This is the English version of an article first published in Polish: read the Polish original. It refers to source material: sport.um.warszawa.pl. The text is our own commentary, not a translation or copy of that source.

Wilanów has its own indoor swimming pool, so there is no need to travel to Ursynów or downtown. The Wiertnicza pool operates as part of Centrum Sportu Wilanów at ul. Wiertnicza 26A, a short walk from Zawady and Kępa Zawadowska. It is one of four CSW facilities in the district, alongside the centres on Gubinowska, Uprawna and Syta streets, but Wiertnicza is the one with both a sports pool and a recreational pool under one roof.

The facility is open Monday to Friday from 6:00 to 22:00, and Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 to 22:00. The last entry to the pool is at 21:00, so the doors close an hour before closing time. The sauna runs on a different schedule: weekdays from 16:00 to 21:30, and weekends also from 8:00 to 12:00.

What it costs

A regular one hour ticket costs 22 zloty, the reduced rate is 16 zloty and covers children from age four, students up to 26, retirees and people with disabilities. With a Young Varsovian Card the reduced rate drops to 15 zloty an hour. Families get a separate price: a parent pays 20 zloty, and each child adds 10 zloty, which often works out cheaper than buying single tickets for everyone.

The sports pool is 25 metres long with six lanes and deep enough for serious laps, not just splashing around. Next to it is the recreational pool, shallower and warmer, with a separate section for the youngest kids, so a parent with a toddler does not have to share the water with people swimming timed sets.

Booking a lane or signing up for swimming lessons goes through the facility's front desk, and the phone number for Centrum Sportu Wilanów is +48 22 885 00 60. If renovation work or a club competition is taking up part of the pool, it is worth calling before leaving the house, since the lane schedule changes from week to week.

For families with small children this is a convenient alternative to driving further out on a weekend, since getting there from Miasteczko Wilanów or Wilanów Wysoki takes only a few minutes by car, and parking at the facility is free. Swimming schools and sports clubs book out part of the lanes on a regular daily schedule, so a parent planning an afternoon visit with a child does well to call ahead and ask how many lanes are left for individual entries that day.