Piscina de Sesimbra

The Piscina de Sesimbra opened in 2008. It belongs to the Grupo Desportivo de Sesimbra, the town’s sports club, and since 2014 the council has run it under an agreement with the club. It has six lanes and runs classes for every age: baby swimming, water confidence (adaptação ao meio aquático, AMA), beginners, improvers, competitive swimming, aqua aerobics, classes for older people and free swimming.

The pool runs from September to July, which makes it Sesimbra’s rainy-season swimming option and the place for a steady weekly lesson. It closes in August for maintenance.

The council publishes the pool’s timetable as a Plano de Água (“water plan”), which shows how many lanes each activity uses in each 45-minute slot. Helpfully for newcomers, the notes on changing rooms, payment and lanes are printed in English as well as Portuguese.

• Free swimming (Nat. Livre) has one or more lanes in most weekday slots from 9:00 through to the last session at 20:30 to 21:15.
• Recreational free swimming (Nat. Livre Recreativa) gets its own lane in some late-morning and early-afternoon slots on weekdays, which is the best fit for children playing rather than swimming lengths.
• Saturday classes and free swimming run from 9:00 to about 13:15, and the pool is rented to groups in the afternoon. There’s no Sunday opening.

The timetable warns that lane numbers can change depending on the instructors’ needs.

On the 2026/27 plan:

• Baby classes are on Saturday mornings, split by age in months: 12 to 24 months, 24 to 36 months, and 36 to 47 months, between 9:00 and 10:45. Baby classes last 30 minutes, and an adult must be in the water with the baby.
• Water confidence for 3 and 4-year-olds (AMA 3-4 anos) runs on Saturday mornings.
• Water confidence for 4 and 5-year-olds runs on weekday afternoons from about 16:00 to 18:45, with an AMA +6 class for beginners aged 6 and over.
• Aprendizagem and Iniciação (learning and beginner levels) and swimming levels 1, 2 and 3 fill the weekday late afternoons and evenings, with a class for 13 to 18-year-olds.

Other classes last 45 minutes. Every new swimmer takes an assessment test to set their level, and free swimmers take a short test of their swimming ability.

Monthly fees for 45-minute classes:

Classes per week	Resident	Non-resident	Club athlete	Municipal project
One	€14.40	€14.40	€11.51	€10.08
Two	€23.03	€28.79	€18.42	€16.11
Three	€34.55	€42.82	€27.65	€24.19

Free swimming: €2.16 for a 45-minute session.

Other charges: user card €5.20, insurance €12. If you don’t take the pool’s insurance you must show proof of valid sports insurance. Prices include VAT.

Parties: the whole pool (six lanes) can be hired for a party, without a coach, for €130.87 per 45 minutes.

Fees are due by the 8th of each month; late payment adds 10%, and a place is cancelled after 45 days without any payment. The first four monthly payments each include a quarter of July’s fee, so July is paid off in advance. Only absences with a medical certificate reduce what you pay.

From the pool’s rules, printed on the registration form:

• You need your user card to get in.
• You can enter the changing rooms up to 10 minutes before your class and must leave within 30 minutes of the end.
• Walk through the footbath showers before going into the pool.
• Don’t arrive already wearing your swimsuit from outside.
• No creams, make-up or oils, and don’t swim with wounds or plasters.
• No eating on the pool deck or in the changing rooms.
• Parents and carers may stay on the pool deck only with the teacher’s or director’s permission.
• Children may use the changing room of the opposite sex up to age 7.
• Under-13s may use free swimming only with an adult.

The rules posted online don’t mention caps. Bring one anyway and ask at registration.

The pool is a good wet-weather fallback in Sesimbra. On a calm day, Batnavo dolphin trips leave from the marina, and at Cabo Espichel the Pedra da Mua dinosaur footprints are preserved in the cliff.

From what age can babies swim at Sesimbra pool?

The 2026/27 timetable has baby classes from 12 months, on Saturday mornings, with a parent in the water.

How much is a swim?

€2.16 for a 45-minute free swim, plus the €5.20 user card and insurance.

Is it open in August?

No. The pool closes for the whole of August for maintenance.

Is it open on Sunday?

Not on the 2026/27 timetable, which runs Monday to Saturday.

Can my 10-year-old swim alone?

No. Children under 13 need an adult with them for free swimming.