Piscina Municipal Coberta de Vila Real

The Piscina Municipal Coberta de Vila Real is the council’s indoor pool on Rua Diogo Dias Ferreira. The old outdoor pools at Codessais, in the Parque Corgo, closed in 2024 so a new pool complex could be built in their place. The indoor pool stays open while that work goes on, and in 2026 it stayed open through August as well.

The 2026/27 season started on 14 September 2026, with public swimming (natação livre) and club use from the first day and lessons starting a week later.

The council’s timetable refers to two pools by length:

• The 25-metre pool, used for public swimming and for the improvers’ classes (classe de aperfeiçoamento).
• The 16-metre pool, used for the learners’ classes (classe de aprendizagem).

The council doesn’t publish depths or water temperatures, so ask at reception which pool suits a child who can’t swim yet. Public swimming mostly happens in the 25-metre pool.

In the 2024/25 timetable, public swimming ran on weekdays from 7:00 to 17:45 and again from 21:15 to 22:15, and on Saturdays from 8:00 to 12:00 and 15:00 to 18:00. Each visit is a 60-minute session. On Saturday mornings between 8:00 and 10:30, only one lane is guaranteed for public swimming, and each lane takes a maximum of eight swimmers an hour. The council also warns that public swimming can be suspended during its normal hours when other activities have priority, so a quick phone call before a special trip is sensible.

Prices on the 2024/25 list, the latest the council had put online when we checked in September 2026:

• Children up to 6: free, but they must come with an adult who has a ticket or card
• Children aged 7 to 11: €1.50
• Ages 12 and over: €2
• A ten-swim card: €15
• A season card for two 60-minute swims a week: €45

The season runs from September to July. A parent swimming with a child under 6 pays €2 for the two of them.

Lessons run through the school year and each class lasts 45 minutes. The council’s price list gives three options for children:

• Pais + Bebés (parents and babies), for ages 6 months to 3 years, with a parent in the water. In 2024/25 it ran on Saturday mornings at 10:30 and 11:15 and cost €18 a month.
• Natação Crianças (children’s swimming), for ages 3 to 14 in the price list (3 to 13 in the 2026 announcement). In 2024/25, classes ran on weekdays at 18:00 and 18:45 and on Saturdays at 9:00 and 9:45. They cost €14 a month for once a week, €18 for twice and €22 for three times.
• Jovens/Adultos, for teenagers and adults, from €18 a month.

There is a €10 enrolment fee per season. Families get a discount, and other discounts apply to seniors, university students and holders of the municipal card, but only one discount can be used at a time. Monthly fees are paid between the 25th and the 8th of the following month; if you miss that window, you pay a re-entry fee.

For 2026/27, enrolment for the parent-and-baby class and aqua aerobics opened on 14 September and for children’s swimming on 21 September, at the pool’s office. The 2026 announcement said the large number of re-enrolments meant some classes had no places left, so ask about waiting lists if you’re new.

To enrol, bring a Cartão de Cidadão (or older ID card) and a tax number (NIF). You’ll also be asked to sign a health declaration, valid for a year.

From the council’s timetable leaflet:

• Flip-flops, a swimsuit and a swim cap (touca) are compulsory for everyone.
• Shower your whole body before getting into the pool.
• The pool isn’t responsible for anything lost or damaged, so leave valuables at home.
• Stay away if you have a cold, flu or a temperature.

The leaflet doesn’t mention swim nappies, so ask at reception what babies need to wear.

The council’s new Complexo de Piscinas de Codessais, in the Parque Corgo on the site of the old outdoor pools, will have an eight-lane 25-metre indoor pool, with two lanes extendable to 50 metres, and outdoor pools for about 800 people. Building started in July 2024 with a 30-month deadline, and the council expected it to be finished by December 2026. Local radio reported that the site of the current indoor pool would become a car park after that. Until the new complex opens, this is Vila Real’s public pool.

The Parque Corgo runs through the city along the river Corgo, with playgrounds, walks and the city’s science centre. In summer, the Naturwaterpark outside Vila Real has slides and a toddler pool. The Parque Urbano de Lamego is further south towards the Douro.

Do children need a swim cap in Vila Real’s pool?

Yes. The council’s rules make a swim cap, swimsuit and flip-flops compulsory for everyone.

How much is a swim?

On the latest published list (2024/25), public swimming was free for children up to 6 with an adult, €1.50 for ages 7 to 11 and €2 from 12.

Is there a baby swimming class?

Yes. The Pais + Bebés class is for babies from 6 months to 3 years with a parent, on Saturday mornings in the 2024/25 timetable.

Is the pool open in summer?

In 2026 the indoor pool stayed open in August while the new Codessais complex was being built. The old outdoor pools in the Parque Corgo are closed for that work.

When is public swimming?

Most of the weekday until late afternoon, a late session in the evening and Saturday mornings and afternoons. Sunday is closed.