We’re very excited to announce that in 2026, Invisible Cities will launch in its 10th city which coincides perfectly with our 10th birthday. A milestone worth marking – and the city we’ll be doing that in is yet to be revealed.
But first…. We of course have a timeline of new city launches leading up to that point in September 2026.
Here’s how our journey has unfolded so far – and how we plan to grow:
- 2016 – Edinburgh (our founding city)
- October 2018 – Manchester
- November 2018 – Glasgow
- June 2019 – York
- February 2023 – Cardiff
- March 2025 – Aberdeen
- December 2025 – Scottish Borders (relaunch)
- December 2025 – Liverpool
- March 2026 – Newport
- September 2026 – watch this space!
Each city has brought new guides, new stories, new local partnerships – and new lives changed. And it’s only been with your help that we’ve kept on growing – so thank you.
Life‑changing stories from our walking tour guides
In each of our cities and regions we have incredible partners and supporters – like The Wallich in Wales and Big Life Group in Liverpool. These partners together with the funds we raise and the support of our team, all lead by founder Zakia, make it possible to find, mentor and train new guides and launch Invisible Cities walking tours to more people.
Life‑changing stories from our walking tour guides
“It has been a journey of personal development, and I have met many interesting people along the way” Tour guide Gayle in Edinburgh.
“It’s a mix between being a shepherd, a teacher and a good friend” Tour guide Nic in Manchester
“It means a lot for me. There is a good help and support for the work. I can be a bit loud sometimes and I like it so being a guide is absolutely brilliant. I also love meeting lots of people from all over the world” Tour guide Angie in Glasgow
“Being a guide means sharing my love for the city that became my second home, with people who are open to receiving that love. It is both a responsibility and a joy” Tour guide Larysa in Cardiff
“It’s so simple and so brilliant… they train people who have been affected by homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city.” (Northern Soul)
“Coming on a tour is a unique way to experience a city, encouraging people to open their eyes and ears, to see the city in a different way.” (Northern Soul)
“I start by telling them about Invisible Cities and I tell them I don’t mind answering questions about being homeless… A lot of them are really interested – a good 75%.” (guide Sonny) (Smiley Movement)
These testimonials show how our tours aren’t just sightseeing, they’re transformative for both guides and our visitors who come from all around the world. Being able to share their stories of the cities, in their way is what makes us most happy!
Voices of our guests and supporters
“We went on the City of Layers: Monopoly to Metropolis with John, and WOW! What a phenomenal tour! I cannot recommend it enough!! John is so extremely knowledgeable about Cardiff and its fascinating history, and you cannot help but share in that excitement! I was able to view Cardiff in an entirely new light. John is clearly an expert and mapped out the walk to perfection. Every stop had clearly been carefully thought through, ensuring the seamless narrative of the tour unfolded naturally as we moved through the city. John’s ability to weave his own story into the rich history of the city gave the tour an incredibly unique and personal touch. I came away with a much deeper appreciation for the city and really just cannot wait to explore more!
“I will 100% be doing this tour again and bringing all my family and friends next time!“
“Truly unforgettable – Don’t miss it!!“
“Small businesses like Invisible Cities show that tourism can be community‑rooted, socially impactful, and intentional about creating solutions to local challenges.” UnTours Foundation
“Supporting Invisible Cities aligns beautifully with our commitment to community engagement, responsible tourism, and creating meaningful experiences… It is a reminder that hospitality isn’t just about places – it’s about people, and how we make them feel.” — Aziza Yessi, Director of Sales, Mercure Manchester Piccadilly
Feedback on our Invisible Cities tours in Cardiff from confused.com
𝗔𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳’𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺’𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤.
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯’𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺.
𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 – 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘐 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩.
These endorsements reaffirm that our model is not only socially meaningful, but that it resonates with corporate partners too and gives them a far more meaningful way of supporting local enterprises and facilitating interesting things to do for staff, teams and events.
We are fundraising to facilitate city number 10!
Did you know, it takes around £20,000 to launch a new city, covering guide training, local partner setup, route development, marketing and the initial tour operations.
With city number 10 on the cards, we have a huge target of £125,000 to raise over the next 9 months.
By the 10th birthday of Invisible Cities, we’ll have impacted thousands of lives – we’re busy working out just how many!
A message from our founder
“What excites me most is that our model continues to prove: when you give someone the platform to tell their story, you don’t just shift perceptions, you shift lives. Here’s to a tenth city, a tenth year, and ten times the impact.” Zakia Moulaoui Guery (Founder & CEO)
How you can get involved with Invisible Cities
- Book a tour right now: Join one of our existing city tours for a memorable experience and support our mission.
- Gift a tour: Buy a gift‑card for someone special – a meaningful present that also gives back.
- Buy merch: From our iconic beanies to other merchandise – show your support and help fund the next city.
- Donate or sponsor: Every contribution helps us move closer to city number 10 (link to crowdfunder)
Got questions?
Here are some of the questions we’re most often asked about Invisible Cities walking tours.
- How do I book a tour? You can book on our website right now and we take up to 20 people on one tour. They last about 1.5 – 2 hours max
- Can I book for a group? absolutely, get in touch if you have specific requirements like start location, duration and group size.
- Are the tours doom and gloom? Quite the opposite. Each tour has a theme, decided on by the guide. Many of our guides will share their own experiences and stories yet the focus on the tour is to share the incredible stories of our cities taking in history, culture, people, conflict and more – all told with personality and heart by our guides.
- How else can we support Invisible Cities? Spread the word – sharing our tours is a huge help thank you! If you can donate to our 10 in 10 crowd funder please do consider it as well.
As seen in the media…
Over the past year we’ve been featured by BBC, Sky News, Big Issue, The Royal Foundation, Sydney Morning Herald and The New York Post!
We’re grateful to everyone who’s walked with us so far – our guides, our partners, our supporters, and our customers. Here’s to our tenth city, and to a decade of walking together, changing stories and changing lives.
Thank you!
We really appreciate you reading about our story so far and about the incredible cities we will be launching in over the coming months!
