Lake swimming in Portugal: 2025 water quality
Portugal reported 49 lake bathing waters for the 2025 season. 89.8% were classified Excellent — 7.8 points above the 82% for all 682 bathing waters in the country — and 1 was Poor. 17 sites have been Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025. Among the 19 countries with at least 30 lake bathing waters, Portugal ranks 7 by Excellent share.
lake bathing waters
Excellent in 2025
Poor in 2025
Find the nearest Excellent lake to you →
Map of lake bathing waters
How lake bathing waters in Portugal rated since 2015
Counts for the sites in today’s 2025 inventory; the Excellent share is calculated over classified sites only.
| Season | Classified | Excellent | Excellent share | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 46 | 44 | 95.7% | 1 |
| 2024 | 43 | 41 | 95.3% | 0 |
| 2023 | 43 | 42 | 97.7% | 0 |
| 2022 | 38 | 37 | 97.4% | 0 |
| 2021 | 38 | 38 | 100% | 0 |
| 2020 | 34 | 34 | 100% | 0 |
| 2019 | 32 | 31 | 96.9% | 0 |
| 2018 | 30 | 29 | 96.7% | 0 |
| 2017 | 28 | 27 | 96.4% | 0 |
| 2016 | 25 | 25 | 100% | 0 |
| 2015 | 23 | 22 | 95.7% | 0 |
Most consistent Excellent lakes
17 sites were Excellent in all eleven seasons. Ordered by the length of the unbroken Excellent run ending in 2025.
- ALBUFEIRA DA TAPADA GRANDE 11 seasons
- ALBUFEIRA DE QUEIMADELA 11 seasons
- ALBUFEIRA DO ERMAL 11 seasons
- ALDEIA DO MATO 11 seasons
- ALQUEIRÃO 11 seasons
- CABRIL 11 seasons
- CASTANHEIRA OU LAGO AZUL 11 seasons
- FERNANDAIRES 11 seasons
- FRAGA DA PEGADA 11 seasons
- LOMBA 11 seasons
- MONTES 11 seasons
- RIBEIRA 11 seasons
- SANTA LUZIA 11 seasons
- SENHORA DA RIBEIRA 11 seasons
- VALE DO ROSSIM 11 seasons
- VILA NOVA-SERRA 11 seasons
- ZABOEIRA 11 seasons
- ÁLVARO 10 seasons
- SANTA CLARA 10 seasons
- CLUBE NÁUTICO DE AVIS 9 seasons
- MOURÃO 9 seasons
- PRAIA FLUVIAL DE MONSARAZ 9 seasons
- ALBUFEIRA DE ALFAIATES 8 seasons
- EREIRA 8 seasons
- AMIEIRA 7 seasons
- CARRIÇA 7 seasons
- CINCO REIS 6 seasons
- FONTES 6 seasons
- ALBUFEIRA DO CALDEIRÃO 5 seasons
- ALQUEIDÃO 5 seasons
- ÁREA RECREATIVA E DE LAZER DAS AZENHAS D'EL REI 5 seasons
- PRAIA FLUVIAL DE ALQUEVA 5 seasons
- REBOLIM 4 seasons
- ALBERGARIA DOS FUSOS 3 seasons
- ALBUFEIRA DO VILAR 3 seasons
- CONGIDA 3 seasons
- LAGOA DA ERVEDEIRA 3 seasons
- VILA DA PONTE 3 seasons
- BAIRRADA/BAIRRADINHA 2 seasons
- PRAIA DO LAGO 2 seasons
- ALBUFEIRA DA MEIMÔA 1 season
- ALBUFEIRA DE ODELEITE 1 season
- BARRINHA DE MIRA 1 season
- PRAIA DE ORIOLA 1 season
Lakes rated Poor in 2025
- BITETOS Poor in 1 of 11 classified seasons
Changes from 2024 to 2025
Improved (1)
- ALBUFEIRA DA MEIMÔA Good → Excellent
Lake bathing waters by region
| Region | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centre (Centro) | 17 | 88.2% | 0 |
| Alentejo | 13 | 92.3% | 0 |
| North (Norte) | 10 | 90% | 1 |
| Oeste e Vale do Tejo | 8 | 87.5% | 0 |
Regions with at least three lake bathing waters; counts include only this water type.
Near which major cities?
Sites within 60 km (straight line) of a major city covered by our city guides:
- Porto 4 lake bathing waters within 60 km
Lakes compared across Europe
| # | Country | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austria | 254 | 96.9% | 1 |
| 2 | Finland | 211 | 95.7% | 0 |
| 3 | Denmark | 123 | 94.3% | 0 |
| 4 | Germany | 1,893 | 91.8% | 3 |
| 5 | Lithuania | 80 | 91.3% | 0 |
| 6 | Czechia | 62 | 90.3% | 0 |
| 7 | Portugal | 49 | 89.8% | 1 |
| 8 | Italy | 673 | 88.4% | 5 |
| 9 | France | 845 | 86.7% | 15 |
| 10 | Switzerland | 135 | 86.7% | 4 |
| 11 | Sweden | 210 | 82.4% | 6 |
| 12 | Estonia | 30 | 80% | 0 |
| 13 | Spain | 109 | 79.8% | 4 |
| 14 | Belgium | 77 | 79.2% | 1 |
| 15 | Netherlands | 587 | 70.5% | 26 |
| 16 | Slovakia | 40 | 70% | 0 |
| 17 | Hungary | 247 | 69.6% | 3 |
| 18 | Croatia | 34 | 67.6% | 0 |
| 19 | Poland | 489 | 60.1% | 5 |
Countries with at least 30 lake bathing waters. Networks differ in size and in how sites are designated, so this is a descriptive comparison, not a safety ranking.
Quick answers
- How many lake bathing waters in Portugal are rated Excellent?
- 44 of 49 (89.8%) in the 2025 EEA classification.
- Which lakes in Portugal have the best long-term record?
- 17 sites were Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025, for example ALBUFEIRA DA TAPADA GRANDE, ALBUFEIRA DE QUEIMADELA, ALBUFEIRA DO ERMAL. See the full list.
- Can I check current conditions?
- The annual class is not a live status. Current results and bans are published on InfoÁgua (APA). Each site page on BathingWaterFinder also shows a weather forecast, including heavy-rain warnings.
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