As a Brit I find there is something quite pleasing about sitting around an open air swimming pool in the summer without a cloud in the sky. In Madrid you are practically guaranteed 3 months of perfect weather for going to the pool. Many Spaniards will shortly begin their summer timetable and will be able to enjoy the hot afteroons next to the pool.

Within the next 2 weeks practically all of Madrid 75 municipal pools (yes, 75!!) will open their doors. According to the newspaper 20 Minutos, 5 will open this weekend: Centro de Natación M-86, el Estadio Vallehermoso, el Canal de Isabel II, San Vicente de Paúl and el Parque Deportivo Puerta de Hierro.

Madrid’s municipal facilities are very good and, from a British standpoint at least, very cheap. Prices for entry this year are 4.05 Euros with discounts of 20% and 40% for youngsters and children, respectively. If I’m correct you can even get a summer pass which brings the price down to much less. What’s more you’ll be able to enjoy a cool beer and decent food at practically all of them.

For a good list of municipal pools check out this article – Open Air Swimming Pools in Madrid – that I wrote on this site or  go to La Netro.com.