family costs €5.50, bought at the ticket office with citizen cards to show you’re a family. Tickets can’t be refunded or changed, including for bad weather.

Rentals: parasol €3.50, thatched parasol €5.50, two loungers and a parasol €12, “Espaço Light” for four €23, and family comfort packs from €32. You can’t book them; they go on the day, first come first served. Loungers by the baby pool and parasols by the children’s pools need renting at the ticket office.

From the rules and FAQ:

• Under-12s must be with an adult at all times.
• Swim nappies are compulsory for children under 3.
• Swimwear only (bikini, swimsuit, swim shorts or burkini). A tight lycra T-shirt is allowed; ordinary T-shirts and clothes aren’t.
• Shower before going in.
• Floats: armbands, swim vests and baby rings with a seat are allowed; inflatable airbeds, balls, boards, fins, water pistols and inflatable pools aren’t.
• You can bring food and drink, but not glass bottles, cans or alcohol. Bags may be checked.
• You can’t bring your own parasols, chairs, windbreaks or tents, except a pop-up UV tent for a baby.
• No ball games, scooters, bikes or electric toy cars.
• To leave and come back on the same day, get a wristband at the ticket office before you go out.

The park stays open in rain, but everyone leaves the water in strong wind or lightning. Maximum capacity is about 2,000 people.

A restaurant on the first floor and a bar outside the park are run by Galinha da Vizinha. If you’re celebrating, you can bring a birthday cake, but the park has nowhere to keep it cold. Lockers in the changing rooms take a €1 coin, which you get back.

The indoor pools have:

• A 25 m by 21 m sports pool, 2 to 2.20 m deep, with 8 lanes and seats for 420.
• A learner pool, 16.65 m by 11 m and 0.70 to 1.20 m deep.
• A toddler splash pool, 6.15 m by 2.75 m and 0.70 m deep.

From September to June, public swimming (utilização livre) runs on weekdays from 8:00 to 22:00 (no free lanes on Mondays and Thursdays from 18:30 to 20:00) and on Saturdays from 9:00 to 18:30. It closes on Sundays and holidays. In July and August it runs on weekdays and Saturdays from 8:00 or 9:00 to 20:00 and on Sunday mornings.

Prices for an hour (with 30 minutes’ leeway): free up to 6, €2 for ages 7 to 14 (€1.30 with a user card), €2.50 from 15 (€2 with a card). A user card costs €20 a year.

Indoor rules: a swimsuit or tight swim shorts without pockets, a silicone or lycra swim cap, and flip-flops are compulsory. Shower and use the footbath first. No creams, oils or make-up. Swim nappies are compulsory for children up to 3. No jewellery.

The Escola de Atividades Aquáticas de Santarém (EAAS) started in 2002 with about 850 pupils and now has about 2,000. The Portuguese Swimming Federation has certified it at Excellence level IV, and it holds the “Portugal a Nadar Seguro” water-safety seal. It teaches swimming for babies and children, water motor skills, competitive swimming, artistic swimming, water polo and even kayak polo. The 2026 price table lists baby classes at €26 a month and classes for over-3s from €21.50 a month for one a week; registration costs €20 and includes a swim cap, insurance and a user card.

Viver Santarém also runs PAS Férias, week-long holiday camps for ages 6 to 16, mostly in its own sports facilities, with one trip outside Santarém each week. Activities range from team sports, canoeing and stand-up paddleboarding to climbing, archery, painting and history walks. A week costs €110 (€105 for later weeks), including lunch.

• Weekends and August cost almost half as much again as weekdays, so a weekday visit with online tickets is the cheapest option.
• The big slides need children to be at least 1.10 m tall.
• Shade is rented, not free. Arrive early on hot days, or bring a baby pop-up tent.
• The indoor pools are the wet-day alternative, with a 70 cm toddler pool.

Santarém sits above the Tagus plain in the Ribatejo. Nearby, the royal falconry in Salvaterra de Magos has birds of prey displays, the Rio Maior salt pans are an unusual inland stop, and the Alviela science centre is about bats and caves.

How much is the Santarém water park?

On weekdays in 2026 it cost €8.20 for children aged 4 to 12 and €13 for adults, or €30 online for a family of two adults and two children. Weekends and August cost more. Under-4s are free.

Are there slides for small children?

Yes. The children’s slides are for children between 90 cm and 1.50 m tall. The big slides need a height of at least 1.10 m.

Can we bring our own food?

Yes. Food and drink are allowed, but not glass, cans or alcohol.

Is there a baby pool?

Yes, outdoors a baby splash pool for children up to 5, and indoors a 70 cm toddler pool. Swim nappies are compulsory for under-3s.

Do children need a swim cap?

In the indoor pools, yes: silicone or lycra swim caps are compulsory. The outdoor rules don’t require one.