Piscinas Municipais de Vila do Conde

The Piscinas Municipais de Vila do Conde opened on 20 October 2019, designed by the architect Silva Garcia. Vila do Conde council runs them directly.

Inside there’s a 50-metre pool with eight lanes, each 2.5 metres wide, and a separate learner pool used for water aerobics and beginners’ classes. The learner pool has a ramp into the water for people with reduced mobility, which makes it easier to take in a child who uses a wheelchair. The building also has a gym, a sauna and steam room area, a small spectator stand and a bar-restaurant.

Outside is an open-air pool that opens only in August.

The tourism office lists these opening hours:

• Monday to Friday: 8:00 to 22:30
• Saturday: 8:00 to 19:30
• Sunday: 8:00 to 12:30, from October to July only
• Outdoor pool: every day in August, 10:00 to 19:00

Public swimming (regime de utilização livre) doesn’t need advance registration, according to the council’s sports portal: you pay and swim. Each indoor visit gives you an hour in the water plus time to change. Classes and training use part of the water through the day, so on the 50-metre pool you’ll usually be sharing with lane swimmers. Ask at reception when the learner pool is free for play.

These come from the council’s price list, linked from its sports portal in September 2026. It isn’t dated, so check at reception.

Indoor pool, one hour plus changing time:

• Under-18s: €2 a swim, €11.50 for 8 swims or €28.70 for 20
• Adults: €2.60 a swim, €15.30 for 8 or €38.20 for 20

Outdoor pool, 10:00 to 19:00 in August:

• Children aged 0 to 4: free
• Children aged 5 to 17: €4.20
• Adults: €5.30

There’s a one-off €2.50 charge for the access card. The spa (sauna and steam room with a 90-minute swim) starts at age 15, at €3.70 for 15 to 17-year-olds.

The Escola de Natação Municipal (municipal swimming school) has three groups for younger swimmers:

• Babies, from 6 months to 3 years. The council describes it as play-based water confidence that also helps motor, cognitive and social development. It costs €12.70 a month for one class a week.
• Children and teenagers, 4 to 17, across four levels: getting used to the water (adaptação ao meio aquático), beginners (iniciação), advanced beginners (iniciação avançada) and improvers (aperfeiçoamento), up to all four strokes. It costs €23.90 a month for two classes a week.
• Adults from 18, at €31.90 a month.

There’s also a physiotherapy class in the water for under-18s, at €15.90 a month for one session a week.

The season runs from September to July. For 2025/26, existing pupils re-enrolled first, then people on the waiting list, and new pupils could sign up from 22 September, in person at the pool reception. Classes fill up, and full classes put new pupils on a waiting list. Monthly fees can be paid through the council’s online sports portal.

The council doesn’t publish the pool’s full regulations online, so check at reception for the rules on swim caps, flip-flops and children swimming without an adult. Pack a swim cap in case.

The outdoor pool is open for just one month, August, and only from 10:00 to 19:00. In June and July the beach is the summer option in Vila do Conde, and you can still swim indoors.

There’s a second council pool in Mindelo, in the south of the municipality. The council’s satisfaction survey lists both.

Sunday swimming stops at 12:30, and there’s no Sunday opening in August or September, so weekend swims are best on Saturdays.

The Centro Ciência Viva de Vila do Conde is in town for an indoor science stop, and the Nau Quinhentista, a full-size replica 16th-century ship, is moored on the river. Just north, the Piscinas Municipais da Póvoa de Varzim have a summer outdoor pool that opens from July.

How much does it cost to swim in Vila do Conde?

On the council’s current price list, an indoor swim costs €2 for under-18s and €2.60 for adults. The outdoor pool costs €4.20 for children aged 5 to 17 and €5.30 for adults.

Is there a baby or toddler pool?

There’s a learner pool used for beginners, separate from the 50-metre pool. Under-5s go free in the outdoor pool in August.

Is the outdoor pool open all summer?

No, only in August, daily from 10:00 to 19:00.

From what age are swimming lessons?

Baby swimming starts at 6 months. Children’s classes run from 4 to 17.

Is the pool accessible?

The learner pool has a ramp into the water for people with reduced mobility.