Piscina Municipal de Matosinhos

The Piscina Municipal de Matosinhos, on Rua Augusto Gomes, is one of seven indoor pools run by Matosinhos Sport, the council’s sports company. It’s a working community pool with a long timetable and a swimming school for every age, and swims are cheap once you’re registered.

Matosinhos Sport’s price list has separate rates for a 25-metre pool and a learner pool (tanque de aprendizagem) across its indoor pools, and the swimming school’s beginner levels are built around learning to be comfortable in the water. The company doesn’t publish depths for this pool, so ask at reception about the learner pool before you bring a non-swimmer.

The same company runs the summer seawater Piscina das Marés on Leça beach, which has its own page.

From Matosinhos Sport’s page for the 2026/27 season:

• Monday: 7:45 to 22:00
• Tuesday: 7:00 to 21:00
• Wednesday: 7:45 to 21:00
• Thursday: 7:00 to 22:00
• Friday: 7:45 to 21:00
• Saturday: 8:30 to 13:00 and 16:00 to 19:30
• Sunday: 8:30 to 13:00

All Matosinhos Sport pools close on national and municipal public holidays. The season’s timetable PDF marks free swimming (tempo livre) throughout the day, alongside classes; the times are set out in a grid on the PDF.

Free swimming (tempo livre) is 80 minutes in the pool. If you stay longer, the pool charges extra for each 15 minutes: 30 cents for under-15s and 60 cents from 15. You can book a free-swim slot in the Matosinhos Sport app or at the pool’s digital reception.

Children aged 14 and under can only use free swimming with an adult. The spaces set aside for free swimming can change at any time, because classes take priority.

Weekdays from 10:00 to 16:15 are “low cost” hours, when monthly classes are cheaper. For home-educating families that’s a useful window.

From the price list revised for September 2026:

• Single drop-in entry (entrada avulsa): €7.50
• Registration as a Matosinhos Sport customer: €21.50 (renewal €16)

Once registered, free swimming costs:

• Up to age 14: €2.25 a swim, €18 for 10, or €15 a month for weekday swims from 7:00 to 17:00 plus weekends
• From age 15: €3.75 a swim, €31 for 10, or €28 a month

Free-swim entries are valid for one year. Registration includes personal accident insurance, and for a family of four or more a 20% family discount applies to class fees and registration.

The municipal swimming school (Escola Municipal de Natação) teaches children at four levels:

• Level 0: getting used to the water and learning to feel safe in it
• Level 1: starting front crawl and backstroke
• Level 2: finishing crawl and backstroke and starting breaststroke and butterfly
• Level 3: finishing breaststroke and butterfly

New pupils take a short test to place them at the right level, and children are assessed twice a year; parents can ask for the results at the pool or in the app. Children get a free Matosinhos Sport swim cap when they enrol, and the colour shows their level.

Classes for up to age 14 cost €19 a month for one a week, €23 for two and €27.50 for three, or €16.15, €19.55 and €23.38 in the weekday low-cost hours. The 2026/27 timetable shows children’s classes on weekday mornings as well as after school and on Saturday mornings.

Parents can’t watch from the poolside during children’s classes. A parent with a card can go into the changing room with children aged 9 and under, who use the children’s changing room or the one for their own sex.

Baby swimming (natação para bebés) starts at 8 months, with one adult aged 18 or over in the water with the baby. It costs €23 a month for one class a week or €33.50 for two. When you enrol you can name two adults, but only one goes in each class.

Matosinhos Sport runs birthday parties at its pools, led by the pool’s instructors, with swimming relays, water aerobics and traditional games played in the water. The price list charges per child with a minimum of ten; ask the pool for the current price and an invitation template.

From the regulations (revision 18, December 2025):

• Everyone must wear a swim cap and shower before getting in, and wear flip-flops from the changing room to the barefoot area.
• No running, pushing, jumping in or games that splash water out of the pool.
• No creams or oils, and no rings, bracelets, watches or earrings in the water.
• No eating in the pool areas, and no filming or photographs without permission.
• Lockers are limited and first come, first served.

This pool is busy with lessons and water aerobics, and free-swim space is shared. If you want room to play with a small child, ask at reception which times and which parts of the water are least busy.

For a burst of energy after a swim, Jump Yard Matosinhos has trampolines, and SEA LIFE Porto is a short trip away for a rainy-day aquarium visit. In Leça da Palmeira, across the harbour, the Museu dos Bombeiros has old fire engines.

How much is a swim at Matosinhos pool?

A drop-in entry costs €7.50. Registered customers pay €2.25 a swim up to age 14 and €3.75 from 15.

Do children need a swim cap?

Yes. The regulations make a swim cap compulsory for everyone in the water.

Can children swim on their own?

Only from age 15. Children aged 14 and under need an adult with them during free swimming.

From what age can babies have lessons?

From 8 months, with one adult in the water.

Is the pool open on Sundays?

Yes, from 8:30 to 13:00, but it’s closed on public holidays.