Piscina Municipal de Azeitão

The Piscina Municipal de Azeitão is Setúbal council’s pool for the Azeitão parish, in the village of Vila Nogueira de Azeitão, near the Serra da Arrábida. The council describes it as a multi-purpose sports centre: alongside the pools there’s a sports hall with a synthetic floor used for fencing and modern pentathlon training.

For families, the draw is the second, smaller pool. It’s a learner and recreational pool, which gives young children somewhere calmer than the main lanes, and a recreational swim for an under-7 costs less than two euros.

According to the council:

• Main pool: 25 by 12.5 metres
• Learner and recreational pool (tanque de aprendizagem / recreativo): 10 by 8 metres
• Sports hall: 13 by 10 metres, with a synthetic floor

The council’s listing also mentions changing rooms, covered spectator seating, a first-aid room and public toilets. The depths aren’t published; ask at reception if your child needs to be able to stand.

Activities include recreational swimming, baby swimming, a swimming school, competitive swimming, aqua aerobics, Pilates, fencing and pentathlon.

The 2026 fees sheet gives two prices for each recreational swim: a lower one for registered users and a higher one for everyone else.

Age	With active registration	Without registration
Up to 6	€1.91	€3.20
7 to 17	€2.52	€5.04
18 and over	€3.20	€5.04
65 and over	€2.52	€5.04

Registration costs €20.79 and includes the card; renewal is €9.47, the compulsory insurance €5.65, and a replacement card €5.72. If you’re not registered, you must buy your entries in advance. For an adult, registering saves €1.84 a swim, so the registration and insurance (€26.44 together) pay for themselves after about 15 visits.

The council page doesn’t publish the recreational swimming times. Phone or email the pool, or ask at the office, before you go.

The swimming school (Escola de Natação) covers babies, water confidence, children’s learning and improvement classes, adult classes, aqua aerobics, hydrotherapy and Pilates. On the 2026 fees sheet:

• Baby classes run on Saturday or Sunday, at €36.53 a month.
• Children’s learning and improvement classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday cost €36.53 a month.
• Classes on Tuesday and Thursday cost €29.64 a month.
• Registration, renewal, card and insurance are charged as for recreational swimming.

Before a child joins a class, they take a swimming test to find the right level. The 2026 test times for children up to 14 are Monday, Wednesday and Friday 14:45 to 20:15; Tuesday and Thursday 14:00 to 20:15; Saturday 8:15 to 9:00 and 14:00 to 17:00; and Sunday 8:15 to 9:00.

Discounts (only one applies at a time): 15% off the monthly fee for the second member of a household and 20% for the third or more, 15% for over-65s, 50% for holders of a multi-purpose disability certificate (atestado multiusos), and 15% for anyone doing two activities.

The pool’s regulations date from 1998 but are still the ones the council links. They say:

• A swim cap is compulsory.
• Wear suitable footwear in the “clean-foot” area around the pool.
• Shower before you swim, and don’t wear a swimsuit that runs or isn’t clean.
• No creams or oils.
• No food anywhere on the pool side, including ice creams and fizzy drinks.
• Children under 8 may use the changing room of the opposite sex with an adult of that sex.
• Parents and companions may sit in the spectator area during lessons only in the first week of each month, unless the bar is closed or unsuitable. Otherwise, plan to wait elsewhere.

Monthly fees are paid at the office between the 25th of the previous month and the 8th, with your user card. Places can be lost if you pay late and there’s a waiting list, and fees aren’t refunded or carried over for missed lessons.

Azeitão is a good base for the Arrábida. Children who like cooking can try a class with Hands On Kids Cooking in the village, and in summer the sheltered beach at Portinho da Arrábida is over the hill.

Is there a pool for small children?

Yes. As well as the 25-metre pool there’s a 10 by 8 metre learner and recreational pool. Ask the pool about its depth.

How much does a swim cost for a 5-year-old?

€1.91 with an active registration, or €3.20 without, on the 2026 fees sheet.

Do we need a swim cap?

Yes. The regulations make a cap compulsory.

Is it open in August?

No. The council lists the pool as closed in August.

Can parents watch lessons?

According to the regulations, only during the first week of each month, unless the bar isn’t available.