Messara Kart

In Moires, on the Messara plain in southern Crete, Messara Kart lays out an open-air karting track of five hundred metres, open all year round. The fleet counts around ten karts: two-hundred cubic centimetre models for adults, two-seaters fitted with four-point harnesses and mini karts for children. The youngest drive from the age of six, the two-hundred cubic centimetre models from the age of twelve.

The venue takes care with welcome and safety, with a briefing before each session and a cafeteria laid out as an amphitheatre to watch the race. People come with family, friends or for a birthday, about thirty minutes from Heraklion and a quarter of an hour from Matala beach. The track stays open in all weather, except heavy rain, which makes it a safe bet in the south of the island.

The Messara plain is the largest in Crete, a land of olive groves and crops backing onto the Minoan site of Phaistos, one of the great palaces of the ancient island. The south coast, with Matala and its caves carved into the cliff, draws travellers after wilder beaches. Messara Kart adds a welcome sporting activity, away from the bustle of the north coast. Open all year round and rated at the very top by its visitors, the circuit also hosts races and birthday parties, a quarter of an hour from the caves of Matala and close to the Minoan palace of Phaistos, which makes it an easy stop in the south of the island.