Complexo Desportivo Municipal da Abóboda

The Complexo Desportivo Municipal da Abóboda (CDMA) is a council-owned sports centre in Abóboda, in the parish of São Domingos de Rana, inland from the Cascais coast. Since July 2014 it has been run for Cascais council by Cascais Envolvente, a municipal company. It’s one of the few pools in the municipality of Cascais that the council itself owns; most of the others on the council’s list belong to clubs, fire brigade associations, schools and gyms.

The complex works like a membership sports club with a strong children’s programme. Families use it for swimming lessons, and children can also do ballet, dance, judo, taekwondo or self-defence in the same building, which helps when siblings have different interests.

According to the CDMA:

• Main pool: 25 by 17 metres, used for lessons, lane swimming, training and national and international competitions.
• Learner pool (tanque de aprendizagem): 16.66 by 10 metres, used for beginners’ swimming, aqua aerobics and aquatic therapy.

The CDMA doesn’t publish depths or water temperatures. There are no slides or play features.

The pool timetable offers swimming for all levels, baby classes (aulas para bébés), learner classes, artistic swimming (natação sincronizada), water polo and aquatic therapy. The CDMA describes its swimming lessons as teaching the different strokes at several levels, supervised by qualified staff. Artistic swimming needs some swimming ability and a test first.

Prices in 2026, from the price list approved in November 2025:

• Swimming lessons: €35.50 a month for one class a week, €41 for two, €52.50 for three
• Baby swimming: €29.50 a month for one class a week
• Registration: €35.50, including insurance and a user card; yearly renewal €28.50

Kids’ packs combine two to four classes a week across activities, for example swimming plus judo or dance: €41 a month for two a week, €52.50 for three and €61.50 for four (more for 60-minute classes). Children’s ballet, dance, judo, taekwondo and self-defence classes on their own cost €35.50 a month for one a week.

Discounts make a real difference for bigger families. With three or more members of the same household enrolled, the third gets 25% off, the fourth 35% and the fifth 50%. A second activity is half price, and paying annually saves 10%.

Free swimming (natação livre) in the 25-metre pool is open throughout pool hours to people who pass a test showing they can swim unsupervised. It’s sold as a monthly pass: €42.50 for adults over 22 and €37.50 for under-22s at any time, or €32 for off-peak hours. Off-peak for the pool means weekdays from 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 16:00, plus weekends.

There’s also a one-off day entry at €12, limited to 10 days a year. The CDMA doesn’t set out family play sessions or say whether young children can use the learner pool outside lessons, so ask before planning a casual family swim.

From the 2026 price list:

• Pool: Monday to Friday 7:00 to 21:00; Saturday 8:00 to 19:45; Sunday 8:00 to 13:45
• Whole complex: Monday to Friday 7:00 to 22:00; Saturday 8:00 to 20:00; Sunday 8:00 to 14:00

The complex closes on national and municipal public holidays (on some holidays it opens 8:00 to 14:00) and may close for maintenance on dates set each year.

• Arrive no more than 15 minutes before a swimming class, and leave through the turnstiles within 20 minutes of the end.
• Free swimming is only for people who pass the swimming test.
• The general rules are in the complex’s regulations, available at reception. The pages we read don’t list the equipment rules, so check the pool’s rules at reception and pack a swim cap and pool flip-flops in case.

There’s a café for light meals and a car park with space for 50 cars. Lockers can be rented by the month. Because the complex runs on monthly memberships, it suits families who will come every week. For a casual summer swim in Cascais, the free Piscina Oceânica do Tamariz in Estoril is the easier option.

Perfolie Arte, an aerial acrobatics academy with circus classes from age 4, is also in Abóboda. The Borboletário de Cascais butterfly house at Quinta de Rana is nearby for a calm hour, and Anima Park is an indoor adventure park for climbing and zip lines on a wet day.

Are there baby swimming classes at Abóboda?

Yes. Baby swimming cost €29.50 a month for one class a week in 2026.

How much are children’s swimming lessons?

€35.50 a month for one class a week, €41 for two and €52.50 for three in 2026, plus a €35.50 registration fee.

Can we come for a one-off swim?

There’s a €12 day entry, limited to 10 days a year. Free swimming requires passing a swimming test, so check with reception before bringing young children.

Is there parking?

Yes, a car park with about 50 spaces.