According to a note from the office of the Minister of Environment and Energy, in 2024 there will be a total of 664 bathing beaches, also six more than in 2023, with 595 bathing beaches guarded by lifeguards.

The bathing season each year is defined in an ordinance published in the Diário da República, which identifies bathing waters and the respective season, considering until publication that at the national level, the bathing season runs between May 1st and October 30th. Between these dates, municipal councils determine when the bathing season begins and ends in their territory, with some opting to start earlier and end later.

This year's ordinance has already been signed by the Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, and the Minister of Defense, Nuno Melo, and is awaiting publication in the Diário da República (DR).

The number of bathing beaches may increase as long as, among the bathing waters identified in the ordinance, assistance to bathers during the bathing season is guaranteed by concessionaires and entities, according to the government note.

The opening of the bathing season will be progressive, starting with the municipality of Cascais and in some of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, moving on May 15th to the municipality of Albufeira.

On June 1st it opens in most bathing waters in the center and south of the country and on the 15th of the same month, most of those in the north join them.

In inland waters, the beginning of the bathing season occurs between June and July.