We took a tour with a guide who has been affected by addiction. The tour was in English, and the guide spoke it fluently, which was great. Vlad was both informative and very professional but he did not hesitate to share information about his own story, which was insightful and extremely helpful in reducing the stigma that often surrounds people suffering from addiction. I was especially impressed by the company's clear intention not to make this a sensationalist tour; the focus is on information and the reduction of stigma, which is commendable in this day and age.

I absolutely recommend cooking for the Gruft as a corporate impact event. As a team of six, we prepared lunch for 250 homeless and it has been a really great experience. Firstly, it was amazing to see how quickly we converted huge amounts of food into a tasty meal by rolling up our sleeves, organizing ourselves and having a strong teamspirit. Secondly, our Shade tours guide gave us a lot of context information about the Gruft, homelessness and his personal story, which has been very touching and insightful for all of us. All in all, a very valuable experience to broaden our horizon, learn about social-political issues in Austria, while having fun cooking with colleagues and doing something for a good cause. For those who are interested in the details, the price for this event was 450€ (sponsored by our employer) and included all groceries for 250 meals.

Number one tour in Vienna, I recommend it to everybody who asks what to do in Vienna. It's really interesting to see Vienna from the perspective of a (former) homeless person, hearing their story and also getting a lot of information about what the city does or doesn't do to help.

I did the Poverty & Homelessness tour and our guide Eva was great! She explained everything very well and I was really touched by her story. Thank you for sharing!

This tour has been proposed by a friend. I was a little bit skeptical and cynic, as usual. But it definitely touched my heart. Thanks to Dennis, our amazing guide, a very young man brave and strong. He's been a homeless, but now he is changing his life. I swear, I couldn't imagine a situation like his. I was full of prejudices. I wish him all the best for his life, he deserves all the best. Thanks to Shades Tours, that made me discover a lot of figures and facts about homeless people. The situation is far worse than we imagine. Sensitization can help. ♥

While doing some 'what to do' research, my g/f came across Shades Tours and booked us. I knew it would be unusual but also thought it would be interesting and it was, very much so. The walking tour lasted about three hours and took us past many sights that someone on vacation would seek out and enjoy but be oblivious to stories from a homeless perspective. It was enlightening and encouraging to hear how the Austrian government deals with both domestic and international homeless. I would encourage anyone seeking an alternate viewpoint on life in Vienna to take a few hours and learn something both new and different.

We took an English poverty and homelessness tour and it was very interesting. Barbara was a talented, powerful and excellent guide who was homeless herself and shared her personal story with us. I wish Barbara all the best.

Wonderful tour to get a glimpse of what it's like to flee your country and try to find a new home. Highly recommend

Really touching and surprising to listen to our wonderful guide Barbara. She explained in a very clear way not only the conditions for homeless people in Vienna, but the personal journey leading to get out of the society. And you understand that it can happen to anyone, that your prejudices are wrong. A meaningful human encounter, making your visit in Vienna really special! Strongly recommended if you want to go beyond museums and touristic routes. Thank you very much, Barbara!

I had the great pleasure and honor today to cook with my work colleagues at Die Gruft. Our guide Daniel is just a fantastic human being and shared with us his life experiences, when he was homeless and how Shade Tours changed his life. I really enjoyed today to the fullest and it was a great opportunity to get to know the activities, offers and possibilities of Die Gruft better. Keep on doing such a great work...it is fantastic. Thank u Daniel with all my heart ❤

Very informative, interesting and unique tour through Vienna. Great concept behind it! I would recommend this to anyone living in or visiting Vienna.

Vlad, our guide today, was amazing. Through todays tour, Vlad very vividly introduced us with with "shades side" of life in Vienna, meaning not with the tourist attractions of Vienna but with the part of Vienna where heavy drug addicts, the homeless, the police, rehabilitation clinics, therapeutic programs live, exist and function. So it's interesting. I would highely recommend this tour for families with teenage children because it is so educational and it is teaching us about addiction through first hand experience of our guide. Ask for Vlad. He is so interesting.

I followed the shade tour about addictions, Vlad gave the tour. It was in English, very fluent and good to understand! He told a very personal story. It was eye opening, I learned a lot. For example that it is important to know how drugs looks like, if you see something like that then you know it can be dangerous.

My school organised a shades tour for us. With little information we went on the tour and I was blown away. We went on the tour that talked about drug abuse in Vienna. The tour took us to unusual places such as the police station, a pharmacy, squares and parks. The best part of this experience was our tour guide, Vlad. He talked about many interesting topics and was very open to talk about his own experience, this added great value. I would recommend this tour to anyone interested in seeing Vienna from a different angle!

Our guide, Ralph, was very honest and open about his story. He’s very well informed!!