Piscinas Municipais de Águeda

The Piscinas Municipais de Águeda are the council’s pools, on Rua Engenheiro José Bastos Xavier in the centre of Águeda, the town on the Águeda river between Aveiro and Coimbra. There are two parts. The covered pool (piscina coberta) opens for most of the year and has a sports pool and a learner pool. The outdoor pools (piscinas exteriores) open only in summer, every afternoon.

For families the draw is the price and the shallow water. Children under 6 swim free with an adult, a child’s indoor swim costs €1.50, and the learner pool starts at 70 centimetres deep. The council’s own swimming school takes babies from 12 months.

According to the council:

• Sports pool (tanque desportivo, the “big tank”): 25 m by 12.5 m, 1.15 m deep at the shallow end and 2 m at the deep end.
• Learner pool (tanque de aprendizagem, the “little tank”): 12.5 m by 6 m, 0.70 m to 1.20 m deep.

At 70 cm the shallow end of the learner pool is shallow enough for many preschoolers to stand with a parent close by, though it gets deeper towards 1.20 m. The big pool is out of their depth everywhere.

The indoor pool opens on Mondays from 14:00 to 21:30, Tuesday to Friday from 8:30 to 21:30, and on Saturdays from 9:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 18:00. It’s closed on Sundays.

Public swimming (regime livre, swimming without a teacher) runs at set times. The timetable in force from 1 September 2026 opens the big pool to the public for most of the working day: Monday from 14:00 to 17:30, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30 to 17:30, and Wednesday from 8:30 to 17:00, with some evening slots too. On Saturdays it’s open from 10:00 to 12:45 and from 15:00 to 17:45. The learner pool, the one small children need, has public time at weekday lunchtimes, roughly 12:15 to 14:45 from Tuesday to Friday, and on Saturday afternoons from 15:00 to 17:45.

Each entry gives you 1 hour 20 minutes, including time in the changing rooms before and after. You can go in until 1 hour 20 minutes before closing, if there’s space, and each lane takes up to eight swimmers. The council says the timetable can change without notice.

The outdoor pools opened on 1 July 2026 and closed on 13 September, every day from 15:00 to 19:00. The council’s page doesn’t describe the outdoor pools themselves, so we can’t say how deep they are or whether there’s a separate children’s pool.

From the council’s fee table:

• Indoor public swim: free for children under 6 with an adult, €1.50 for ages 6 to 17 (and over-60s), €2.00 for ages 18 to 59. A pack of 10 entries is 20% cheaper.
• Outdoor pools, per afternoon: free for under-6s with an adult, €2.50 for ages 6 to 17, €3.50 for adults.
• User card: €7.50, which includes insurance.
• Monthly indoor pass (cartão livre trânsito): one swim a day whenever there’s public time and space, €23.50 for adults.

The table also lists a sauna and hydromassage, but notes that they’re unavailable.

The Escola Municipal de Natação (council swimming school) groups children by age and level:

• Babies, 12 to 48 months: in the learner pool with an adult in the water. Sessions last 25 minutes for 1 and 2-year-olds and 30 minutes for 3-year-olds.
• Age 4: a 30-minute class called BB+.
• Level I, ages 5 to 7: water confidence and a first go at front crawl and backstroke, 40 minutes.
• Level I, ages 8 to 10 and 11 to 17: separate beginners’ groups, so an older child isn’t learning with five-year-olds.
• Levels II and III, ages 8 to 17: improving front crawl and backstroke, then learning breaststroke and butterfly, in the 25-metre pool.

Monthly fees are €15 for one class a week and €20 for two for babies up to 4, and €12.50 and €18 for children aged 5 to 17. There’s also a €7.50 yearly registration fee. For 2026/27, new places opened in July by birth year: ages 5 to 7 on 14 July, 8 to 10 on 15 July, babies and 4-year-olds on 16 July and 11 to 17-year-olds on 17 July. Families sign up in person from 8:30 to 20:00, places are limited, and classes start in September.

A local club, Clube Sport Algés e Águeda XXI, trains competitive swimmers at the pool for children who want to go further.

The council lists these rules for public swimming:

• Everyone wears tight lycra trunks or a swimsuit, a swim cap, and flip-flops used only on the poolside. You can’t wear the flip-flops in from the street.
• Shower before getting in.
• No jewellery (earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings) and no make-up in the water.

Children under 6 only swim free when an adult with a paid entry is with them. Anyone under 18 registering needs a form signed by a parent. The page doesn’t give an age at which children can swim on their own, so ask at reception.

The learner pool’s public hours are short on weekdays (lunchtime only) and it’s closed to the public on Mondays, so Saturday afternoon is the easiest time for toddlers. The pool is closed on Sundays all year. In summer, the outdoor pools only open in the afternoons, from 15:00.

The free Águeda Bike Park at Recardães, just outside town, has a gentle loop for balance bikes and jump lines for teenagers. Aveiro is a short drive away, with a walk through the salt pans and the Skate Park de Aveiro in the city park. For another indoor pool nearby, the Piscina Municipal de Ílhavo also runs a council swimming school.

Is there a shallow pool for toddlers in Águeda?

Yes. The indoor learner pool is 70 cm deep at the shallow end, rising to 1.20 m. Its public hours are weekday lunchtimes from Tuesday to Friday and Saturday afternoons.

How much is a swim for children?

Under-6s are free with an adult. Ages 6 to 17 pay €1.50 indoors and €2.50 for an afternoon at the outdoor pools, plus a €7.50 user card.

Do children need a swim cap?

Yes. A swim cap, flip-flops and proper swimwear are compulsory.

When are the outdoor pools open?

In 2026, from 1 July to 13 September, every day from 15:00 to 19:00.

From what age are there swimming lessons?

From 12 months, with a parent in the water, in the council’s swimming school.