Complexo de Piscinas do Jamor

The Complexo de Piscinas do Jamor is the swimming complex of the Centro Desportivo Nacional do Jamor, the national sports centre in the valley of the Jamor river in Oeiras, run by the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ). It opened on 22 July 1998 and, according to the IPDJ, was the first covered pool in Portugal able to host national and international events in every swimming discipline.

For families it’s a swimming school rather than a place to splash about. Children use the pools in classes run by the Escola de Natação do Jamor. There’s no family play session, and drop-in swimming (utilização livre) is only for people aged 14 and over who pass a swimming test. If you want a relaxed family swim, look at the council pools nearby instead, such as the Piscina Municipal de Barcarena or, in summer, the Piscina Oceânica de Oeiras.

The complex has:

• An Olympic pool: 50 m by 25 m, 2.1 m deep.
• A learner pool: 25 m by 20 m and 1.30 m deep, with a movable floor that can drop to 5 metres for diving.
• A diving tower with platforms at 10 m, 7.5 m, 5 m, 3 m and 1 m, plus springboards at 3 m and 1 m.
• A recovery pool, and a spectator stand for 1,273 people.

Children who love watching sport may get to see divers training or a competition from the stands; check the CDNJ news page for events.

Baby classes start at 6 months, with a parent in the water. The school groups babies by age, and each group has a sea-creature name:

• Estrelinhas (little stars): 6 months
• Caranguejos (crabs): 6 to 12 months
• Tartarugas (turtles): 12 to 18 months
• Cavalos Marinhos (seahorses): 18 to 24 months
• Pinguins (penguins): 24 to 30 months

On the 2025/26 timetable, baby classes ran on Saturday and Sunday mornings between 9:00 and 12:30, in half-hour slots. The school describes the classes as guided play that builds water confidence, breath control and balance, and helps with language, coordination and telling colours, shapes and sizes apart.

From age 3, children join water-confidence classes (AMA, adaptação ao meio aquático) grouped by age: AMA 3, AMA 4, AMA 5-6 and AMA 7-13. From there they move up through learning levels (level I, II and III) to improvement levels and pre-competition. There are also adapted swimming classes for children with disabilities, which start with a conversation with the coordinator and sometimes a trial class. Lessons last 45 minutes.

On the 2025/26 timetable, children’s classes ran on weekday afternoons from 17:00 to about 19:30 and on Saturday and Sunday mornings, with some Saturday afternoon slots.

Children from 5 who already have some swimming skills take a short test so the school can place them in the right level. Beginners go straight into the AMA class for their age.

The season runs from 15 September to 31 July. Places are in demand and enrolment happens in phases. For 2026/27:

• Current students renewed first, then their close family (parents, children, brothers and sisters, spouses) could enrol from 22 July.
• New students booked an appointment online from 1 September, for enrolment between 3 and 10 September. From 11 September the office served people in order of arrival.
• You need the child’s physical citizen card (Cartão de Cidadão), the form given out at the appointment and, where it applies, a swimming test result.

The Jamor pages don’t publish lesson prices. The rules explain that you pay an enrolment fee and a monthly fee for every month of the season, whether or not your child attends, with July split and paid in advance. Families get 10% off from the second close family member on eligible activities, and paying the whole year by 31 October earns 10% off.

From the Complexo de Piscinas rules of use:

• Lycra swimwear and a swim cap are required, and swim nappies for babies.
• Flip-flops in the changing rooms and on the way to the pool; no outdoor shoes on the poolside.
• There are children’s changing rooms for boys and girls up to 10. Children up to 7 can go in with an adult, and the adult’s sex decides which one. From 10, children use the main changing room for their own sex, on their own.
• Lockers either use a padlock you bring or another locking system; keys can’t leave the building.
• Filming and photography are normally not allowed, except at the school’s own events, such as its swimming festival, summer festival and Christmas week, when parents can take pictures from the stands.

The pool office has limited opening hours (afternoons on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, mornings on Tuesday and Friday, and the first Saturday of the month) and prefers email. The complex closes in August and the first half of September. There are three car parks. With its huge hall, deep water and serious swimmers, this isn’t the place for a toddler who just wants to play; it suits families committed to a weekly class.

The wider Jamor sports centre has walking routes, green spaces and an interpretation centre, and the Parque Urbano do Jamor next door is where siblings who aren’t in the pool can let off steam. Time Out’s September 2025 guide to Lisbon playgrounds describes a play area of wooden structures there, including a nest swing (baloiço ninho), a sand serpent, a builder’s yard with a slide and a set of towers linked by bridges, with a climbing wall close by and mini golf. For older children there’s also an adventure park with treetop rope circuits, suspended tunnels, obstacles and zip lines, so check its prices, hours and age limits before you promise it. Time Out gives the park’s address as Praça da Maratona, Cruz Quebrada.

Climb Up in Carnaxide is close by for older children who like climbing, and the Aquário Vasco da Gama is down on the riverside at Dafundo.

Can we just turn up and swim at Jamor with the children?

No. Children use the pools in swimming classes. Drop-in swimming is only for people aged 14 and over who pass a swimming test.

From what age are there lessons?

Baby classes start at 6 months with a parent, and water-confidence classes start at 3.

Do children need a swim cap?

Yes. Lycra swimwear and a suitable swim cap are compulsory, plus swim nappies for babies.

When can I enrol?

New enrolments open in early September, first by online appointment and then at the pool office in order of arrival. Classes start on 15 September.