Gokart Pécs Vásártér

In Pécs, in southern Hungary, Gokart Pécs Vásártér lays out two hundred and fifty-one metres of open-air track, three and a half to four metres wide, in the area of the old fairground. The venue, running for more than twenty years, drives petrol karts and welcomes children too. It is a well-established part of the city's life, appreciated by locals and passing visitors alike.

Karting stays open to all, with no licence or experience: a briefing, a helmet, and you head off to find your best lap. The short format suits beginners as much as regulars working on their lines, and groups happily set up short heats to sort out the drivers. Everyone tries to beat the clock, and people happily come back to improve their time. As the activity takes place outdoors, it is best to check opening times by season before coming.

Pécs is one of the finest cities in Hungary, rich with two thousand years of history since ancient Roman Sopianae, whose early Christian necropolis is UNESCO-listed. The city charms with its iridescent Zsolnay ceramics, its former Ottoman mosque turned church, its cathedral and its lively lanes. European Capital of Culture in 2010, it backs onto the wooded Mecsek hills, ideal for a walk. Pécs is reached by the M6 motorway from Budapest, in about two hours, in a sunny region of the south.