Indoor Karting Caldas da Rainha

In Caldas da Rainha, in the Oeste region, Indoor Karting runs a three-hundred-and-fifteen-metre indoor layout, drivable whatever the weather. You drive petrol-engined karts on a covered track that runs all year, sheltered from sun and rain alike. It is a handy spot for a karting session in this spa town of west-central Portugal.

Karting stays open to everyone, no licence or experience needed: a briefing, a helmet, and off you go chasing your best lap. The format suits beginners trying it out as well as groups of friends or colleagues set on testing themselves against the clock. People come for an improvised outing or an organised race, and happily return to beat their time. For hours and prices, it is best to check before coming.

Caldas da Rainha, whose name means the queen's baths, owes its origin to Queen Leonor, who founded a thermal hospital here at the end of the fifteenth century. The town is known for its thermal spa, its colourful, humorous ceramics inherited from Bordallo Pinheiro, and its daily fruit and vegetable market. Nearby, the medieval walled village of Óbidos and the beaches of Foz do Arelho round out a visit. The region is easily reached by motorway from Lisbon, about an hour north of the capital.