Piscinas Municipais de Monchique

Monchique is the Algarve’s mountain town, in the Serra de Monchique above Portimão. The council runs three pools here:

• An outdoor pool in Monchique itself, with a big pool and a separate children’s pool, open in summer.
• A small outdoor pool in the village of Casais, open in high summer.
• An indoor pool in Monchique’s pool complex, open from October to June.

Together they give you a summer swim when you’re exploring the hills, and a warm indoor pool for the rest of the year. Prices are very low.

According to the council’s page, the outdoor pool (Piscina Municipal de Monchique, exterior) has:

• A large pool, 25 by 12.5 metres, between 1.20 and 2 metres deep. That’s too deep for non-swimmers to stand, so small children need to be held or stay in the children’s pool.
• A children’s pool (piscina infantil), 12.5 by 6 metres and 60 centimetres deep.

It opens every summer between June and September, from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 19:00, and it’s closed on Mondays.

When checked in September 2026, entry cost €2 on weekdays and €3 at weekends and on public holidays. Children up to 5 go free. Students and over-65s who live in the municipality don’t pay.

The council has an online form for regular users. It’s also how parents of children under 14 who live in the municipality authorise them to use the outdoor pools without an adult. The page doesn’t give a rule for visiting children, so assume under-14s should be with an adult.

The Piscina Municipal dos Casais is a small outdoor pool, 10 by 16 metres, between 90 cm and 1.30 metres deep, so most adults can stand throughout. It opens only in July, August and September, from Tuesday to Sunday, 14:00 to 19:00. The council’s page doesn’t list a separate price.

The indoor pool is small and warm: 16 by 10 metres, 90 cm to 1.30 metres deep, with the water kept at 29 to 30 °C. It opens every year from October to June. It’s not a place for lengths so much as for lessons, water confidence and a gentle family swim.

Public swimming (utilização livre) fits around school use and classes. The council posts a new timetable each month; the October 2026 one showed public swimming in daytime slots, closing at 17:00, with the note that times can change. Weekday mornings are largely booked by local schools, so check the month’s timetable before you go.

Indoor public-swim prices when checked in September 2026:

• Under 6: free.
• Ages 6 to 11: €0.50 a swim, €4 for 10, or €8 a month.
• Ages 12 to 17: €1, €8 for 10, or €18 a month.
• Adults 18 to 65: €1.80, €13 for 10, or €22 a month.
• Retired people: €0.50, €4 for 10, or €8 a month.

The indoor pool runs a small swimming school with sea-creature class names. The 2026/27 timetable lists:

• Water confidence (adaptação ao meio aquático) for ages 2½ to 3 (classes such as Polvos, Medusas, Estrela do Mar and Raias), 4 to 5 (Focas, Orcas, Cavalos-Marinhos, Girinos) and 5 to 6 (Golfinhos, Tubarões, Cachalotes, Pinguins). These run on weekday late afternoons.
• Learning to swim (aprendizagem) in four groups: ages 6 to 7, 8 to 9, 10 to 11 and 12 to 15, on Tuesday and Thursday from 17:00.
• Adult swimming on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and aquagym.

Water-confidence and learning classes cost €15 a month for two sessions a week when checked. Aquagym is €15 for two a week or €22 for three. There’s also a gym in the same complex.

The council’s pages don’t list the kit rules (swim caps, flip-flops, swim nappies) for these pools, so take a cap and flip-flops to be safe and ask at the desk. The outdoor pools have no published details on shade or food, so bring hats, water and snacks. The outdoor pool is shut on Mondays, which catches out visitors.

In summer the town is a good base for walks and viewpoints in the serra; in winter, a child’s indoor swim here cost less than at any other Algarve council pool we checked.

On the way down to the coast, Slide & Splash is a full-day water park near Lagoa, and Silves Castle makes a history stop. 5emotions runs boat trips from Portimão.

Is there a pool for small children in Monchique?

Yes. In summer, the outdoor complex has a children’s pool 60 cm deep. Indoors, the whole pool is 90 cm to 1.30 m deep and heated to 29 to 30 °C.

How much does the outdoor pool cost?

€2 on weekdays and €3 at weekends and holidays when checked in September 2026. Children up to 5 go free.

When is the outdoor pool open?

Between June and September, Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 19:00. It’s closed on Mondays.

Is the indoor pool open in summer?

No. It opens from October to June; in summer the outdoor pools take over.

From what age are swimming lessons?

Water-confidence classes start at two and a half. Learn-to-swim groups run from 6 to 15.