Piscina Municipal de Pinhal Novo

The Piscina Municipal de Pinhal Novo opened in November 1999 on Rua Orlando Ribeiro, beside Pinhal Novo’s secondary school. It’s run by Palmela Desporto, the municipal sports company, which describes it as the largest and best-equipped covered sports facility in the municipality of Palmela. (Its smaller sister pool is the Piscina Municipal de Palmela up in the old town.)

For families, three things stand out. There’s a second, shallow pool as well as the main one. Children up to 6 swim free in the public sessions. And there’s a snack bar with an outdoor terrace, which is more than most council pools in the area offer.

• The main pool is 25 by 18 metres with eight lanes. It’s used for national-level competitions, so it’s a serious sports pool.
• The second pool is 18 by 10 metres and shallow. The water games at children’s parties take place here.

Around them are three changing rooms, a first-aid room and a 509-seat stand. The building also has a gym and two exercise studios. Outside, the pool has an enclosed sunbathing area, a garden used for children’s parties and holiday camps, and a car park with space for about 110 cars.

Palmela Desporto’s 2026/27 free-swim timetable is unusually generous:

• Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 7:30 to 17:15, then 20:15 to 21:00 (in the shallower part of the small pool only) and 21:00 to 21:45
• Tuesday and Thursday: 7:30 to 18:00 and 20:15 to 21:00
• Saturday: 8:30 to 13:15 and 15:00 to 16:30 (both in the main pool only), then 16:30 to 18:00 and 18:00 to 18:45
• Sunday: 9:15 to 13:15 (main pool only)

The operator warns that the times and the water available in each slot can change during the season. On weekend mornings, when only the main pool is open for free swimming, small children who can’t stand in deep water are better off in a class or on a weekday.

Palmela Desporto’s rules say children under 12 must swim with an adult. Teenagers under 18 can come alone once a parent has signed a consent form. Free swimmers may use some of the pool’s floats and equipment, as long as they don’t get in the way of classes.

Free swimming:

	With a user card	Without a card
Up to 6 years	Free	Free
7 to 17 years	€2.34	€3.51
18 and over	€3.51	€4.68

The user card costs €22.23, plus €10.53 for the compulsory annual insurance, and renewing it is free. Buy 10 swims, on the card or as tickets, and you get one extra swim free. There’s also a Cartão Natação Livre at €29.25 for unlimited free swimming, one visit a day, for over-7s.

Lessons (Palmela residents; people from other municipalities pay a little more):

• Registration €37.44, plus €10.53 insurance
• Baby classes (6 to 36 months): €33.70 a month for one weekend class
• Water confidence for ages 3 and 4: €30.19 a month once a week, €44.46 twice
• Swimming school, ages 4 to 13 (45-minute classes): €21.64 a month once a week, €33.70 twice, €38.61 three times
• Intensive holiday swimming course (Férias a Nadar): €34.63 for five classes in a week

A family with three members enrolled (parents and children) gets 25% off the cheapest monthly fee. Paying three, six or eleven months in advance takes 5%, 11% or 17% off.

Baby classes for 6 to 36 months last 30 minutes. A technician leads playful activities in the water, and a parent is always in the pool with the baby. At Pinhal Novo they run every Saturday from 8:30 to 17:30 and every Sunday from 8:30 to 12:30.

From age 3 or 4, children move into water-confidence classes, where the teacher gets into the water when needed and the activities are play-based. After that come learning (aprendizagem) and improvement (aperfeiçoamento) classes for ages 6 to 13, then pre-competition from 6 and competition squads from 8. There are adapted swimming classes, too.

The Férias Desportivas holiday camps take children aged 6 to 14 in the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays. The published hours are 9:30 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 16:30, with monitors supervising children at drop-off from 8:30, over lunch and at pick-up until 17:30. Activities use this pool’s water space, garden and studios, and head out to places such as the Palmela castle area and the Arrábida Natural Park. A week costs €52.65 on the 2026/27 list, including insurance, with 20% off for a second child from the same family. You enrol at the pool office.

For children up to 13 (minimum 8 guests), the pool’s party package costs €117 for up to 16 children: an hour of games in the small pool with a coach, then two hours in an exercise room for the party tea, which the family brings. Each child over 16 costs €5 more.

• Everyone needs a swim cap (latex, lycra or silicone), and lycra-type swimwear.
• Children up to 3 must wear a swim nappy.
• Flip-flops are compulsory in the changing rooms and around the pool.
• Shower and walk through the footbath before going on the pool deck.
• Lockers in the changing rooms are for use only while you’re swimming.
• No food or drink other than water on the pool deck or in the changing rooms.
• Children under 7 may use the opposite-sex changing room with a parent, who uses the changing room for their own sex.
• Parents can’t stay on the pool deck during lessons unless staff allow it.
• You get in with your personal card, up to 15 minutes before your class.

Is it free for toddlers?

Yes. Free swimming is free for children up to 6 on the 2026/27 price list. They must be with an adult, since under-12s can’t swim alone.

Is there a shallow pool?

Yes. The second pool is 18 by 10 metres and shallow. Note that some free-swim slots, including weekend mornings, use only the main pool.

Do we need a swim cap?

Yes. The regulations require a latex, lycra or silicone cap for every swimmer, flip-flops, and a swim nappy for children up to 3.

Can I leave my child there for the day?

In the school holidays, yes: the Férias Desportivas camps take ages 6 to 14, with supervised drop-off from 8:30 and pick-up until 17:30.

Is there somewhere to eat?

There’s a snack bar with an outdoor terrace. After a swim, the Castelo de Palmela is a short drive away for a walk and a view over the Arrábida hills.