Piscinas Municipais de Quarteira

The Piscinas Municipais de Quarteira are run by Loulé council, which also runs the bigger Loulé pool complex inland. This is an indoor pool, so it’s useful on the Algarve’s wet and windy winter days, when the beach isn’t an option. It opens from 1 September to 31 July and closes for the whole of August.

The building has three pools:

• A sports pool with 25-metre and 50-metre lanes. With a movable platform it can be set up as eight 25-metre lanes for competitions.
• A learner pool (tanque de aprendizagem), 12.5 by 8 metres.
• A paddling pool (chapinheiro), 7 by 5.7 metres, for the smallest children.

There’s also an exercise room, a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi (temporarily closed for repairs when checked), and a stand with seats for 355 people.

Public swimming here is called utilização livre (free use). When checked in September 2026, the pools were open:

• Monday to Friday: 7:00 to 14:00 and 15:00 to 21:00.
• Saturday: 7:00 to 14:00 and 15:00 to 19:00.
• Sundays and public holidays: closed.

The Saturday afternoon session is useful for working families: the Loulé pools, run by the same council, close at 14:00 on Saturdays.

There are two ways to pay. A monthly card costs €24 and gives you one 90-minute swim a day from Monday to Saturday. Or you can use a rechargeable card, with the current fee taken off for each 90-minute session. The council’s page doesn’t list the single-swim price for Quarteira, so ask at reception. You can pay in cash or by Multibanco card.

The FAQ is clear: lycra swim shorts or a swimsuit, a swim cap (touca) and flip-flops (chinelos) are compulsory in the pools. Baggy board shorts aren’t allowed. You get 15 minutes in the changing rooms before your activity and 30 minutes afterwards.

The council’s pages don’t say at what age children can swim without an adult or whether swim nappies are required, so check with reception before your first visit.

The Escola Municipal de Natação de Quarteira teaches everything from baby classes to pre-competition swimming. The 2026/27 enrolment notes group the classes like this:

• Babies: 10 months to age 3 inclusive.
• Children: 4 to 12.
• Teenagers: 13 to 17.

Children up to 5 can join a class straight away if there’s a space; otherwise they go on the waiting list for the first water-confidence level. From age 6, children take a short practical test first so the teachers can place them at the right level, and children up to 7 wait in a water-confidence class until their test result is in. A test taken in 2025/26 still counts.

For the 2026/27 season, new enrolments were in person, first come first served with a ticket system: babies on 14 and 15 September, children from 16 to 18 September and teenagers on 21 and 22 September 2026. Bring ID for yourself and your child and be ready to sign a term of responsibility. Classes were expected to start on 1 October 2026. Lesson prices aren’t listed on the council’s pages; check at reception.

Parents can watch the lessons. There’s a stand along the side of the pool for family members.

The pool also runs water fitness classes (hydrogymnastics, aqua bike, deep-water and senior classes), hydrotherapy, and land-based Pilates, all for ages 16 and up. Artistic swimming and lifesaving are also practised here. The exercise room is for over-16s only.

This is a working sports pool. Clubs and classes take lanes at busy times, and the council’s page doesn’t publish a lane timetable for public swimming, so phone ahead if you’re planning a family swim around a specific time. There are no slides or play features; for those, Aquashow, also in Quarteira, has an indoor water park from October.

When are the Quarteira pools closed?

All of August, plus Sundays and public holidays. The season runs from 1 September to 31 July.

Do you need a swim cap?

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

From what age are swimming lessons?

Baby classes start at 10 months and run to age 3. Children’s classes cover ages 4 to 12 and teenagers 13 to 17.

Can I watch my child’s swimming lesson?

Yes. There’s a spectator stand along the side of the pool.

Is there a pool for toddlers?

Yes. Besides the learner pool, there’s a small paddling pool (chapinheiro) of 7 by 5.7 metres.