Complexo Municipal de Piscinas da Charneca de Caparica

Almada council runs four indoor pools: the Complexo Municipal dos Desportos “Cidade de Almada” in Feijó, and the pool complexes at Caparica, Sobreda and here in Charneca de Caparica. The Charneca pool is on Rua Eugénio Salvador in the Quintinhas neighbourhood, next to the Parque Aventura, a green space of more than 23,000 square metres that the council describes as a place for summer leisure, climbing and mountain biking.

The architects gave the building plenty of natural light, with a wide glass wall on the south side looking out over the park. For families, the thing that matters most is inside: a proper learner pool, separate from the main pool and shallow enough for young children to stand.

According to the council:

• The main pool is 25 metres by 12.5 metres with six lanes, and 1.20 to 2 metres deep. Too deep for most young children to stand anywhere.
• The learner pool (tanque de aprendizagem) is 12.5 by 10 metres with five lanes, and 80 to 120 centimetres deep. It has a ramp down into the water for people with reduced mobility.

There’s a 100-seat spectator stand, changing rooms, toilets and separate facilities for teachers and coaches. The council’s page doesn’t mention a café.

Almada’s price sheet for 2026/27 lists two kinds of free swimming (utilização livre):

• Utilização livre desportiva on weekdays: €2.56 a session
• Utilização livre desportiva familiar, a family free swim at weekends: €3.07 a session

Families get money off: 25% for the second family member and 50% for the third and each one after. You also need a user card, which costs €3.07 (a replacement is €5.12).

The municipal regulations say you register for free use by showing an ID document, and that the maximum number of people allowed in the water at once limits access, so you may need to book a slot in advance. Session times aren’t printed on the council page: they’re on Almada’s online sports portal, esport.cm-almada.pt, where you choose the pool and see what’s on. Ask at reception about the youngest age allowed in the family sessions.

The Escola de Natação (swimming school) and the other water classes are priced by how often you go:

Classes	Once a week	Twice	Three times
Swimming school, adapted swimming	€15.35	€25.58	€30.70
Baby swimming, aqua fitness and other specialised classes	€20.47	€30.70	€35.81

Registration costs €20.47, or €15.35 to renew for the following season. A class called Mamãs de Água (“water mums”) is also on the specialised price band; ask the pool what it involves.

For the 2026/27 season, renewals for existing users ran from 13 to 26 July and new enrolments opened to everyone from 3 August 2026. Places are given out through the portal and at reception, and full classes go to a waiting list.

In a normal year the pools run from 1 September to 31 July, and the council asks you to phone about August. In August 2026, under a municipal water-saving order, most of Almada’s pools stayed shut; the Charneca pool opened on weekdays from 3 to 14 August for free, sports and family swimming only, from 8:30 to 19:30.

The municipal regulations cover all of Almada’s sports buildings, and the pools have their own separate rules, displayed on site. The general rules include: bring ID when you register; arrive no more than 15 minutes before your session and leave within 30 minutes after; eat and drink only in the areas set aside; and no animals apart from guide dogs. Pack a swim cap and flip-flops, and read the posted pool rules at reception on your first visit.

The Parque Aventura is right outside for a run-around after swimming. For a rainy-day double, Quantum Park, the south bank’s big indoor trampoline park, is also in Charneca da Caparica. The beaches of the Costa da Caparica are a short drive west, where Tiago Pires Kids Surf Camp teaches children to surf at Fonte da Telha.

Is there a shallow pool for children?

Yes. The learner pool is 12.5 by 10 metres and 80 to 120 centimetres deep, with a ramp into the water.

How much is a family swim?

€3.07 each at weekends on the 2026/27 price sheet, with 25% off for the second family member and 50% off for the third and any more. You also need a €3.07 user card.

Where can I see the timetable?

On Almada council’s sports portal, esport.cm-almada.pt. Choose “Piscina Municipal Charneca” to see class and free-swim times and to sign up.

Is it open in August?

Usually only in part. In August 2026 it opened on weekdays from 3 to 14 August for free swimming, then closed. Ring 212 587 100 to check.