Complexo Desportivo Municipal João Carlos Cifuentes

The Complexo Desportivo Municipal João Carlos Cifuentes is one of the indoor pools run directly by Sintra council (Câmara Municipal de Sintra). It sits on Avenida General Humberto Delgado in Monte Abraão, on the Queluz side of the municipality, and it also has a sports hall. The council’s price lists show two bodies of water: the main pool, divided into lanes, and a learner pool (tanque de aprendizagem), which is the part that matters most for small children.

This is a local sports pool for regular use. There are no slides or play features, and it works best for families who live nearby and want lessons or cheap weekly swims through the school year.

According to the council’s facilities page, the complex opens:

• Monday to Friday, 07:00 to 23:00
• Saturday, 08:00 to 15:00
• August: weekdays only, 09:00 to 17:00

It is closed on Sundays. Within those hours, the lanes available for free swimming change with the timetable of classes and clubs. Ask at the office which slots are open for free swimming, and which include the learner pool.

In Sintra’s municipal pools, free swimming (regime livre, sometimes called utilização livre) is not a pay-at-the-door session. The council’s regulations set out the steps:

1. Every swimmer takes a short aptitude test for free swimming before they can register at the office.
2. Anyone under 18 needs a declaration from a parent or guardian authorising it.
3. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
4. Children under 6 may use only the learner pool, when the timetable allows.

Once registered, each swimmer gets a personal user card, which must be shown each time. On the 2025/26 price list, free swimming cost €2.50 per hour or €23.50 a month. The one-off costs for a new user are €23 registration, €6 sports insurance and €8 for the card (€10 to renew registration in later years).

The pool runs swimming classes (natação pura) through the school year. Monthly fees on the 2025/26 list were €22 for one class a week, €25.50 for two and €30.50 for three. Everyone takes an initial assessment before joining, so the teachers can put children in the right group.

Families save on the monthly fees: 10% off for a second family member and 15% off from the third. July fees are split into three payments collected after you register or renew, and monthly fees are due by the 8th, with a €5 charge if you pay late.

Sintra’s regulations for its municipal pools are strict and apply in public swimming as well as classes:

• A Lycra swimsuit, a swim cap (touca) and flip-flops are compulsory. You can’t get in the water without a cap.
• Shower and walk through the footbath before swimming.
• No street clothes or shoes on the pool deck.
• No jumping in, running or diving on the run, and no games on the pool deck.
• No food or chewing gum near the pool, and no creams or make-up that would affect the water.
• Only the pool’s own floats and kit may be used, with permission from the lifeguard or instructor.
• Children under 7 can be taken into the changing room by a parent of the other sex.
• Taking photos or video is not allowed without the council’s permission.

Changing rooms have lockers, some with padlocks, which must be emptied when you leave. The council is not responsible for lost or stolen belongings.

The council runs the same system, with the same prices, at the Complexo Desportivo Municipal de Fitares in Rio de Mouro, the Piscina Municipal de Mira Sintra in Agualva-Cacém and the Complexo Desportivo Municipal de Ouressa at Serra das Minas. For days out in the wider Sintra area, the Museu do Ar at Pêro Pinheiro and the trampolines at UpUp Park in Rio de Mouro are both indoor options for a rainy weekend.

Can we just turn up and swim?

Not the first time. Sintra’s pools require registration, a swimming aptitude test and a user card before you use free swimming.

Do children need a swim cap?

Yes. The regulations make a swim cap, a Lycra swimsuit and flip-flops compulsory for everyone.

Can a toddler use the pool?

Under-6s may only use the learner pool, when it is free in the timetable, and under-12s must be with an adult.

How much are swimming lessons?

From €22 a month for one class a week on the 2025/26 price list, plus registration, insurance and a user card when you first join.

Is it open in August?

Yes, on weekdays from 09:00 to 17:00.