Complexo Municipal de Piscinas das Manteigadas

The Complexo Municipal de Piscinas das Manteigadas is Setúbal council’s open-air pool complex on Avenida Emídio Graça, in Setúbal’s São Sebastião parish. The council describes it as a place where leisure and competition meet: in the heat of summer it’s one of the most popular places in Setúbal to cool off, and all year it’s the base for canoeing, kayak polo and high-level swimming training.

For families it’s an alternative to the beach: three pools of different sizes, a children’s pool for the smallest, and a bar within reach.

The council lists three separate pools:

• The Olympic pool, 50 metres by 25 metres. This is a full competition pool, used for swimming training and meets.
• The recreational pool, 32 metres by 16 metres, for general swimming and play.
• The children’s pool (piscina infantil), 12 metres by 9 metres.

The depths aren’t published. The children’s pool is the place for toddlers and small children; check the depth of the recreational pool with the staff before letting a young swimmer in.

Around the pools are changing rooms, public toilets, a first-aid post and a bar with a terrace. The regulations mention sunbathing areas and lawns, so there’s space to lay out a towel between swims. Works finished in April 2022 repaired the outdoor paving, the footbaths and the edge of the children’s pool.

The pools open only in the summer bathing season. The council’s page lists the season as 14 June to 18 September, Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 19:00, and closed to the public on Mondays. The regulations allow the council to change the dates and hours if the weather calls for it, so check before a trip at either end of the season.

The regulations say the council sets ticket prices every year, and the price table isn’t on the council page. We couldn’t find the current prices online when we checked, so phone 265 548 234 or ask at the entrance. Everyone pays before going in.

The Manteigadas regulations date from 1999 and are still the ones the council links. Some of them matter a lot for families on a summer day:

• No armbands or swimming floats. The regulations ban bóias de aprendizagem, the learner floats and armbands many children rely on. If your child can’t swim without them, stay in the children’s pool with them and hold on.
• No creams or oils that could affect the water quality. Ask the staff how they apply this to sun cream; a sun top and hat get round the problem.
• Shower before going in.
• Walk barefoot or in flip-flops, in swimwear, on the sunbathing areas.
• No food on the pool deck, and that includes ice creams and fizzy drinks. Eat at the bar or away from the pool edge, and keep bottles to the bar area.
• No pushing people in or ducking them, and nothing thrown into the water.
• No animals.
• No smoking except at the bar and on the lawns.
• Children under 8 may use the changing room of the opposite sex with an adult of that sex.

Clothes aren’t kept in lockers. The regulations describe a cloakroom (bengaleiro): you put your clothes on a hanger, hand it to the attendant and get a numbered tag back. The council isn’t responsible for valuables, so leave them at home or in the car. Friends who come along without swimming can stay in the bar.

• The council calls it one of the most popular places in Setúbal to cool off in summer, so arrive when it opens for the best choice of space.
• Outside the summer season, the Olympic pool is used by clubs and isn’t open to the public.
• The council doesn’t publish shade or parking details. Pack a sunshade for the lawns.

For another way to spend a summer’s day in Setúbal, the Sado dolphin-watching trips leave from the city’s riverfront, and the Setúbal to Tróia ferry crosses to the Tróia beaches. On a cooler day, the Moinho de Maré da Mourisca tide mill stands on the Sado estuary nearby.

Is there a children’s pool at Manteigadas?

Yes. The children’s pool is 12 by 9 metres, separate from the Olympic and recreational pools.

Can my child wear armbands?

No. The regulations ban learning floats (bóias de aprendizagem), so plan on staying in the water with a child who can’t yet swim.

When is it open?

In the summer season only. The council lists 14 June to 18 September, Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 19:00, closed on Mondays.

How much does it cost?

The council sets the price each year and hadn’t put it online when we checked. Phone 265 548 234 before you go.

Can we take a picnic?

Not onto the pool deck: the rules ban all food there, including ice creams. There’s a bar with a terrace; ask at the entrance whether you can eat your own food on the lawns.