The Worst Tours: Porto's Anti-Tourism Walking Tours

In Porto, Portugal, three unemployed architects—Pedro (b. 1975), Gui (b. 1982), and Isabel (b. 1973)—founded "The Worst Tours" in 2012, a low-rated tours agency that deliberately offers the worst possible tourist experience. Instead of showcasing Porto's UNESCO-listed historic center (designated in 1996), the tours focus on the city's invisible face: degraded areas, abandoned buildings, ruined markets, closed shops, and street art reflecting social malaise. The guides charge no fixed fee; payment is discretionary. The initiative emerged from the 2008 economic crisis, which drove over 60,000 people to leave Porto, caused a real estate stagnation, and increased homelessness. The three architects chose not to emigrate but to use their professional skills to serve the city. Their provocative marketing reworks classic tourist slogans with an anti-austerity twist. Four thematic tours are available, adaptable on foot or by public transport. Three years on, the tours continue, while urban recovery interventions are beginning to appear.