A recreational swim at Eindhoven's two municipal pools is 6.75 euro, and the 3.40 band is closed during school holidays

Eindhoven's two municipal pools charge 6.75 euro for a recreational swim from age four, 3.40 for under-fours and 4.50 for over-65s. The same table carries an off-peak rate of 3.40 euro, exactly half the full fare, but it applies only at ir. Ottenbad, only on Thursdays between 13.00 and 18.00, and the page states it does not apply in July and August, in school holidays or on public holidays. That half-price band is therefore structurally closed on precisely the days a family with school-age children is free. Three further lines on the same table are multi-entry cards, at 57.00 euro for ten swims, 95.00 for twenty and 157.00 for forty, each valid a year with nothing refunded on what you fail to use. Setting those beside the fares produces a result most people would not guess: the unit price of even the largest card is still higher than that Thursday afternoon walk-in rate.

• Recreational swimming: 3.40 euro for ages 0 to 3, 6.75 from age 4, 4.50 for over-65s on production of ID, and 5.20 a head for groups of at least 25. (source 1)
• The 3.40 euro off-peak rate applies only at ir. Ottenbad on Thursdays from 13.00 to 18.00, and is stated not to apply in July and August, in school holidays or on public holidays. (source 1)
• Lane swimming: 6.75 euro from age 12 and 4.50 for over-65s, with the same 3.40 off-peak rate, on Mondays at the Tongelreep and Thursdays at the Ottenbad, both 13.00 to 18.00. (source 1)
• Multi-entry cards: 57.00 euro for ten, 95.00 for twenty and 157.00 for forty, each valid one year with no refund on unused entries. The ten-entry card is not personal and can be shared with family and friends, while the twenty and forty are personal and tied to the Eindhoven Sportpas. (source 1)
• The page records that all swimming rates rose by 3.5 percent on 1 August 2026, and notes that recreational swimming on a multi-entry card is possible only at ir. Ottenbad. (source 2)

The first sum is when a card pays for itself: card price divided by the single fare. The ten-entry card is 57.00 over 6.75, which is 8.4, so it only starts paying on the ninth swim. The twenty works out at 95.00 over 20, or 4.75 a swim, and the forty at 157.00 over 40, or 3.93. Bigger card, lower unit price, no surprise there.

The surprise arrives when the off-peak rate joins the comparison: 3.40 euro is below the 3.93 the largest card works out at. If your week bends enough to reach the Ottenbad on a Thursday afternoon, no card beats simply walking in at the off-peak fare, and the walk-in neither costs 157 euro up front nor expires unused after a year. What a card really buys is not a lower price but freedom over when you go.

The third sum is for a household: people times 6.75 is one visit, so 27.00 euro for a family of four. That is where the line saying the ten-entry card is not personal and may be shared becomes the important one. A single 57.00 euro card spread over four people covers two and a half family visits at 5.70 a head. The twenty and forty are personal and cannot be split that way, so for a group it is the smallest card that works hardest.

Hokimi field note: the ten-entry card can only be bought at the pool reception, while the twenty and forty are the ones sold online, so the shareable card is the one that needs a trip in person. The page also says to reserve through the webshop before coming, and each of the two pools has its own webshop, so check you are booking on the right one.

Where

ir. Ottenbad and Nationaal Zwemcentrum de Tongelreep, both in Eindhoven

When

Off-peak is Monday or Thursday 13.00 to 18.00 depending on the pool

Price

Recreational swim 6.75 euro, off-peak 3.40, cards at 57.00, 95.00 and 157.00

Ages

3.40 euro for ages 0 to 3; lane swimming from age 12

Booking

Reserve through the webshop of that particular pool before coming

Note

The off-peak rate is excluded in July and August, school holidays and public holidays