Beylerbeyi GoKart

On the Asian side of Istanbul, in the Beylerbeyi neighbourhood of Üsküdar, this open-air circuit ranks among the largest outdoor tracks in the city. The business started out in Florya in 2005 before moving here in 2011, and runs Rimo karts imported from Germany, a brand known for its sturdiness. The track operates all year round, twelve months out of twelve, and closes only in genuinely poor weather such as rain or snow.

Access is limited to drivers aged at least twelve, and all the safety gear, helmet, overalls and gloves, is handed out at the entrance before you take to the track. The venue highlights its ISO 9001 quality certification, a sign of a well-run service. People come here for a thrill just minutes from the Bosphorus, with friends or in a group, stringing laps together to learn a layout that leaves room to overtake. Booking is advised at busy times, especially at weekends.

Beylerbeyi is one of the prettiest villages on the Bosphorus, famous for its nineteenth-century Ottoman palace set right at the water's edge, which you can visit a short walk from the circuit. The great Bosphorus bridge spans the strait just alongside, and Çamlıca hill, the highest point in Istanbul with its large mosque and television tower, looks out over the whole area. The Asian side also holds the colourful lanes of Kuzguncuk and the busy quaysides of Üsküdar, where ferries cross to the old city and its monuments. It all makes for an easy way to follow karting with a stroll along the strait, between two continents, with the Istanbul skyline as a backdrop.