Serralves

Serralves is a cultural foundation in Porto with a museum of contemporary art, an Art Deco villa and an 18-hectare park, created in 1989 as a partnership between the Portuguese State and private founders. The architect Álvaro Siza designed the museum, which opened on 6 June 1999, and the park and buildings were classified together as a National Monument in 2012.

The foundation occupies the former Serralves estate, on Rua D. João de Castro in the west of the city.

Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art by Álvaro Siza — The Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, designed by Álvaro Siza and opened in 1999.

What to see at Serralves

Museum of Contemporary Art: a building by Álvaro Siza with 14 galleries for temporary exhibitions. A new wing by Siza, the Álvaro Siza Wing, opened in 2024 for the Serralves Collection and architecture.
Serralves Villa: an Art Deco villa built for Carlos Alberto Cabral, the second Count of Vizela, with interiors by designers including Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, René Lalique and Edgar Brandt.
Park: 18 hectares of formal gardens, woodland and a traditional farm, designed by Jacques Gréber.
Treetop Walk: a raised wooden walkway at the height of the tree crowns.
Casa do Cinema Manoel de Oliveira: a building by Siza for exhibitions and screenings about the Portuguese film director.

The Art Deco Serralves Villa, built for the second Count of Vizela.

Gardens of the Serralves Park — The Serralves Park, 18 hectares designed by Jacques Gréber.

History of Serralves

1989: the Serralves Foundation is created as a private institution of public utility.
1991: the foundation commissions Álvaro Siza to design the museum.
1996: construction of the museum begins.
1997: the park receives the Henry Ford Prize for the Preservation of the Environment.
6 June 1999: the Museum of Contemporary Art opens.
2012: the park and buildings are classified together as a National Monument.
2024: the Álvaro Siza Wing opens.

Visiting Serralves

Time: the museum, the villa and the park together take at least half a day.
Tickets: the Serralves website publishes current opening times, exhibitions and prices.
Nearby: Serralves is between Avenida da Boavista and the coast at Foz do Douro.