The Chalet was originally built between 1864 and 1869 by King Ferdinand II for his second wife, Elise Hensler, Countess d'Edla. It is modeled on Alpine chalets popular at the time, and it sits in the large Pena Park facing the grand Pena Palace. It was intended as a private recreational house for the Countess.
Porto is home to a world-class museum of contemporary art. Opened in 1999, the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art displays cutting-edge international art in a striking minimalist building by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Alvaro Siza Vieira.