Every destination has a map. The best journeys begin beyond it.
There is a Portugal that appears on maps — and another that reveals itself through people.
Maps can show you where to go. They can lead you to a monument, a village or a beautiful viewpoint.
But they cannot tell you which road is worth taking slowly. They cannot introduce you to the person behind the counter, find the table you would never have known to book, or create the conversations that stay with you long after you return home.
By Muri was born from a simple belief:
Portugal is not only a place to see.
It is a place to experience, to understand and, above all, to feel.
That is the Portugal we want to share with you.
Private Portuguese experiences, thoughtfully hosted.
Two People. One Journey.
Behind every By Muri journey are two people with very different roles and the same purpose: to make your experience of Portugal feel personal, genuine and effortless.
One will be there beside you.
The other will often be working quietly behind the scenes.
Both are part of your journey.
Pedro — The Heart of the Journey
Your Host in Portugal
Pedro is the person you’ll meet — but probably not the kind of guide you’re expecting.
He has a rare way of making people feel at ease. It begins with a genuine smile, a natural curiosity about whoever is in front of him, and something that cannot really be taught: he simply loves being with people.
And for English-speaking guests, conversation comes just as naturally. Pedro speaks English with near-native fluency, allowing stories, humour and spontaneous conversation to flow without the distance that language can sometimes create.
For Pedro, welcoming someone to Portugal is not about following a script or reciting a list of facts. He wants you to feel at home — in a new and wonderful home that, for a little while, becomes yours too.
He has a genuine passion for history — not simply for dates and facts, but for the stories behind them. The secrets, traditions, customs and small details that reveal who we are and how Portugal came to be. He speaks about his country with the enthusiasm of someone who is still fascinated by what he discovers — and perhaps even more than knowing these stories, he loves sharing them.
Pedro likes to surprise people. To create that sense of wonder we seem to understand so naturally as children — the moment when a story, a place or an unexpected detail makes us stop and see something differently.
But his greatest interest has always been people themselves.
A devoted father, Pedro has always had a natural connection with children and young people, and spent many years coaching youth rugby teams. Listening, encouraging, teaching and bringing people together have long been part of who he is.
Over the years, welcoming visitors through Lisbon has given Pedro the chance to meet people from all over the world. What began behind the wheel of a Tuk Tuk became something much more meaningful to him: the opportunity to share his city, exchange stories and turn a few hours with strangers into something that often feels remarkably personal.
Today, whether navigating Lisbon’s streets by Tuk Tuk or travelling through Portugal with By Muri, that same spirit remains.
For Pedro, the journey is never only about the places you visit.
It is about the people, the stories, the laughter — and the life that happens along the way.
Ana — The Soul Behind the Journey
Behind the Details
Some journeys begin long before the first mile.
Beyond Maps began because Ana saw something in Pedro that he did not always see in himself: an extraordinary ability to make strangers feel welcome, comfortable and, somehow, at home.
She knew that a gift like that deserved more than chance encounters. It deserved a way to reach the people who travel looking for something more than places to visit.
So while Pedro is the person you will meet along the way, Ana is often the one behind the scenes — listening, planning, connecting the dots and making sure that each journey has the space to become personal.
She is the one behind many of the conversations before you arrive, the details that quietly fall into place, and the care that allows Pedro to do what he does best: be completely present with the people in front of him.
But By Muri is not simply something Ana helps organise.
It is something she deeply believes in.
She believes that travelling should leave us with more than photographs and a list of places we have seen. That somewhere far from home, we can still feel welcomed. That the best journeys give us stories we will want to tell years later — perhaps even to our grandchildren.
And that is the idea at the heart of By Muri:
You may come to Portugal as a visitor.
We hope you leave feeling that, for a little while, you belonged here.
Together, By Muri.
Pedro brings the stories, the places and the human connection. Ana brings the thought, the care and the details that make each journey possible.
Together, they create the space for something neither a map nor a guidebook can give you: a Portugal that feels personal.
Portugal, Unscripted.