Vienna is still Harry Lime's turf. Every corner of the Austrian capital seems to have some connection with the classic spy film The Third Man, written by Grahame Greene and set in 1948 when, like Berlin, post-war Vienna was carved up into sectors administrated by the triad of victors, the Russians, British and Americans. Yet 60 years on the city still refuses to do a Viennese waltz with Harry.

The three-hour Third Man Tour is a marvellously atmospheric introduction to the city and, while reliving scenes from the film in-situ, there's also heaps to learn about how Vienna reclaimed its identity and its dignity from the ruins of war.

Amazingly, despite this decades-long popularity of the film and subsequent novel, despite the obvious tourism potential of The Third Man scenario, the Vienna city fathers steadfastly refuse to have anything to do with Harry Lime. The tour you can do today is a private venture run Dr Brigitte Timmerman, author of The Third Man - Celebrating a Film Classic.

"Not a cent of funding has come from the city", she says as we briskly walk the city streets. "It's all been put together by myself with some funding from a few other interested people."

Brigette with her Third Man portfolio

Brigitte carries a bulky portfolio of black and white stills from the film and shots showing the ruins of the post-war city. At regular intervals we pause and compare how locations looked then and now. Much has changed but much remains the same.

Brigitte has an encyclopaedic knowledge of both the film and Vienna's history. When she's not talking Harry Lime and Orson Welles she's an official guide for Vienna Walks & Talks. I feel I learn more about Vienna in those three hours than I would in a week of reading.

At the spot where Orson Welles climbed down into the sewers I tentatively ask about the underground Third Man experience I'd enjoyed in 2001, which was an official sanctioned program. "There was no connection at all," she says, with evident frustration. "It was a separate thing, nothing to do with my tour." The subject is academic anyway. The underground tour ran only momentarily, before the sewers were closed for massive reconstruction. They remain off limits three years later.

Film buffs will most definitely want to visit Gerhard Strassgschwadtner's fantastic little museum, Third Man Private Collection in Pressgasse, which opened last September and is also privately funded. And like Brigitte, Gerhard is also a licensed guide, as well as a ceramic artist.

His fascinating museum contains a wealth of material. One room is devoted to memorablia from the movie itself.

Stills and actors photos in the museum

Another room is all about zither player and composer Anton Karas who penned the film's soundtrack. There's a collection of vinyl Karas recordings from around the world and a jukebox containing more than 350 cover versions of the famous Harry Lime Theme!

A collection of Karas recordingsThe Anton Karas room. The zither in the display case is the original one on which he composed the film music and on which the film music is played.

In another room, located further down the street, there's a collection of film posters and an old movie projector. Gerhard is licensed to screen one scene from the film with his historic 35mm-movie projector.

A scene from the film (which I captured while watching Gerhard's mini movie!)

Gerhard's private museum is only open on Saturday afternoons, or by request. Alternatively, it can be visited as an add-on to Brigitte's Third Man tour. To arrange a tour with Brigitte call her mobile, 0664 511 27 59.

My visit to Vienna is with Tempo Holidays.