Kartódromo de Alcanede - Mundo da Picaria

In Alcanede, near Rio Maior and Santarém in central Portugal, the Mundo da Picaria kartódromo offers an outdoor layout where you drive petrol-engined karts, in one hundred and sixty and two hundred and seventy cubic centimetres. There is no set minimum age, with children admitted as soon as they reach a metre thirty, the height needed to reach the pedals safely. It is a venue designed to open karting to as many people as possible.

Karting stays open to everyone, no licence or experience needed: a briefing, a helmet, and off you go chasing your best lap. The venue offers sprint races, endurance events, company outings and group bookings, with leisure prices from around ten euros. The format suits beginners as well as more seasoned drivers, and people happily return to beat their time. For hours, it is best to check before coming.

Alcanede is a village in the Santarém district, in a region of countryside and limestone heights known for its stone quarries and caves. Nearby, Rio Maior and its inland salt pans, a rare curiosity in Portugal, and Santarém, a town of Gothic art above the Tagus, round out a visit. The fertile Ribatejo plain and the hills of the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros natural park surround the area. Alcanede is reached by road from Santarém or the motorway linking Lisbon to the north.