Piscinas Cobertas Municipais de Pombal

The Piscinas Cobertas Municipais (municipal covered pools) opened on 2 May 2001 in Pombal’s sports zone, Bairro Agorreta, beside the Arunca river. The council runs them, and its page on the complex describes a green area of 4,000 square metres around the building, with a car park.

The reason to come with small children is the second pool. Many municipal learner pools are over a metre deep. Pombal’s starts at 40 cm.

According to the council’s page, updated in March 2026:

• Main pool: 25 m by 16.70 m, 1.40 m deep at the shallow end and 2.20 m at the deep end. It’s for swimmers only.
• Learner pool: 16.70 m by 6 m, 0.40 m deep at one end and 1.00 m at the other.

At 40 cm, a toddler can stand at the shallow end of the learner pool with a parent beside them, and the water deepens gradually to 1 metre. The main pool is out of their depth everywhere, so children who can’t swim well need to stay in the learner pool.

The council lists these uses of the complex:

• Free and recreational swimming (natação livre / recreativa), meaning public swimming without a teacher
• Baby swimming (natação para bebés)
• Swimming lessons
• Swimming schools run by clubs and other organisations
• Water aerobics (hidroginástica)
• Therapeutic swimming and hydrotherapy

The council doesn’t publish the public swimming timetable, lesson times or prices online. Ring the pool or email before you go to check when family swims are on.

Besides the two pools, the council describes changing rooms, showers and toilets for men and women, facilities for disabled users, a corridor to the pools with a footbath, a first-aid room and stands for 250 spectators. The reception is open on weekdays from 9:00 to 14:30 and 15:30 to 21:30, and on Saturdays from 9:00 to 13:30 and 15:00 to 18:00.

The council’s regulations page has a link labelled “Regulamento Piscinas”, but when we checked in September 2026 it opened the regulations for the council’s sports halls instead. Until that’s fixed, check the pool’s rules at reception, and pack a swim cap and flip-flops in case they’re required.

In the summer holidays the council runs Férias Ativas for children and teenagers aged 6 to 15. In 2026 it ran from 1 July to 14 August, with sports, arts and environmental workshops and outings to the beach, the hills, pools and water parks. Sign-ups ran from 10 to 15 June through the council’s SIGA education platform. The announcement doesn’t say which pools the programme uses.

This is an everyday municipal sports pool, with no slides or wave machine, and public swimming usually has to share the water with lessons and clubs. The shallow learner pool is its strong point for families. The council publishes very little online, so a phone call saves a wasted trip.

In summer, Pombal’s Aquaparque Panorâmico on the hill above town has water slides and cheap late-afternoon tickets. In Leiria, the municipal pool complex has a toddler pool and a playroom, and the riverside Parque do Avião has an old military transport plane parked on the grass next to a playground.

Is there a shallow pool for toddlers at Pombal’s indoor pools?

Yes. The learner pool is 40 cm deep at the shallow end and 1 m at the deep end.

How much does it cost?

The council doesn’t publish prices online. Ring 236 210 546 or ask at reception.

Are there baby swimming classes?

Yes. The council lists baby swimming among the pool’s activities. Ask at reception for ages, times and prices.

Is there parking?

Yes, the complex has a car park and a green area around it.