A perfect stroke: Swim lessons in Brussels

Slowly but surely, summer vacation is on its way. And whether you plan to stay near or to head to hot climates, you’re likely looking forward to taking that first refreshing dip on a hot day into a cool pool. So it’s the perfect time of year to look into swimming lessons if you or your child want to learn a few strokes before setting out for the beach this summer.

Lessons for kids and adults

Knowing how to swim can be a question of safety: knowing what to do if you find yourself in water. But most of all it’s for the fun!

To find swimming lessons for yourself or your child in Brussels, the easiest place to start is at your local community pool. Almost every commune of Brussels has at least one pool to its name, and most will offer instruction for infants, children and adults. Someone from the Free University of Brussels has provided a useful list of all the pools open to the general public.

The Poseidon swimming pool, for example, in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert offers swimming lessons for children ages four to 12, focused on familiarising children with the water and teaching basic strokes. They also have classes for infants and toddlers as well as for advanced swimmers and adults.

At the public pools, classes usually cost between €7 and €8 per lesson. However, they have a few disadvantages. The pools tend to be crowded and the times are fixed and might not fit into everyone’s schedule. Also, for the most part, courses will take place in French.

Another option is to take lessons at one of the private fitness clubs in Brussels. Most of the major fitness clubs with pools offer swimming classes, including Stadium Fitness and the high-end Aspria. If you’re already a member of such a club, this might be your best option.

However, for the most flexibility or for lessons in languages other than French, you might want to look at companies like Le Têtard, which offers group and individual instruction either at your home (if you have a pool) or at one of the five pools they operate in in the Brussels area. Whether you’re an individual or a small group, you’ll have more flexibility in terms of course times. Also, while they typical operate in French, they also can provide instruction in English, Dutch and Spanish.  

The downside of going to a place like Têtard is cost. Prices range from €22 to €37 per course, depending on the swimming pool and the number of students in the course. Typically, individual courses will cost you between €35 and €37.

A final, possibly cheaper option if you’re looking for flexible lesson times a lower cost is to ask around to friends or post on message boards (like The Bulletin Q&A) to see if anyone can recommend a good private instructor.

Swimming clubs

If you already know how to swim, but would like to improve your performance by swimming with like-minded folk, most of the public pools in Brussels also have swimming clubs. For example, the Nage de Saint-Gilles, the swimming club of Victor Boin pool in Saint-Gilles, swims Monday to Friday, 19.30 to 22.00.

Finding swimming gear

Before you dive into the water, make sure you have your swim gear. All pools in Brussels require swimsuits and many oblige you to wear bathing caps as well. For these, as well as other gear such as goggles or swim fins, Decathlon (near the Eramus metro) or AS Adventure (Porte de Namur) are good places to start. Both carry a nice selection of suits and other equipment for your new hobby.