Piscina Municipal de Sines Carlos Manafaia

The Piscina Municipal Carlos Manafaia opened in Sines on 16 July 2005. The Sines council (Município de Sines) spent €3.5 million on it, with EU funding. The architects, Herculano Saraiva and Enarpla, based the building on a ship as a nod to the town’s seafaring history, and the roof structure over the main hall was designed to recall the cranes of the nearby port. Children who have seen the port’s cranes can look for the resemblance.

Sines is on the Alentejo coast, where the beaches are the main summer draw. An indoor pool open all year is the backup for rainy, windy or winter days, and the base for weekly lessons if you live nearby.

• The main pool is 25 by 17 metres with eight lanes and is 2 metres deep. It is for swimmers.
• The learner pool (tanque de aprendizagem) is 17 by 8 metres with four lanes and is 90 cm deep. Most children of school age can stand in it, which makes it the place for young and nervous swimmers.

Big glass walls with six doors open on to gardens outside, and the site has a car park. Inside there are shared and individual changing rooms, 500 lockers, a first-aid post, a gym, a spa with a sauna and a Turkish bath, and a bar counter. There’s a lift and a ramp, spaces for wheelchair users to watch, and a special chair for getting into the learner pool.

The pool opens from 08:00 to 14:00 and 15:00 to 21:00 on weekdays, and 09:00 to 14:00 on Saturdays. It’s closed on Sundays and public holidays.

Public swimming (utilização livre) means swimming on your own, without a teacher, in lanes set aside for it at set times, in either pool. The rules say these lanes can change at any time without notice, so ring before you go if you want to use the learner pool with small children. The learner pool allows up to six people per lane and the main pool up to nine.

A visit covers 75 minutes from the moment you pass the turnstile to the moment you leave. Stay longer and you are charged again in 30-minute blocks, so keep an eye on the clock while children dry off.

Without a user card, a single public swim cost:

• up to 5 years: €1.51
• 6 to 12: €2.04
• 13 to 65: €2.76
• over 65: €2.04

A user card (cartão de utente) costs €15.34 a year, plus compulsory annual insurance of €6.26. With it, under-6s swim free, ages 6 to 12 pay €1.51 and ages 13 to 65 pay €2.04. You can also pre-load 10, 20 or 50 entries: for example 10 entries for a 6 to 12-year-old cost €11.37.

The council’s swimming school (Escola Municipal de Natação) runs classes through the school year. The 2026–27 timetable has:

• Baby classes (Bebés) in groups for 6 to 12 months, 1 to 2 years, 2 to 3 years and 3 to 4 years. These last 30 minutes, in the late afternoon on weekdays and on Saturday mornings. Babies are the one group where a parent can go on the pool deck.
• Swimming levels 1, 2 and 3 for children, in 45-minute classes on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings, with separate adult groups.
• Water aerobics and other adult water fitness classes.

In 2026 monthly fees were €15.76 for once-weekly baby classes (6 months to 3 years) and, for ages 4 to 13, €16.28 for once a week, €22.64 for twice and €29.22 for three times. Insurance costs €6.26 per season. Families get 20% off with two members enrolled in classes and 30% off with three. Classes that start between 13:00 and 14:00 get 30% off (the “Hora Verde” discount). Places depend on vacancies; if a class is full you go on a waiting list. Children are placed in levels by ability, with an assessment if there’s any doubt.

Parents do not stay on deck for children’s classes. The rules say companions may help in the changing rooms but not in the corridor to the pool or at the poolside, except for babies.

The pool’s rules (Normas de Utilização) are strict and worth reading before your first visit.

• Everyone needs a swim cap, clean flip-flops and a proper lycra swimsuit. Babies must wear swim nappies.
• Shower before you swim and walk through the footbath.
• Under-18s can only use public swimming with an adult who is also swimming. Teenagers of 13 to 17 can come alone if a parent signs a consent form.
• Children up to 7 can go into the changing room with an adult, and use the one that matches the adult’s sex. From 8, children must use the changing rooms on their own. Baby-changing rooms can be used when free.
• The lockers take a padlock, and you bring your own.
• No running, no running dives, no sitting on the lane ropes, no food or drink except water on the deck, and no pushing or dunking.
• Adults with children must wear clean flip-flops or shoe covers in the showers and toilets.

This is a lap-swimming and lessons pool, with no slides or play features. Public swimming happens in lanes shared with other swimmers, and times can change. The pool is closed on Sundays, which rules it out for many weekend plans, and the 75-minute limit is tight with small children. The strict rule about under-18s needing a swimming adult means one parent always has to get in.

On a good day, the beaches further south are the obvious pairing. Praia das Furnas at Vila Nova de Milfontes is a sandy river beach on the Mira estuary, with lifeguards in the bathing season. Inland, the Badoca Safari Park and the old mine turned science centre at Lousal are within reach for a full day. In Milfontes, A Choupana is a beach restaurant.

Do children need a swim cap at Sines pool?

Yes. The rules require a swim cap, clean flip-flops and a lycra swimsuit for everyone, and swim nappies for babies.

Can a toddler swim at Sines pool?

Yes. The learner pool is 90 cm deep, and toddlers can come in with a swimming adult during public sessions. Under-6s pay €1.51, or nothing with a user card.

Are there baby swimming lessons in Sines?

Yes. The municipal swimming school runs 30-minute baby classes for ages 6 months to 4 years, on weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

How much does it cost?

In 2026 a single visit without a user card cost €1.51 to €2.76 depending on age, for 75 minutes.

Is it open on Sundays?

No. It’s closed on Sundays and public holidays.