Frequently asked questions

The opening hours for each part of the centre, along with any changes around public holidays and school holidays, are always kept up to date on our website. Do have a quick look at the agenda page before your visit.

Yes, we provide plenty of lockers in the changing rooms so you can store your belongings safely. They are available to use with your wristband.

If you lose or forget your wristband, you will need to buy a new one.

To get in touch with Merwestein, you can call us on 030-600 42 60, send an email to info@merwestein.nl or fill in the contact form on the contact page. We are happy to help you with any questions you may have.

Yes, lost property is kept for up to two weeks after it is found. Valuable items such as jewellery, wallets, glasses and so on are kept behind the reception desk.

With our accessibility (MiVa) facilities we make sure that everyone, whatever their physical limitations, can fully enjoy everything Merwestein has to offer.

Our MiVa accessibility includes, among other things:

1. Easily accessible entrances, lifts and pathways.
2. Specially adapted changing rooms and showers.
3. Aids that guarantee easy access to the pools.

Our staff are ready to offer assistance wherever it is needed, so that everyone can have an enjoyable time at Merwestein. For more specific information about our MiVa facilities, please do get in touch with us.

We also offer special P.O.G. zwemmen for people with a disability. These lessons make use of a special chair lift and wide steps. Read more here about P.O.G. zwemmen.

Enjoy a varied selection of food and drink inside the Merwestein sports and events complex. You will find our Drink & Bites points in the central entrance hall, by the recreational part of the swimming pool, and on the first floor next to the sports halls.

Yes, there is parking available at Merwestein. The sports and events complex has a municipal car park where visitors can park their car. The exact location of this car park and further details about the parking options can be found on Merwestein's route and parking page. There you will find clear instructions on how to reach the car park, along with other useful information about parking at Merwestein.

Sports and Events Complex Merwestein is located in Nieuwegein, in the centre of the Netherlands, and is easy to reach both by car and by public transport. For visitors travelling by public transport, there are various bus connections from Utrecht Centraal station that stop close to Merwestein. Visitors coming by car can navigate easily via the A2 and A12, with clear directions available for the different approach routes. Detailed directions and public transport information can be found on Route Merwestein.

All current prices are listed on the Rates page. There you will find single admission, season tickets and the swimming lesson rates all in one place.

Yes, at Merwestein you can easily pay by debit card, including at the café inside the pool.

We do not offer discounted rates for students or CJP card holders. N-pas holders can use their pass for our swimming lessons. Please note: the conditions of the N-pas have changed and a personal budget now applies. For more information, take a look at this website.

Armbands are compulsory in our pool. Swim nappies are not compulsory, but we strongly recommend them for reasons of hygiene in the pool. Both are sold at the reception desk in the entrance hall.

Absolutely! During the recreational swimming times, special lanes are reserved for lane swimming. The number of lanes available for lane swimming varies depending on how busy the pool is.

Your child needs ordinary swimming trunks or a swimming costume for the lessons. Board shorts are not allowed.

If different swimwear is required later on in the lessons, you will be told in good time. All the clothing requirements for earning the Zwemdiploma can be found on the website:

• Zwemdiploma A

• Zwemdiploma B

• Zwemdiploma C

You can choose any one of the seven days of the week. You will find the current timetable with lesson times on the page for the Zwemdiploma your child is working towards.

Yes. If your child has swimming lessons with us, they are welcome to come recreational swimming free of charge. That way they can get extra practice and have fun in the water outside their lesson. The accompanying adult (compulsory and over 18) does pay the standard admission price.

The Nationaal Platform Zwembaden NRZ takes the view that the sooner a child is safe in the water, the better. After all, most children who drown are between 0 and 4 years old. From a very young age there are opportunities at the pool to help children move more safely in and around water.

The recommended age to start swimming lessons for Zwemdiploma A is 4 to 5 years. Some parents would rather start the lessons earlier, when their child is 4 or even 3. The requirements set for Zwemdiploma A are too difficult for a 3-year-old to meet. Even a 4-year-old finds them hard.

On top of that, a child of 4 is also starting primary school. That is a big change for a child and takes a lot of energy. Wait six months and your child will get through the swimming lessons more easily.

A swimming teacher only lets pupils sit the final exam when he or she feels the children are ready to pass it. Ultimately, it is the examiners who decide whether or not your child receives their diploma. So yes, it is possible for your child to fail the exam.

You can learn to swim not only as a child, but certainly later in life as well. That is why we also offer special adult swimming lessons. These are for anyone aged 16 and over who would like to learn to swim, or to swim better.

As well as the swimming things, it is important always to bring the wristband to the swimming lesson. If the wristband is lost or forgotten, a new one will have to be purchased.

We also recommend bringing a plastic bag for the wet things after the swimming lesson.

You do not need to bring armbands to the swimming lesson. The children are taught in a safe environment by a qualified swimming instructor.

Yes, because only with Zwemdiploma A, B and C is your child truly prepared for a lifetime of swimming enjoyment. The Zwem-ABC was developed in 1998. With the arrival of leisure pools with white-water slides and many new forms of recreation in, on and around the water, children need different skills than they used to. Children learn those skills above all during the lessons that prepare them for Zwemdiploma C. Unlike in the past, when there were only diplomas A and B, children really do need diploma C as well.

That differs from child to child, of course. All children can learn to swim, but they do not all take the same amount of time. Eighty per cent of children are average, ten per cent earn their diplomas more quickly and another ten per cent take longer. That is entirely normal.

A child needing more practice than average may have to do with motor skills: not everyone develops at the same pace.

Often, though, it has to do with fear. It helps enormously if you get your child used to water in good time. Bear in mind, too, that your own attitude can have an influence. If you keep warning your child that water is ‘dangerous’, he or she may well become afraid of it.

Children must be at least 4.5 years old to be enrolled for swimming lessons at Merwestein.

Yes, there is a swimming lesson every week, except during the school holidays. All regular swimming lessons are cancelled during the holidays, but you can still sign your child up for the Boostles A. You will find any changes to times and dates under the heading agenda. This information is updated continuously.

At Merwestein there is always a waiting list for swimming lessons, the length of which depends on demand and availability. This waiting list makes sure that everyone gets their turn fairly, in order of registration.

If your child's eyes react strongly to chlorine while swimming, for example, it is best to discuss with the swimming teacher whether and when goggles may be worn during the lessons.

During the final exam, goggles are often not allowed. The reason? If your child ends up in the water unexpectedly, they will not be wearing goggles then either, and they need to be able to get themselves to safety.

Even before the swimming lessons for Zwemdiploma A, you are already welcome at Merwestein. You can choose from pregnancy swimming, baby and toddler swimming and Teddyzwemmen, among others.

It is very important to introduce your little one to the water at an early age. These swimming activities are also great fun and a lovely way to make new social contacts.

You can make it easier for your child by going swimming often. Don't do exercises, though — just make swimming fun. Go down the slide together or play games. Your presence helps your child feel at ease in the water, and that builds confidence!

Anyone who has earned the Zwem-ABC is ‘water safe’. For young children in particular, it is now important to keep swimming regularly. That way, the skills your child has learnt are kept up to standard.

No problem! If you cancel the swimming lesson in your account in good time, you will receive a credit that you can use to book a catch-up lesson.
Please do note the conditions below:

• You can hold a maximum of 1 credit at a time.

• If you already have a credit, you can only receive a new one once you have booked the existing credit for a catch-up lesson.

• You can only cancel a swimming lesson, book a catch-up lesson and receive credits if your subscription has been paid for the swimming lesson period in question.

• A swimming lesson can be cancelled up to 2 hours before it starts.

You can easily book your catch-up lesson yourself via your account.

When you come to the swimming lesson for the first time, please make sure you arrive about 20 minutes beforehand. That gives you enough time to get changed and to find your way to the right pool. If you have any questions or need a hand, you can always speak to the Merwestein staff — we are happy to help.

We ask you to arrive 20 minutes beforehand. That way you can easily help your child get changed. We recommend this because it can get busy when several parents arrive at once.

You can pay online on this website via the tickets button, or at Merwestein's ticket machines. To take part in the swimming lessons you need a wristband. This wristband costs € 6.50. You also use the wristband to select a free locker. If you lose or forget your wristband, a new one has to be purchased.

At Merwestein we work with a swimming lesson period of four weeks on average, with one lesson per week. As of August 2024 this applies to all regular A/B/C swimming lessons. You can extend the lessons in the last week of the current period or in the first week of the new period. You do this in your personal user account, in your own account area. Once you pay for the coming lesson period, the new lessons are automatically added to the wristband.

Without a valid lesson period a participant may not join the swimming lesson. Regardless of the number of accompanying adults, only one swimming lesson is deducted from the wristband per visit. That way you can come inside yourself (free of charge) to help your child get ready for the swimming lesson.

At Merwestein we offer a wide range of swimming lessons, suitable for different ages and swimming levels. Our qualified staff are on hand to provide a safe and rewarding swimming experience.

Signing up for swimming lessons at Merwestein is easy:

1. Click on the tickets button.
2. Choose the type of swimming lesson that suits your needs or those of your child.
3. Fill in the online form or contact our reception desk for personal assistance.

We aim to make swimming lessons accessible to everyone. Please do bear in mind that there is almost always a waiting list for the swimming lessons.