Go-kart

In İzmit, the capital of Kocaeli province, at the head of the gulf of the same name, this indoor karting track offers karting open to all, children included. The sheltered layout can be driven whatever the weather, an asset in this industrial city of the Marmara region where an indoor activity is often welcome. People come as a family or with friends for a few timed laps, in a relaxed and friendly mood.

Karting stays open with no licence or experience: a briefing, a helmet, and everyone heads off to post their best time. The short format, with karts suited to younger drivers, works for families as much as for groups of friends out to race. For opening times and prices, it is best to check before coming, as it gets busy at weekends. People rarely leave after a single run, the urge to better their lap time soon taking over on the covered layout.

İzmit, ancient Nicomedia, was a great city of antiquity, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire under Diocletian, and keeps a few traces of that distinguished past. The city spreads at the head of the Gulf of İzmit, between sea and hills, with its landscaped seafront and its Ottoman hunting lodge. Close by, Lake Sapanca and the mountain resort of Kartepe offer a breath of nature much loved at weekends, and Istanbul is only an hour away by road. The city is a major crossroads, linked by motorway and high-speed train to the rest of the country.