Piscinas Municipais de Paços de Ferreira

The Piscinas Municipais de Paços de Ferreira are on Rua Capitão da Praça in the town, and are run by Gespaços, the council’s municipal company for sports buildings. There are two indoor pools open all year, outdoor pools for the summer, a gym, a multi-purpose room, a sauna and Turkish bath, and a bar and restaurant. Changing rooms include one adapted for disabled people.

The council also has a second indoor pool at Freamunde.

Gespaços publishes the size and depth of every pool, which makes it easier to decide where each child should swim:

Indoor

• A 25-by-12.5-metre pool, 0.80 to 1.20 metres deep. Taller children can stand in the shallow end, which suits learners.
• A 25-by-21-metre pool, 1.80 to 2.00 metres deep. This is deep water for confident swimmers and lessons.

Gespaços says the indoor water is kept at a comfortable temperature all year but doesn’t give a figure.

Outdoor (summer only)

• A paddling pool (chapinheiro), 10 by 8 metres and 20 centimetres deep.
• A 25-by-12.5-metre pool, 0.90 to 2.00 metres deep, which gets deep enough at one end that non-swimmers need an adult.

The outdoor pools have their own changing room.

The outdoor pools open only in the summer bathing season, every day from 9:30 to 19:00. In 2026 they reopened on 20 June, with free entry on the first day. Gespaços reported more than 30,000 visits to the outdoor pools in summer 2024, so expect crowds on hot weekends.

Outdoor prices for 2026

From Gespaços’ 2026/2027 price table:

Outdoor ticket	Price
Children up to 4	Free
Day ticket, children 5 to 13	€2.50
Day ticket, 14 and over	€4.00
“Happy hour” 17:00 to 19:00, children	€1.50
“Happy hour” 17:00 to 19:00, adults	€2.50
Book of 10 entries	€35.00

The last two hours of the day cost about 60% of the day price, which is handy after school or nursery.

Indoor public swimming (banhos livres) is paid by the hour on a card. In the 2026/27 price table:

• Children (5 to 13) and retired people: €1.60 an hour, or €1.20 in off-peak hours
• Adults (14 and over): €2.50 an hour, or €2.00 off-peak

Off-peak hours are weekdays 8:00 to 16:00, Saturdays 13:00 to 18:40 and Sundays 9:00 to 12:40. A child’s 10-swim pack costs €10, and unlimited monthly swimming costs €15 for a child or €20 for an adult.

The price table doesn’t list an indoor price for babies and toddlers under 5, so ask at reception.

The pools open on weekdays from 8:00 to 23:30, on Saturdays from 8:00 to 19:00 and on Sundays from 9:00 to 13:00.

Gespaços runs a swimming school at the Paços de Ferreira and Freamunde pools.

• Baby swimming (Natação Bebés) follows a baby’s development step by step, from getting used to the water and going under to early swimming skills, and is usually done with a parent in the water. In 2026/27 it cost €12 a month for one class a week, or €17 for two.
• Children’s swimming (Natação Kids) is for ages 5 to 16, for learners and for children improving their strokes. It cost €13 a month for one class a week, or €18 for two.

Enrolment costs €15, including personal accident insurance, and there’s a €3 fine for paying after the 10th of the month. Timetables are published by Gespaços for each season.

Family packages

Gespaços sells family packs that include unlimited gym and pool use: €35 a month for a family of two to five, or €50 for six to nine. A family lessons pack (swimming, aqua aerobics or hydrobike, in a class with a teacher) costs €40 a month for two to five people.

Gespaços’ pages don’t list rules on swim caps or swim nappies. Most Portuguese pools require caps for everyone, so pack one, and ask at reception about swim nappies for the paddling pool.

The council pools in neighbouring towns make good comparisons: Penafiel’s pools also have a shallow outdoor children’s pool, and the Piscina Quinta do Passal in Valongo has a children’s pool. The Parque da Cidade de Paredes has a playground and skate park.

Is there a baby pool at Paços de Ferreira?

In summer, yes: the outdoor paddling pool is 10 by 8 metres and 20 centimetres deep.

How much are the outdoor pools?

In 2026, a day ticket cost €2.50 for children aged 5 to 13 and €4 from 14. Under-5s went in free. From 17:00 to 19:00, tickets cost €1.50 and €2.50.

Can children stand in the indoor pool?

The smaller indoor pool is 0.80 to 1.20 metres deep, so taller children can stand at the shallow end. The larger pool is 1.80 to 2 metres deep.

When are the outdoor pools open?

Only during the summer bathing season, every day from 9:30 to 19:00. In 2026 they opened on 20 June.

Is there food at the pools?

Yes. The complex has a bar and a restaurant.