Piscinas Municipais de São João da Madeira

São João da Madeira is a small town in the north of Aveiro district, and its Complexo Desportivo Paulo Pinto holds the town’s municipal pools. In summer the outdoor side opens as a proper pool park, and the council says it draws people from across the region. The indoor pool next to it stays open all year for lessons and swimming.

The outdoor pools had a big upgrade in the summer of 2016, when the council added a water slide area. The council’s page describes two large slides (toboggans): the longer one is about 70 metres and the other about 30 metres. Because those slides aren’t meant for the smallest children, the council also added water play equipment to the children’s pool at the same time.

According to the council and its rules for the outdoor pools, the summer complex has:

• A 50-metre Olympic-size pool, for proper swimming.
• A diving pool. The 3rd and 4th diving boards are closed to the public, so only the lower boards are used.
• Two water slides of about 70 m and 30 m.
• A children’s pool with water play equipment for younger children.
• A children’s playground, a large tree-shaded lawn and a bar.
• Changing rooms with individual and group showers, toilets, and a footbath.

The mix makes it work for families with children of different ages. Toddlers have the children’s pool, school-age children can try the slides, and teenagers can use the diving boards.

The council posts safety rules by the slides, and swimmers must follow the pool staff’s instructions. From the written rules:

• Go down feet first, sitting up, with hands inside the slide.
• No “trains” or going down in pairs, no stopping on the way and no starting partway down.
• No jewellery, glasses or clothes with studs or metal buttons.
• Leave the splash pool at the bottom straight away, and don’t dive in at the exit.
• The council advises people who are pregnant or have heart problems not to use the slides.

The rules don’t give a minimum age or height for the slides, so ask the lifeguards before a young child has a go.

The outdoor pools open only in summer, every day from 10:00 to 19:30, with everyone out of the water by 19:00. In 2025 they opened on 23 June. Check the council’s page or its announcements in late May or June for the new season’s dates.

The indoor pool is open all year: Monday to Friday 7:45 to 23:00, Saturday 8:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 19:00, and Sunday 9:00 to 12:00. It’s a 25 m by 13 m pool, 1.05 m deep at the ends and 1.45 m in the middle, with six lanes. The council’s page says it has set times for public swimming (regime livre) as well as the municipal swimming school.

The council hadn’t published current prices for the outdoor pools online when checked, so check at the ticket office. The rules say tickets aren’t refunded for bad weather, and bookings are only taken from schools, nurseries and holiday clubs with groups of more than ten.

For the indoor pool, the price list linked on the council’s page (dated 2019) gave these monthly fees for the swimming school:

Swimming school	Once a week	Twice a week	Three times a week
Babies up to 36 months	€12	€16	€22
Children 4 to 12	€15	€19	€25
13 and over	€22	€26	€32

On top of that were a €7.50 registration fee, €15 insurance and a €3 card, plus a 20% family discount for four or more close relatives enrolled together. Intensive 20-lesson courses cost €55. Ask whether these prices still apply.

Outdoor pools:

• Children under 12 must come with an adult who is responsible for watching them.
• Swimwear and flip-flops on the poolside, and shower before getting in.
• No armbands, lilos, balls or other toys in the water, except armbands in the children’s pool.
• No glass, no animals and no sunshades of your own. Loungers and sunshades can be rented in a set area.
• You can bring one small bag or cool bag of up to 20 litres each. No eating, drinking or smoking in the water areas; ball games aren’t allowed anywhere in the pool grounds.

Indoor pool:

• Swim cap and flip-flops are compulsory, and everyone showers first.
• No armbands or floats, apart from the teaching equipment used in lessons.
• Lockers take your own padlock, which you remove when you leave.
• Each session is up to an hour, and each lane holds up to nine people.
• Users sign a declaration that they have no health reason not to swim.

The ban on toys and floats outside the children’s pool matters if your child relies on armbands, so plan to keep weaker swimmers in the children’s pool. Arrive early on hot weekends for a spot on the grass under the trees. There’s a bar on site, and you can bring a small cool bag.

São João da Madeira is close to Oliveira de Azeméis, where the Moinho e Pão de Ul museum shows bread being made in old water mills, and to Santa Maria da Feira, home of the Museu do Papel. The dramatic Passadiços do Paiva in Arouca are further east.

Does São João da Madeira have water slides?

Yes. The outdoor municipal pools have two slides, about 70 metres and 30 metres long, and a children’s pool with water play equipment.

When do the outdoor pools open?

In summer, daily from 10:00 to 19:30. In 2025 the season started on 23 June.

Can children use armbands?

In the outdoor children’s pool, yes. Armbands and other floats aren’t allowed in the other outdoor pools or in the indoor pool.

Do children need a swim cap?

In the indoor pool, yes. The outdoor pool rules don’t mention caps.

Can we take a picnic?

You can bring a small bag or cool bag of up to 20 litres, but no glass. Eating isn’t allowed in the water areas, so use the lawns.