Piscina Quinta do Passal

The Piscina Quinta do Passal is the first open-air council pool in the municipality of Valongo, just east of Porto. It opened on 23 August 2025 in the grounds of the Quinta do Passal, an estate in the village of Campo that belongs to the Diocese of Porto, next to Campo’s main church. The council spent about €1.5 million on it, and 2026 was its first full summer.

The site covers about 5,500 square metres. According to the council, it has two outdoor pools, one of them a children’s pool, a lawn with sun loungers and parasols, a “lounge” area, two changing rooms, a café and a first-aid post. The council’s rules describe the view over the Serras do Porto, the wooded hills that run between Valongo, Paredes and Gondomar. Lifeguards and other staff are on duty across the site whenever it is open.

When it opened, the mayor said the council planned similar pools for Ermesinde and Valongo town. For now, this is the one to head for.

The council and the local press describe the two pools only as a larger pool and a children’s pool (piscina infantil). No depths are published, so ask a lifeguard before a child who can’t swim goes into the big pool.

The rules that matter for families with small children:

• Children under 13 must be with a responsible adult.
• Armbands (braçadeiras) are allowed for children up to 13.
• Babies may only go in wearing swim nappies made for pools.
• Inflatable mattresses, boats and similar floats are banned.
• No diving, running, jumping or pushing on the poolside.

The children’s pool is the draw for toddlers, and under-4s go in free.

The council’s 2026 price table (Quadro 34-A of its Tabela de Taxas, VAT included) sets these prices for one person:

Ticket	Ages 0 to 3	Ages 4 to 13	14 and over
Full day, weekday (9:30 to 20:00)	Free	€3.10	€4.20
Full day, weekend	Free	€4.20	€5.20
Afternoon, weekday (14:00 to 20:00)	Free	€2.10	€3.10
Afternoon, weekend	Free	€3.10	€4.20

Family packs take 10% off for up to three people and 20% for four or more. Holders of Valongo’s municipal youth card (ages 12 to 29) and senior card get 20% off. Discounts can’t be combined.

Tickets can be bought at the pool or online through the council’s ticketing site (valongo.scl.pt), and are only valid for the season in which they were bought. You pay before you go in, and if you lose your ticket you’ll need proof of payment. You can leave and come back within 60 minutes, as long as reception validates it.

You can’t bring your own parasol, windbreak, beach chair or awning. Instead the pool hires them out by the day: in 2026 a parasol with its base cost €1.60, a sun lounger €2.10 and a small side table €1. The lounger area is only for people who have hired one. Lockers need a padlock, for which the council charges a €3.10 deposit.

The lawn is the only shade apart from what you hire. On a hot afternoon with small children, a parasol is worth the money.

There is a café on site. When the pool opened, the council was still adding shade and a terrace to the café area so it could serve meals. You are allowed to bring cool boxes with packaged food and drinks, but glass and anything sharp are banned. Smoking is only allowed in a set area, and speakers and music players are not allowed anywhere on the site.

The pool is on Rua Escola da Igreja in Campo, a village in the east of Valongo municipality. There are two ways in: from the Quinta do Passal car park beside the Igreja Matriz de Campo, or on foot from Rua Escola da Igreja next to the GNR (police) station. Bikes, scooters and other vehicles can’t come into or be parked inside the site. The council doesn’t give public transport details, so most families will drive.

The council’s rules, which it amended in February 2026 after the first summer:

• Swimwear only in the pools: a bikini, swimsuit or swim shorts.
• Walk through the footbath (lava-pés) before getting in, and wear pool flip-flops on the footbath and poolside.
• No photographing or filming other people. That matters on a family day out, so keep phone photos to your own group.
• No dogs apart from guide dogs.
• The pool may change its hours or close in bad weather.

The rules don’t mention swim caps for the outdoor pools, unlike most indoor pools in Portugal. Staff can tell you on the day.

The season in 2026 ran from 30 May to 27 September, every day from 9:30 to 20:00. The site holds 450 people and closes its gates when it’s full, so on hot weekends in July and August, arriving at opening time is the safest plan. Weekday afternoons are the cheapest time to go.

Lipor’s Parque Aventura, a free park with playgrounds and mini golf on a sealed landfill hill, is on the Ermesinde side of Valongo. For an indoor swim in the colder months, the Gondomar municipal pool at São Cosme is the closest pool we list. The Parque da Cidade de Paredes, a short drive east, has a playground and a skate park. Valongo’s magic festival, MagicValongo, is on What’s on.

How much is the Quinta do Passal pool?

In 2026 a full weekday cost €3.10 for children aged 4 to 13 and €4.20 from 14; weekends cost €4.20 and €5.20. Afternoon tickets from 14:00 were cheaper, from €2.10 for children on weekdays. Children up to 3 go in free.

Is there a baby or children’s pool?

Yes. One of the two pools is a children’s pool (piscina infantil). Babies must wear swim nappies.

Can children go on their own?

Only from 13. Children under 13 must be with a responsible adult.

Can I bring food and a parasol?

You can bring food and drinks in a cool box, but no glass. Your own parasols, beach chairs and windbreaks aren’t allowed; hire a parasol or lounger at the pool instead.

When is it open?

The pool opens every day from 9:30 to 20:00 during the summer season, which ran from 30 May to 27 September in 2026. Check the council’s page for next year’s dates.