Piscinas Municipais de Beja

Beja is the capital of the Baixo Alentejo. The Câmara Municipal de Beja runs two pools. The Piscina Municipal Descoberta (the outdoor pool) opens from mid June to early September and is where families go. The Piscina Coberta (the indoor pool) takes over from October with lane swimming, lessons and clubs.

This page covers both, with most of the detail on the outdoor pool, because that is the one children will want.

The outdoor complex has a large main pool, a separate children’s pool (piscina infantil), a lawn to spread out on, a bar and a picnic area. A directory listing also mentions a diving board and says lifeguards watch the pool. The council has spent on the pool in the last two seasons. Before summer 2025 it fitted aluminium railings between the lawn and the pool edge, so swimmers pass the showers on their way in. It also stripped the old tiles from the children’s pool and gave it a new lining. For 2026 it added handrails at the entrances to the main pool, cleaned the filters and repaired the children’s pool machinery.

It’s popular. The council counted about 3,600 entries in the first week of the 2026 season, over 600 a day. By the end of the summer it had recorded around 35,000 entries, an average of about 450 people a day. The busiest day was Sunday 5 July, with about 800 people. Expect a crowd on hot weekends and plan to arrive early for a patch of lawn.

In 2026 the outdoor pool opened on Tuesday 16 June. It ran from Tuesday to Sunday, 09:30 to 20:00, until 31 August, with the ticket office closing at 19:00. Mondays are the weekly closing day. In 2025 the pool stayed open into September with a 19:00 close from 1 September, and the council usually follows the same pattern.

The council says access prices have not changed for several years, and it keeps two rules that matter to families:

• Children up to 10 go in free, as long as an adult is with them.
• After 17:30 everyone who pays gets in for half price.

That makes a late-afternoon swim, when the worst heat has passed, the cheapest way to use the pool. The council did not print the adult price in its 2026 announcements, so check it at the ticket office.

The council also advertises a July and August aqua-aerobics class at the outdoor pool on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 18:50 to 19:50. Entry costs half the normal pool price. A parent could join while an older child swims, but younger children need an adult with them in the pool area.

The Piscina Coberta reopened for the 2025–26 season on 1 October 2025. For free swimming (utilização livre) it was open to the public from Tuesday to Friday and on Sundays from 08:00 to 13:30, with one lane also open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 16:00 to 19:00. The council’s timetable shows how many lanes the public gets in each slot, between one and six. Group classes with qualified instructors run on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings.

The indoor pool is set up for lane swimming rather than play, so it suits children who can already swim. The council may book lanes for events and says it gives 72 hours’ notice when it does. Check the 2026–27 timetable before you go, as times change each season.

• Everyone must shower before going in the water. The council repeats this for both pools.
• A swim cap (touca) is compulsory in the indoor pool. A directory listing says the outdoor pool also asks for caps, so pack them for everyone.
• Under-10s need an adult with them at the outdoor pool, which is also the condition for their free entry.

The outdoor pool is closed on Mondays and fills up on hot weekends. We could not find a published depth for the main pool or details of shade beyond the lawn, so bring a parasol and plenty of sun cream. The indoor pool’s public hours are mostly mornings, and some slots have only one lane, which doesn’t work well for a family splash.

In July and August 2026 the council also ran a free daily bus from the outdoor pool to the Cinco Reis river beach, about 7 km from the city. It left the pool at 14:30, called at Beringel and came back from the beach at 19:15. Cinco Reis is a sandy beach on a reservoir, with lifeguards in the bathing season, a playground and canoe and paddleboard hire.

Beja also hosts Ovibeja, the Alentejo farming fair, around the end of April (see What’s on). For a mining and science day out, the Lousal mine science centre and the Aljustrel mining park are both within driving distance. Serpa, to the east, has a clock museum.

Is Beja’s outdoor pool free for children?

Yes for children up to 10, as long as an adult comes with them. Older children and adults pay, at half price after 17:30.

When does the Beja outdoor pool open?

From mid June. In 2026 it opened on 16 June and ran from Tuesday to Sunday, 09:30 to 20:00, until the end of August, then with shorter September hours.

Is there a children’s pool?

Yes. The outdoor complex has a separate children’s pool, which was given a new lining in 2025.

Do you need a swim cap?

In the indoor pool, yes, always. For the outdoor pool, take one to be safe.

Is there an indoor pool in Beja for winter?

Yes. The Piscina Coberta opens from October, with public lane swimming mostly on weekday and Sunday mornings.