Torium Go-Kart

In Esenyurt, in western Istanbul, Torium Go-Kart sets up its covered track within the Torium shopping centre, along the E-5 motorway. The sheltered layout can be driven whatever the weather, which makes it an easy outing all year, to combine with a shopping trip or a film. People come as a family or with friends for a few timed laps, in a format built around instant fun and racing among friends.

Karting stays open to all, with no licence or experience: a briefing, a helmet, and you head off to find your best lap on the covered layout. The short format suits beginners as much as regulars working on their lines, and groups happily set up short races to sort out the drivers. For opening times and prices, tied to those of the shopping centre, it is best to check before coming. People happily come back to beat their time session after session.

Esenyurt is one of the largest districts of western Istanbul, densely populated and well linked to the rest of the city by the metrobus that runs along the E-5. Close to shopping centres and residential areas, it puts the historic centre of the metropolis within reach by transport: Hagia Sophia, the Topkapı palace and the Grand Bazaar remain accessible to extend the day. Its position, at the western entrance to the city, is handy for anyone arriving from Thrace or the airport. Istanbul, a city straddling two continents, has a thousand other discoveries once the race is over.