Kart Aréna

In Pécs, in southern Hungary, Kart Aréna offers a flexible open-air track that comes in four different layouts, ranging from nearly three hundred metres to over five hundred metres, at least five metres wide. You drive petrol karts here, and being able to change the configuration lets you vary the fun and renew the interest from one visit to the next. It is a venue built for thrill-seekers who like variety.

Karting stays open to all, with no licence or experience: a briefing, a helmet, and you head off to find your best lap. The length of the layouts leaves real chances to overtake and to build up speed, a change from small urban tracks. The format suits families as much as confident drivers out to test themselves, and groups happily set up close races. As the activity takes place outdoors, it is best to check opening times by season before coming.

Pécs, the second cultural hub of southern Hungary, is a city steeped in history, from ancient Roman Sopianae to the Ottoman era. The UNESCO-listed early Christian necropolis, the former mosque of Pasha Qasim turned church, the Zsolnay ceramics factory and the lively main square reflect this rich past. Above the city, the Mecsek hills offer forests, trails and lookouts. Pécs is reached by the M6 motorway from Budapest, in about two hours, which makes it a major stop in southern Transdanubia.