Had a wonderful city overview tour with the impressively named Gerhard Strassgschwandtner ([email protected]) mentioned in the Vienna guidebook. He is extremely genial, has an encyclopedic knowledge of Viennese history and art and a relaxed way of imparting his knowledge with humor and without pedantry. After the tour my companion and I (two mid-seventies women) felt oriented to the city and knew which sites we wanted to explore more deeply. Definitely worth the price of the tour! My only regret was that time did not allow us to visit his Third Man Museum which I bet would have been both informative...and a kick!
Thanks so much for your positive review. We were at a recent RS class that highlighted Vienna. We inquired about a local guide and were referred to Gerhard as well. Glad to hear you enjoyed the tour.
Gerhard also does Vienna Cold War tours. I took one of these with him and loved it. OP's description of Gerhard is perfect.
http://www.coldwarviennatours.com/
Gerhard's Third Man Museum is awesome; there is a section of it dedicated to post-war Vienna apart from the Third Man connection -- very interesting stuff.
Thanks Dave for another recommendation. We hope to visit Gerhard's Third Man Museum. Plan to pick up the Third Man Film at the library.