Piscina das Avenidas Novas

The Piscina das Avenidas Novas is on Rua Cardeal Mercier, in Avenidas Novas, the same central Lisbon parish as the Gulbenkian garden. The Junta de Freguesia de Avenidas Novas (the parish council) runs it as part of its sports complex, which also has a gym and a sports hall. It’s a lessons-and-lengths pool, and there are no slides.

It stands out for small children. The learner pool starts at 70 cm deep, shallower than the learner pools at Restelo or Santa Clara, and has a ramp in. And there’s a daily lunchtime slot when it’s open for recreational swimming, when families can just play.

The parish’s facilities page gives the sizes:

• 25-metre pool: 25 m by 12.5 m, six lanes, 1.20 m deep at the shallow end and 1.90 m at the deep end.
• Learner pool (piscina de aprendizagem): 12.5 m by 8 m, three lanes, with an access ramp. It’s 0.70 m deep at the shallow end and 1.35 m at the deep end.

The shallow end is the place for little ones. Toddlers will still need holding, and at 1.35 m the far end is out of a small child’s depth.

The public swimming timetable caps each lane at eight swimmers.

Public swimming (piscina livre) is split into two kinds. Sporting swim (desportiva) is for swimming lengths. Recreational swim (recreativa) is for playing and splashing, and that’s when families go. The September 2026 timetable has:

Learner pool, recreational:

• Monday to Friday, 12:30 to 15:00
• Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 20:15 to 20:50
• Tuesday and Thursday, 19:30 to 20:50

25-metre pool, recreational:

• Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 7:30 to 17:15
• Tuesday and Thursday, 7:30 to 12:30 and 13:15 to 17:15

On Saturdays there’s only sporting swimming, from 8:00 to 13:10, and the pool is closed on Sundays. Weekday lunchtimes are the obvious family slot, and they suit home-educating families especially well. Children at school will only manage the short evening sessions.

The 2026 price list charges:

• Public swim for registered users: €3.50
• Public swim without registering: €10
• Card of 10 entries: €30

Registration (inscrição) costs €25, renewal €10 and insurance €4.50. If you’ll come more than twice, registering and buying the ten-entry card works out much cheaper than paying €10 at the door each time.

The September 2026 class timetable is full on weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

Babies, in four age groups (6 to 12 months, 12 to 18, 18 to 24 and 24 to 30 months), have classes at 16:30 on Tuesdays or Thursdays and on Saturday mornings from 8:00 to 11:30. They cost €22 a month for one class a week and €30 for two.

Children start with water-confidence classes (AMA, adaptação ao meio aquático) in three age groups: 3 to 4, 5 to 6 and 7 to 13. They run on weekday afternoons from 16:30 or 17:15 until about 19:30, and on Saturdays every 45 minutes from 8:00 to 12:30. There’s also a Nível de Aprendizagem (learning level), and then Levels 1, 2 and 3 for children aged 7 and over, with classes in the late afternoon and on Saturday mornings. From 13, swimmers join the adult classes.

Children’s lessons cost €20 a month for one a week, €28 for two and €33 for three. The pool says it may open or close classes depending on how many people sign up.

The pool opens on weekdays from 7:30 to 21:00 and on Saturdays from 8:00 to 13:30. The parish’s facilities page says it closes from 1 to 31 August. In 2026 the sports complex ran reduced hours from 1 to 14 August, so check with the pool if you’re hoping to swim in summer. Each summer the parish also holds a Mega Hidro Verão water-aerobics party for pool users; in 2026 it was on 30 July.

Ask at reception about swim caps, footwear and the rules for children swimming with a parent, as the parish council doesn’t publish its regulations online.

The Jardim Gulbenkian is a short walk away, with a lake, ducks, turtles and big fish, and an ice-cream café. Parque Eduardo VII has a sandy playground built around a wooden pirate ship. For another pool with a shallow learner pool and family slots, try the Piscina do Restelo in Belém.

Is there a shallow pool for toddlers at the Avenidas Novas pool?

Yes. The learner pool is 70 cm deep at the shallow end, rising to 1.35 m, with a ramp in.

When can children swim in public sessions?

In the recreational slots: the learner pool every weekday from 12:30 to 15:00 and in the evenings, and the 25-metre pool for most of the weekday daytime. There’s no family swimming on Saturdays, and the pool is closed on Sundays.

How much is a swim?

€3.50 if you’re registered, €10 if you’re not, or €30 for ten entries, on the 2026 price list.

From what age are there swimming lessons?

From 6 months, in baby classes grouped by age. Water-confidence classes start at age 3.

Is it open in August?

The parish’s facilities page says the pool closes for August, though the sports complex ran reduced hours in early August 2026. Ring first.