Piscina Municipal de Ovar

The Piscina Municipal de Ovar is the council’s indoor pool, on Rua Dom Dinis in the school zone of Ovar, the town at the northern end of the Ria de Aveiro lagoon. Ovar council runs it directly. It opens all year except August, including on Sunday mornings.

It has two pools. The big pool (tanque grande) is for lane swimming, with up to eight lanes open to the public on Sunday mornings. The small activity pool (tanque de atividades pequeno) is meant for play and gentle or therapeutic swimming, and it’s where the youngest classes are taught. Balls are only allowed in the small pool.

The prices are what make Ovar stand out. A public swim costs €1 for a child aged 4 to 11, and under-4s go in free.

Public swimming is called regime livre, meaning you swim without a teacher, at the times and in the pools set aside for it. Each session lasts 45 minutes or an hour. You can go into the changing rooms 15 minutes before and have 25 minutes afterwards to shower and change. You can arrive up to 30 minutes after a session starts.

On the timetable for September 2026:

• Monday to Friday, sessions run from 8:30 to 21:15. The small pool is marked as available for almost every session, except some mid-morning slots when classes may use it (ask first). The big pool usually has four lanes free.
• Saturday, from 8:30 to 18:30, with the small pool and four lanes of the big pool open all day.
• Sunday, from 8:30 to 13:30, with the small pool and all eight lanes of the big pool open.

The council warns that September and July are unusually quiet months with lots of public time. From October to June public swimming is more limited, especially on weekday evenings between about 17:00 and 20:00 and on Saturday mornings. School holidays can also bring group bookings. Weekend afternoons and Sunday mornings are the safest bets for a family swim.

In the big pool there’s usually a fast lane and a slow lane, with six swimmers per lane. The small pool takes up to ten people in each half.

From the 2026/27 price list, approved by the council on 2 July 2026:

Age	One swim	11 swims	25 swims
Up to 3	Free
4 to 11	€1	€10	€20
12 to 17	€2.50	€25	€50
18 and over	€3	€30	€60

The top-ups go on a pool card costing €3 and are valid for a year. A family of two adults and two children aged 4 to 11 would pay €8 for a swim.

The council’s swimming school (Escola Municipal de Natação) runs classes twice a week, 45 minutes each, for children and teenagers from age 4. For 2026/27, children must be 4 by 30 September 2026. Classes run from 1 October 2026 to 25 June 2027. There are six levels:

• A: water confidence, in the small pool
• B: first steps in front crawl and backstroke, also in the small pool
• C: consolidating front crawl and backstroke
• D: learning breaststroke
• E: learning butterfly
• F: polishing all four strokes

Groups are split by age, so a four-year-old isn’t learning alongside a ten-year-old. There are weekday afternoon classes from about 15:45 and Wednesday-plus-Saturday-morning groups. Level A groups hold 12 children, rising to 16 at the top levels.

Monthly fees are €21 for ages 4 to 10 and €25 for 11 to 17. Registration costs €13 for new swimmers or €10 to renew. Families with three or more people enrolled get 15% off the children’s fees. For 2026/27, children’s renewals ran from 14 to 18 September and new sign-ups opened on 21 September (level A) and 22 September (levels B to F). Sign-ups are in person, first come first served, from 9:00 to 19:30. Three-year-olds can only go on a waiting list from 23 September, and a class for them opens only if a slot is free.

Only the pupil can go into the pool area. A parent can have a companion card (€1.50) to help children up to age 9 in the changing rooms.

From the 2026/27 rules for public swimming:

• Children under 12 must be with an adult who has a valid entry.
• Under-18s need a responsibility form signed by a parent.
• Babies, children and adults who aren’t toilet-trained must wear swim nappies, and nappies are only changed in the changing rooms.
• Everyone wears a swim cap and flip-flops used only at the pool. Swimwear must be close-fitting with no pockets. A sports bikini is fine, and loose shorts aren’t.
• Shower and walk through the footbath first, washing off sun cream, moisturiser and make-up.
• No jewellery or watches, no glass goggles, no chewing gum, and no eating on the poolside or in the changing rooms.
• Armbands, floats and baby rings are only allowed with a parent supervising directly.
• No jumping from the starting blocks, running, pushing or ducking people. The rules also say you shouldn’t use the pool without being able to swim, so non-swimmers must be supported by an adult.

The pool closes for all of August, on 25 July (Ovar’s municipal holiday) and on other public holidays. In 2026/27 it also closes from 24 December to 3 January, 6 to 9 February and 25 to 28 March. The council notes that events can take over the pool at short notice.

Just up the coast, the Piscina Municipal de Espinho has a shallow learner pool and heated children’s changing rooms, and Praia da Rua 37 is a town beach for a summer afternoon. Inland, Santa Maria da Feira has a castle-themed playground below its medieval castle.

How much is a swim at the Ovar pool for children?

Free for under-4s, €1 for ages 4 to 11 and €2.50 for 12 to 17 on the 2026/27 price list. Adults pay €3.

Can toddlers swim there?

Yes, with an adult. Under-4s go free, the small pool is meant for play, and children who aren’t toilet-trained must wear swim nappies.

Is it open on Sundays?

Yes, from 8:30 to 13:30, with the small pool and all eight lanes of the big pool open for public swimming on the September 2026 timetable.

Do children need a swim cap?

Yes. Caps and pool-only flip-flops are compulsory for everyone.

From what age are there swimming lessons?

From age 4, in twice-weekly classes. Three-year-olds can join a waiting list in case a class opens for them.