Arena karting

In Kahramanmaraş, in the Onikişubat district, Arena Karting is the city's only leisure karting track listed on the official register of the Turkish motorsport federation. The open-air layout, set near the Kayseri road, welcomes drivers on rental karts in a supervised and recognised setting. It is the go-to address for anyone wanting to lap a track in this part of south-eastern Anatolia.

Karting here is open to all, with no licence: you take the safety briefing, put on the gear, and head off to find your best lap on a layout that asks you to manage your braking well. The track suits families and groups of friends out to race each other. As is often the case outdoors, opening times and prices vary with the season: a phone call before coming avoids any nasty surprises, especially in the warm months when it gets busy. People happily return to shave off a few tenths.

Kahramanmaraş, backed by the foothills of the Taurus, is an upland city with a marked climate, which makes it a pleasant base for the outdoors. Mount Ahır, close by, turns into a ski resort in winter, with its slopes and its cable car, while the surrounding plateaus invite hiking in summer. In town, the medieval castle, the lanes of the old bazaar and the copper workshops tell of a long craft tradition, and the local food, from stretched ice cream to meat specialities, leaves no one indifferent. The city is linked by motorway and by air to the country's main cities.