Piscina Municipal Noronha Feio

The Piscina Municipal Noronha Feio in Barcarena is one of three council pools in Oeiras run by Oeiras Viva, the municipality’s sport and culture company. (The others are in Linda-a-Velha and at Outurela-Portela in Carnaxide.) What sets Barcarena apart is its cover: Oeiras Viva describes the pool as convertible, so it can be open to the sky or closed depending on the weather. On a warm spring day it feels like an outdoor pool, and in winter it’s a normal covered one.

It sits in Barcarena, inland from the Oeiras coast and not far from the Fábrica da Pólvora, the old gunpowder factory that Oeiras Viva also manages.

The pool has two connected areas of water:

• Main pool: 25 m by 12.5 m, 1.20 m deep at the shallow end and 1.85 m at the deep end.
• Learner pool: 16.6 m by 6 m, 0.60 to 0.90 m deep.

At 60 to 90 centimetres, the learner pool is shallow enough for most four- and five-year-olds to stand in, and it’s where the baby and beginner classes happen. Oeiras Viva says the water and the air are treated to keep the space comfortable.

There are no slides or play features. This is a sports and teaching pool.

The Oeiras Viva swimming school holds the silver level of the Portuguese Swimming Federation’s Portugal a Nadar certification, according to its price leaflet. The 2025/26 timetable for Barcarena lists:

• Babies: Bebés I (6 to 12 months), Bebés II (12 to 24 months) and Bebés III (24 to 36 months), on weekday afternoons from 16:00 and on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
• Children and young people: water confidence (AMA I and AMA II), then learning front crawl and backstroke (level I), breaststroke (level II), butterfly (level III) and improvement up to 15 (level IV). Classes run most weekday afternoons from 16:30 to 19:30 and on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 9:15.
• Psychomotor development in the water (psicomotricidade em meio aquático) for young children on some weekday afternoons.
• A pre-competition group for older children.

On the 2025/26 price list, baby classes cost €28 a month for one class a week or €33 for two. Children’s swimming (also artistic swimming and underwater hockey) cost €31 a month for one class a week, €36 for two and €41 for three. Registration was €35, with a €25 renewal. Private lessons cost from €25 for 30 minutes.

The Barcarena timetable runs from 1 September to 31 July. When we checked in September 2026, Oeiras Viva’s page still linked the 2025/26 timetable and price list, so check for the 2026/27 versions before enrolling.

Oeiras Viva sells utilização livre (drop-in swimming without a teacher) at all three of its pools: €5 for 45 minutes, €16.50 for 5 swims, €28 for 10 or €35 for a monthly pass on the 2025/26 list. The list also shows a family package (pacote família) at €12 without explaining what it includes, so ask at reception.

The Barcarena timetable shows lane swimming for adults (natação livre) on weekdays from 7:20 to 17:00 and at weekend lunchtimes. It doesn’t say when the learner pool is free for families, so phone before you go with small children.

Oeiras Viva’s leaflet for its pools lists the house rules:

• Wear a swim cap, flip-flops and lycra swimwear.
• Shower before swimming.
• Use the steps to get in; no diving without supervision and no running.
• Don’t eat in the changing rooms, and don’t eat in the hour and a half before swimming.
• Keep your belongings in the lockers.

Oeiras Viva doesn’t publish an age from which children can swim on their own at these pools; ask at reception.

The pool is closed for the whole of August, like the other Oeiras Viva indoor pools. Weekend opening is only 9:00 to 13:00 and those mornings are full of classes. Weekday mornings and early afternoons have no children’s classes on the timetable, which suits home-educating families. In summer, the council’s seawater Piscina Oceânica de Oeiras is the family swimming option.

Climb Up and JumpYard in Carnaxide are both a short drive away for more indoor energy-burning. Down on the river in Dafundo, the Aquário Vasco da Gama is a small, old-fashioned aquarium that suits younger children.

Is the Barcarena pool indoor or outdoor?

Both. The cover is convertible, so it opens in good weather and closes when it’s cold or wet.

Is there a shallow pool for small children?

Yes. The learner pool is 60 to 90 cm deep and joins the main pool.

From what age are there swimming classes?

From 6 months, in three baby groups up to 36 months, then water-confidence classes and levelled classes up to 15.

How much does a swim cost?

€5 for 45 minutes on the 2025/26 price list, or €28 for 10 swims.

Is it open in August?

No. It closes for the month.