Piscinas Municipais Rui Abreu

The Piscinas Municipais Rui Abreu sit on Rua António Sérgio in Pedrulha, on the northern edge of Coimbra. The pool has been open since September 2004 and is named after Rui Abreu (1961 to 1982), a Coimbra swimmer who was national champion and record holder and swam at the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Games.

It’s one of three indoor pools run directly by the Câmara Municipal de Coimbra, and of the three it’s the one with the most for families around the pool itself. Outside there’s a car park, a large green area, a children’s playground and a basketball court. Inside there’s a mixed changing room meant for adults who come with children, which saves the usual problem of a dad with a daughter or a mum with a son.

According to the council’s page for the pool:

• Main pool: 25 by 21 metres, eight lanes, 1.80 m deep at one end and 2 m at the other. Nobody touches the bottom here, and the regulations only allow people who can swim into the main pools during public sessions.
• Learner pool (tanque de aprendizagem): 21 by 12 metres, five lanes, 70 cm to 1.10 m deep, with an access ramp for people with reduced mobility.

The learner pool is the one for families. It’s shallow enough for many primary-age children to stand in at the 70 cm end, but toddlers still need to be held.

The building was designed for competitive swimming, water polo and synchronised swimming as well as lessons, so clubs train here. There are stands for 120 spectators.

The pool is open Monday to Friday from 7:30 to 22:30 and on Saturdays from 7:30 to 18:00. It’s closed on Sundays and public holidays. The water opens 15 minutes after the doors and closes 15 minutes before them.

Public swimming (regime de utilização livre) runs throughout opening hours, but in limited space: the 2025/26 timetable promises at least one lane of the 25-metre pool (up to 12 people) and at least one lane of the learner pool (up to 9 people) at all times. When clubs and classes are using the other lanes, that can feel tight with children.

Each public swim is 45 minutes in the water, plus 20 minutes to change beforehand and 30 minutes afterwards. The regulations cap the whole visit at 95 minutes; go over and you pay for another session.

The council’s 2025/26 price list, dated 1 January 2026, is among the cheapest you’ll find for a city pool:

Public swim	Children 6 to 12	Adults	Seniors, Cartão Jovem, students	Large families
Single swim	€1.60	€2.70	€2.20	€1.60
12 swims	€15	€26	€21	€15
26 swims	€31	€52	€41	€31

Children under 6 swim free in public sessions, under the pool regulations. Everyone needs a user card: a regular card costs €5.40 to issue and €1.10 a year to renew. Occasional visitors can ask at reception for a one-off card by showing ID and paying for the swim.

For regular swimmers the council sells passes that work at all its pools. The Coimbra FIT Júnior card for under-16s cost €163 a year or €95 for six months when checked.

The council’s own classes at Rui Abreu are for over-16s: swimming on Friday mornings, aqua aerobics and a deep-water class called HidroDeep on weekday mornings. The price list also includes a programme called Coimbra a Nadar at €5.40 (once a week) or €11 (twice a week); ask at reception who it’s for and when it runs. The regulations let clubs and associations rent lanes, so ask reception which clubs teach children here. Baby classes are concentrated at the Luís Lopes da Conceição pool, according to the regulations.

From the municipal pools regulations and the pool’s current conditions of use:

• Children under 12 must be with someone over 18 who takes responsibility for watching them.
• Swim cap (touca) for everyone, and a sports swimsuit. Caps are on sale at reception.
• Proper footwear in the changing rooms and around the pool, and everyone showers and walks through the footbath before swimming.
• Babies and toddlers who need them must wear swim nappies; the regulations mention children under five specifically.
• Only people who can swim may use the main pool in public sessions.
• Parents who are not swimming can’t stand on the poolside. They wait in the spectator area.
• Children under 7 can go into the other sex’s changing room with an adult, and there’s also the mixed changing room.
• No watches, jewellery or hair clips in the water, no creams, no sitting on the pool steps, and no hanging on the lane ropes.
• Food and drink only in the bar area.
• Lockers are in every changing room; you get the key at reception in exchange for ID.

The pool is for swimming, not play: there are no slides or toys, and the space for families is a lane or two. Check the council page for closures before you go, as the timetable changes for competitions and events. In 2026 the council also listed a project to repair the timber arches that hold up the roof, so ask whether any works are planned.

Coimbra’s other two municipal pools have the same prices and rules. The Centro Olímpico de Piscinas Municipais at Praça Heróis do Ultramar has a 50-metre Olympic pool with underwater windows and a 25-metre pool, and opens on Sunday mornings. The Luís Lopes da Conceição pool in São Martinho do Bispo also has a learner pool, 70 cm to 1.10 m deep.

After a swim, Portugal dos Pequenitos, the park of child-sized Portuguese houses and monuments, is across the river. On a wet day the Museu da Ciência in the old university laboratory and the Exploratório science centre are both indoors.

Do children need a swim cap at Coimbra’s municipal pools?

Yes. A swim cap is compulsory for everyone, and reception sells them for €2.83.

How much is a family swim?

A child aged 6 to 12 paid €1.60 and an adult €2.70 in 2025/26, with under-6s free. Two adults and two school-age children cost €8.60, plus the one-off €5.40 user card for regular users.

Is there a shallow pool for toddlers?

The learner pool is 70 cm to 1.10 m deep, so toddlers need an adult holding them. There’s no separate paddling pool.

Is it open on Sundays?

No. Rui Abreu closes on Sundays and public holidays. The Centro Olímpico opens on Sundays from 8:00 to 13:15.

Can my child swim on their own?

From age 12. Under-12s need an adult over 18 with them.