Piscina Municipal de Mirandela

The Piscina Municipal de Mirandela is the Câmara Municipal de Mirandela’s indoor pool, on Rua da Força Aérea in a newer part of the city. It opened on 11 November 2004. The architect Filipe Oliveira Dias designed it, and the project won first prize in an international design-and-build competition in 2003. The council runs it for lessons, public swimming and competitions all year, apart from August.

For families it’s a straightforward, well-equipped local pool: a proper 25-metre pool for children who can swim, and a separate learner pool for those who can’t yet.

From the council’s description:

• The sports pool is 25 metres long and 12.5 metres wide, with six lanes and a depth of 2 metres. That’s deep all the way across, so it’s only for children who can swim, or who are with an adult and using floats.
• The learner pool (tanque de aprendizagem) is 12.5 by 6 metres and 1.2 metres deep. It has a handrail along three of its walls, which gives beginners something to hold as they move around, and a chair hoist so people with reduced mobility can get into the water.

At 1.2 metres, the learner pool is too deep for most toddlers to stand in. Babies and small children need to be held or wear armbands.

The building also has a reception, changing rooms, a spectator stand with 100 seats, a first-aid and lifeguard room, and accessible toilets. Up to 175 swimmers can be in the pool at once. Outside there’s a car park for 45 cars.

The council’s hours for the indoor pool are:

• Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 9:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 21:00
• Tuesday and Thursday: 7:45 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 21:00
• Saturday: 10:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 19:00
• Sunday: closed

The pool closes over lunch every day. The council’s tourism site says it also closes for the whole of August.

You can use the pool in three ways, according to the council:

• Regime livre (public swimming), open to anyone who follows the pool’s internal rules.
• The Escola de Natação de Mirandela (swimming school), open to anyone who enrols.
• Hire by clubs and organisations.

The swimming school runs baby swimming (natação para bebés), children’s swimming (natação infantil), adult swimming, and aqua aerobics for adults and seniors. The tourism site also lists hydro-bike classes. The council’s pages don’t give class times or fees online, so phone the pool or ask at reception.

The pool is also used for swimming lessons for the council’s kindergartens, school PE classes, holiday clubs (ATL), competitive swimming training and regional championships. That means parts of the pool may be taken by groups at times.

The council lists regular one-off events: the pool’s birthday, activities during Youth and Sport Week, Christmas and Easter aqua sessions, the Mirandela City swimming tournament and regional championships of the Associação Regional de Natação do Nordeste. It also hosts lifeguard training courses.

In summer, Mirandela also has the Piscina Municipal da Maravilha, an outdoor council pool in the Três Rios campsite, 1.5 km from the city. It sits where the Rabaçal and Tuela rivers meet to form the river Tua, which is a nice bit of geography to point out to children. The council’s tourism site doesn’t give the season, hours or prices, so check with the council before you go.

The council’s pages don’t publish the pool’s rules. As at most Portuguese public pools, pack a swim cap for everyone, flip-flops and swimwear, and expect to shower before you get in.

The council runs a yearly satisfaction survey of pool users and publishes the summaries, most recently for 2025, if you want to see what regulars think.

From Mirandela, the Vale do Tua interpretive centre at Foz Tua tells the story of the river Tua, its railway and its dam, and follows the river that starts at the Maravilha pool. The Tresminas Roman gold mines are a longer drive west.

Is there a children’s pool in Mirandela?

The indoor pool has a separate learner pool, 12.5 by 6 metres and 1.2 metres deep, with handrails on three sides. It’s for learning to swim rather than paddling, so toddlers need to be held.

Is the Mirandela pool open in August?

The indoor pool closes in August, according to the council’s tourism site. The outdoor Maravilha pool is the summer option.

Does Mirandela have baby swimming?

Yes. The municipal swimming school runs baby swimming classes as well as children’s and adult classes.

How much is a swim?

The council’s pages didn’t list prices when checked in September 2026, so ask at reception.