Piscinas de Guimarães: Complexo Municipal and Scorpio

Guimarães’ main public pools are run by Tempo Livre, the cooperative that manages the town’s sports facilities. Two of them share an address on Alameda dos Desportos in Candoso São Tiago, on the edge of the city. Scorpio (Piscinas ao Ar Livre) is the summer one, with outdoor pools, a slide and a splash zone. The Complexo Municipal de Piscinas is the indoor one, open through the school year for public swimming and lessons.

If you are searching for “piscinas Guimarães” with children in July, Scorpio is the one you want. From October to May it’s the indoor complex.

Tempo Livre lists what Scorpio has:

• A main pool (piscina geral) for proper swimming and playing.
• A baby pool (piscina para bebés) for toddlers.
• Fantasilândia, a play area with a multi-lane slide (multipistas), other slides and water jets (repuxos).
• The Aquasplash water slide.
• A bar with a terrace.

In June 2026 Tempo Livre said Scorpio takes thousands of people a day through the summer. That summer a mural for Guimarães’ year as European Green Capital was painted along the whole east wall, by the lounge area. It shows the Penha mountain, the cable car, the rivers, the parks and the electric buses, so children can spot places they know while they dry off.

When Scorpio is open

Scorpio opens every day from June to September, from 9:00 to 20:00. The end date moves: in 2026 it closed on 13 September. Tempo Livre can also close it or change the hours for bad weather, technical faults, water or power cuts, or when it reaches capacity. When it’s full, no one else gets in until people leave, so on a hot August Sunday it pays to arrive early.

Scorpio prices for families

The price list linked from Scorpio’s page when checked in September 2026 (updated May 2025) had two rates. Weekdays in June, July and September are cheaper. Weekends, public holidays and every day in August cost more.

• Under 2: free (also free for holders of Guimarães’ municipal cards)
• Ages 3 to 6, with an adult: €2.50 on quieter days, €3 at peak times
• Ages 7 to 12, with an adult: €3.50 or €4.50
• 13 and over: €4.50 or €6.50

A family of two adults with a four-year-old and an eight-year-old would pay €15 on a weekday in July and €20.50 on an August day. You can hire a sun lounger for €2, a parasol for €1.50 or both for €3. You can’t bring your own chairs, loungers or parasols without permission, so if you want guaranteed shade, hire a parasol.

Scorpio rules parents should know

From the outdoor pools’ rules, published in September 2025:

• Children under 14 can only come with a responsible adult, who must stay close and actively watch them.
• Everyone showers before getting in.
• No running, diving or jumping in, except in areas marked for it with lifeguards watching.
• Sun cream is allowed if it’s non-greasy and has had time to soak in. No oils.
• No glass anywhere in the grounds, no speakers audible to others, and no animals apart from guide dogs.
• There are certified lifeguards (nadadores-salvadores) on duty during all opening hours, and a first-aid kit on site.

The Complexo Municipal de Piscinas has three pools: a 25-metre competition pool with eight lanes, a learner pool (tanque de aprendizagem) and a paddling pool (chapinheiro). There’s also a gym, group exercise studios and a bar.

It’s open Monday to Friday from 7:30 to 22:00, Saturday from 7:30 to 18:00 and Sunday from 8:00 to 13:00, and closed on public holidays.

Public swimming (regime livre)

Public swimming at the indoor pool means lanes set aside for anyone who pays at the door. Tempo Livre publishes a lane plan (Mapa de Utilização Livre) showing how many lanes in the 25-metre pool and the learner pool are free at each time of day. The notes on the 2025/26 plan explain what to expect:

• Free lanes are marked in the pool.
• Each lane takes up to 12 people. Staff open another lane when they can without disturbing classes.
• Public swimming is mainly for continuous lane swimming. That makes it a better fit for children who can already swim than for splashing about.
• The learner pool layout changes to suit the lessons.

Indoor prices

On the indoor price list linked when checked in September 2026, a drop-in visit (cartão esporádico) lasted 90 minutes, and the price went up through the day:

• Children under 6 with an adult: free
• Ages 7 to 13: €3 in the morning (9:00 to 14:00), €3.15 in the afternoon, €3.50 after 17:30
• Ages 14 to 65: €3.80, €4.05 or €4.50 at the same times
• Guimarães municipal card holders paid less, from €1.50

Each extra minute past the 90 costs a few cents.

Tempo Livre’s swimming school is split by age:

• Babies, 6 months to 3 years: 30-minute classes with an adult in the water. They work on getting used to water on the face, moving between supports and floating on their back.
• Ages 3 to 5: 30-minute classes without a parent in the water. Children learn to get in from sitting and standing, blow out through the nose, glide and kick, and float on their back and front.
• From about 5 or 6: classes in the learner pool work on breathing, front crawl with side breathing, backstroke and the first breaststroke movements. Children then move to the big pool to learn all four strokes, starts and turns.

The indoor price list gave monthly fees for 2025/26. Baby classes cost €19 a month for one class a week or €30 for two. Children’s classes (ages 2 to 13) cost €17 a month for one class a week, €26 for two and €34 for three. Registration, which includes the user card and insurance until the end of the season, was €18. There are discounts for siblings (15% for the second person, 20% for the third) and 50% with the municipal card. Renewals open from 15 June.

In summer, Tempo Livre also runs Férias Desportivas, a sports holiday programme for ages 6 to 14 from late June to early September, at €65 a week. It uses several sports venues around the town, so check the programme if you want it to include swimming.

From the indoor pools’ rules, published in September 2025:

• Only swimwear, a swim cap (touca) and non-slip flip-flops are allowed in the changing rooms and around the pools.
• Shower before you get in.
• Children under 14 can only use the pools with a responsible adult.
• Children up to 8 who need help getting changed can go into the adult changing room with the adult looking after them. Otherwise they use the children’s changing room for their sex.
• Clothes and bags must go in a locker, and you bring your own padlock.
• To register for classes you need your citizen card or other ID, and then you show your user card every visit.

Tempo Livre also runs the Piscinas de Brito, on Rua General Humberto Delgado in Brito, west of the city. There’s an indoor 5-lane pool and learner pool all year, and outdoor pools in summer: in July from 13:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and 10:00 to 19:00 at weekends, and every day from 10:00 to 19:00 in August. The page still showed the 2025 season (open until 31 August) when checked, so confirm the dates. The same outdoor rules as Scorpio apply.

After a morning at Scorpio, the Teleférico da Penha is a cable car ride up to the Penha hilltop above the city. On a cloudy day, the Guimarães castle and Ducal Palace are a short drive away. For another car-mad afternoon, the Museu do Automóvel in Famalicão is about half an hour west.

Do children need a swim cap at the Guimarães pools?

Yes, indoors. The indoor rules list swimwear, a swim cap and non-slip flip-flops as required. Scorpio’s outdoor rules don’t mention caps, so check at the gate.

Is there a baby pool?

Yes, at both. Scorpio has a baby pool (piscina para bebés), and the indoor complex has a paddling pool (chapinheiro) as well as the learner pool.

How much does Scorpio cost for a child?

On the linked price list, under-2s go free, ages 3 to 6 pay €2.50 (€3 at weekends, on holidays and in August) and ages 7 to 12 pay €3.50 (€4.50).

Can my child go to Scorpio without me?

Not under 14. The rules say under-14s must be with a responsible adult who stays close and watches them.

Are there lifeguards?

Scorpio’s rules say certified lifeguards are on duty for all opening hours.

When does Scorpio open and close for the season?

It opens every day from June to September, 9:00 to 20:00. The closing date changes each year; in 2026 it was 13 September.