Piscinas Municipais de Idanha-a-Nova

The Piscinas Municipais de Idanha-a-Nova are the council’s pools in the town of Idanha-a-Nova, in the Beira Baixa close to the Spanish border. The complex has an outdoor pool that opens for the summer and an indoor pool used for lessons and public swimming for the rest of the year. Idanha council also runs summer pools at Termas de Monfortinho, Zebreira and Ladoeiro, but this page is about the one in town.

What stands out is the price. In summer 2026 a child aged 7 to 12 paid 50 cents to get in, and children under 7 went free.

The pools closed for works and reopened in October 2025. The council described the project as an energy-efficiency upgrade, and Rádio Castelo Branco listed what it involved: new air-handling and heating systems, better lighting, solar panels, waterproofing and insulation of the building, and refurbished changing rooms. It was paid for partly with EU funds through the Centro 2030 programme. Lessons in the renovated indoor pool started at the beginning of December 2025.

The council doesn’t publish the size or depth of the pools, so ask at reception if you need to know whether a small child can stand.

At its meeting on 25 May 2026 the council set the summer arrangements:

• Opening: the Idanha-a-Nova complex opened on 13 June 2026.
• Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 19:00. Closed on Mondays.
• Prices: free for children up to 6. Ages 7 to 12 pay €0.50, and everyone over 12 pays €2.50.
• Discounts: children up to 12 with the council’s summer card (Cartão de Verão) go free, and card holders aged 13 to 20 pay €0.50. Holders of the Cartão Raiano 65+ (the council’s over-65s card) also go free, and non-residents with the card pay €1.50.
• Sunbeds: €2 a day to hire.

The pool bar is let to a private operator each season. The council didn’t publish a closing date for the summer season, so check before visiting in September.

A family of two adults and two children aged 7 to 12 would pay €6 for a summer day, plus sunbeds if you want them.

The 2026/27 season timetable on the council’s website lists 25 classes a week, most of them on weekday evenings from 17:30:

• Baby swimming (Natação para Bebés): three groups, at 17:45 on weekday evenings.
• Water familiarisation and discovery (AMA 1): four groups, for children new to the water.
• Water confidence (AMA 2): three groups.
• Learning the strokes (NAT): three groups.
• Adults’ swimming and water aerobics: several groups a week.

Public swimming (regime livre) runs every day alongside the swimming school, in the lanes classes aren’t using. Weekday mornings at 10:30 are for senior water aerobics linked to the Cartão Raiano, with a different group of villages each day.

For 2026/27, current pupils renewed their places until 25 September, and new pupils could sign up from 28 to 30 September, in person at the pool office. Classes start on 6 October. The council doesn’t publish lesson fees online, so ask at reception.

The council says the pools have rules of use, but it hasn’t put them online. Check the pool’s rules on arrival, and pack a swim cap and flip-flops in case they’re required.

This is a small-town municipal pool, not a leisure park. The council’s descriptions mention no slides or play features. For the outdoor pool, bring sun protection and hats, and consider hiring a sunbed if you plan to stay all afternoon.

The boulder village of Monsanto, with its castle ruins on the summit, is in the same municipality and makes a good morning before an afternoon swim. In Castelo Branco, the district capital, the piscina-praia is a bigger leisure pool built to look like a beach, with a shallow learner pool. Further north, Fundão has municipal pools too.

How much does the Idanha-a-Nova pool cost for children?

In summer 2026, children up to 6 were free, ages 7 to 12 paid €0.50 and over-12s paid €2.50. Children up to 12 with the council’s summer card also go free.

When is the outdoor pool open?

In 2026 it opened on 13 June, Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 19:00, and was closed on Mondays.

Are there swimming lessons for babies?

Yes. The indoor pool runs baby swimming classes, water-confidence groups and stroke classes, starting in October each season.

Is the indoor pool open all year?

It runs lessons and public swimming through the school year. The council’s 2026/27 classes start on 6 October.

How do you sign up for lessons?

In person at the pool office. In 2026, new pupils could sign up from 28 to 30 September.