Piscina Municipal de Grândola

The Piscina Municipal de Grândola is inside the Complexo Desportivo Municipal José Afonso, the council’s sports complex in Grândola town. You go in through the complex’s main reception on the ground floor (floor 0) and down the stairs to the pool on floor -1.

There are two pools, both covered and tiled:

• A 25-metre pool, 12 metres wide, divided into lanes.
• A baby pool (piscina bebés) of 32 square metres, sloping like a ramp from 35 cm to 60 cm deep.

That baby pool is the reason to come with small children. At 35 cm at the shallow end, a toddler can sit or crawl in the water.

The council’s September 2026 events agenda lists the pool as open from Monday to Saturday and closed on Sunday. Public-swim times change from week to week around lessons and clubs, so the council publishes the week’s timetable on its website and social media. Check it before you go.

You can book a slot or just turn up:

• Book by phone on 269 450 083, at least an hour before the slot starts.
• If you book and don’t arrive within 10 minutes of the start, your place is given to someone waiting.
• Arrive 5 to 10 minutes before your slot to check in, change and shower.

The pool’s rules leaflet (dated February 2023, and still the one the council links) sets limits for each public-swim period:

• Up to 24 people aged 12 and over in the 25-metre pool, with no more than 4 per lane.
• Up to 3 children aged 4 or under in the baby pool, each with an adult.

With only three places in the baby pool, a booking is worth making if you’re coming specially with a toddler.

At some times in the week, the council turns the 25-metre pool into a more playful space, with the lane ropes taken out. In these sessions children under 8 can swim with an adult, and children aged 8 and over can swim on their own. Ask which slots in the weekly timetable are these open sessions; they’re the best time for older children who want to play rather than swim lengths.

The leaflet lists these points for the public:

• Shower fully before getting into the water, and walk through the footbath on the way to the pool.
• On the poolside you may only have swimwear, a swim cap, goggles, flip-flops and a towel or robe.
• Public swimmers must stay in the lanes marked for the public.
• The pool lends floats and pull-buoys for individual use; put them back after. The only kit of your own you can bring is fins, hand paddles and a front snorkel, clean.
• Lockers in the changing rooms are only compulsory at busy times, when staff will tell you.
• Only come if you’re well enough to swim and have no signs of a contagious illness.

Books of 10 tickets make getting in quicker for regular swimmers, the council says, but you can pay for a single visit. The council’s pages don’t list the prices.

In summer the council runs Escolas de Natação de Verão (summer swimming schools): learn-to-swim classes for children and young people aged 6 to 18, and water aerobics for adults. Ask the sports service (desporto.juventude@cm-grandola.pt) about dates, places and whether parents stay.

• Public-swim times move each week, so plan around the published timetable.
• The baby pool takes only three toddlers at a time. Booking by phone makes sense.
• The pool is downstairs from the complex reception, so check access with the council if you have a buggy or a wheelchair user in the family.
• The council has a planned project to refurbish the sports complex and the pool, listed among its municipal works. Watch for closures when work starts.
• There are no slides or leisure features.

Grândola is inland from some of the Alentejo’s biggest beaches. Praia da Comporta and Praia de Melides are both in the municipality. On a rainy day, the Centro Ciência Viva do Lousal in an old mining village is a short drive away, and Badoca Safari Park is further down the coast towards Sines.

Is there a baby pool in Grândola?

Yes. It’s 32 square metres and slopes from 35 cm to 60 cm, and up to three children aged 4 or under can use it at once, each with an adult.

Do you need to book?

No, but you can. Ring 269 450 083 at least an hour ahead. With only three toddler places in the baby pool, booking helps.

Can children swim in the big pool?

In normal public sessions the 25-metre pool is for ages 12 and over. At some times each week it’s opened up without lanes for children: under-8s with an adult, and 8 and over on their own.

Is the pool open on Sundays?

No. It opens Monday to Saturday, with public-swim times published weekly.

How much does it cost?

The council doesn’t publish pool prices online. Pay per visit or buy a book of 10 tickets at reception.