Piscinas Municipais da Póvoa de Varzim

The Piscinas Municipais in Póvoa de Varzim, a seaside town on the coast north of Porto, opened in 1999 and have been open to the public since January 2000. The council’s leisure company, Varzim Lazer, runs them.

There are three kinds of water here. Indoors there’s a 50-metre Olympic pool, big enough for regional, national and international swimming and water polo championships, and a covered learner pool (piscina de aprendizagem) about 16 metres long. Outside there are two open-air pools that open only in the summer. That mix is the reason to choose Póvoa: one address gives you a warm indoor swim in winter and a sunny outdoor one in August.

The Olympic pool is where lane swimming, water aerobics and the older swimming classes happen. It’s a serious competition pool, so it suits confident swimmers more than toddlers.

The learner pool is used for beginners’ classes, baby swimming and hydrotherapy, and is the one to aim for with a small child who can’t swim yet. Varzim Lazer doesn’t publish its depth; ask at reception.

The outdoor pools are the family summer option. Varzim Lazer’s facilities page gives their season as 9 July to 15 September, but check the exact dates each year before you go.

Varzim Lazer’s site lists opening hours of 8:00 to 22:00 on weekdays and 9:00 to 20:00 at weekends.

Public swimming (utilização livre) means turning up and swimming without joining a class. The price list warns that free swimming depends on space being available, because classes, clubs and competitions use the water too, so ask at reception about the quietest times. When a championship or tournament is on, the pools can close to the public; notices go up at least a week before.

These come from Varzim Lazer’s price list dated 6 March 2025, which was still the newest one online when checked in September 2026. Check at reception, as prices may have changed.

Indoor public swimming:

• Children up to 5 swim free, as long as an adult is with them.
• A single swim started at €4 before 18:00 and €5 after, on the price list’s pool line.
• Top-up cards give extra credit: €55 of use for a €50 top-up, or €115 for €100.

Summer outdoor pool:

• Children aged 6 to 13: €5 a day
• Adults: €6 a day
• Half day from 14:00: €4
• Groups of four or more: €4.50 each a day
• A pack of 10 swims: €35, valid for that summer season

The Escola de Natação (swimming school) runs from 15 September to 15 July. Lessons last 40 minutes and take place in both the Olympic pool and the learner pool. The age groups are:

• Babies 6 to 23 months and 24 to 48 months, in the water with a parent. Swim nappies are recommended in every baby class.
• Children 4 to 5, 6 to 8 and 9 to 12
• Teenagers 13 to 17, then adults

Children move through three levels. Iniciação covers getting used to the water and first front crawl and backstroke. Iniciação avançada polishes those and introduces breaststroke and butterfly. Aperfeiçoamento refines all four strokes. There are also pre-competition groups for 6 to 8-year-olds and 9 to 12-year-olds who already swim reasonably well.

On the March 2025 price list, a baby class cost €25 a month, a normal class (twice a week) €31 a month, and a special once-a-week class €21.50. Families with more than one member in classes get a family card discount: 20% for the second person, 25% for the third and 30% for the fourth.

For 2026/27, re-enrolment ran from 30 June to 12 July, and new pupils could sign up from 13 July, in person at the pool reception. Places depend on class size, which reception can tell you.

Varzim Lazer doesn’t put its full pool regulations online, so check the rules at reception, including whether children need a swim cap. The swimming school rules say:

• A child’s access card opens the gates 10 minutes before a class and up to 30 minutes after.
• When a missed class is made up as a public swim, children up to 9 must have an adult with them.
• There are no lessons on public holidays, but if the building is open that day your child can have a free swim instead.

This is a competition venue first. Big swimming meets and water polo matches take over the building on some weekends, and at those times there’s no public swimming. For relaxed family swimming, the summer outdoor pools are the better bet.

The pool complex also has a gym, a fitness studio and a birthday party service. Children’s parties are priced by the number of guests, from €120 for up to eight children on the 2025 list.

Next door in Vila do Conde, the Centro Ciência Viva de Vila do Conde makes a good rainy-day pairing with an indoor swim, and the Nau Quinhentista, a full-size replica of a 16th-century ship, is by the river there. For a seawater pool on the rocks, the Piscina das Marés in Leça da Palmeira is further down the coast.

Is there a pool for small children?

There’s a covered learner pool about 16 metres long used for beginners and babies. In summer, the two outdoor pools open too.

How much is the outdoor pool in Póvoa de Varzim?

On the 2025 price list, €5 for a child aged 6 to 13 and €6 for an adult, or €4 from 14:00. Children up to 5 go in free with an adult.

When are the outdoor pools open?

In summer only. Varzim Lazer gives the season as 9 July to 15 September.

From what age can babies have swimming lessons?

From 6 months. Baby classes are split into 6 to 23 months and 24 to 48 months, with a parent in the water.

Is the pool open at weekends?

Yes, from 9:00 to 20:00, though competitions sometimes close it to the public.