Uludağ Karting

In Bursa, in the modern district of Nilüfer, Uludağ Karting offers an open-air track open to all, with no licence or experience. The outdoor layout is driven in the open air, and people gather as a family or with friends to string together timed laps. The track's name evokes the great summit that overlooks Bursa, and people come here for a thrill a short hop from Turkey's fourth city.

Karting is about the simple fun of racing: a briefing, a helmet, and everyone heads off to post their best time. The short format suits beginners as much as regulars working on their lines, and groups happily set up short heats to sort out the drivers. As the activity takes place outdoors, it is best to check opening times and prices by season before coming. People rarely leave after a single run, the urge to do better soon taking over.

Nilüfer is a residential and lively district of western Bursa, laid out around broad avenues, parks and universities. The city, the first Ottoman capital, keeps superb monuments such as the Grand Mosque, while Mount Uludağ, the country's main ski resort, is reached by cable car for a day in the snow or hiking. The thermal baths, the gardens and the cuisine, from the famous İskender kebab to candied chestnuts, round out the visit. Bursa is easy to reach from Istanbul, by road and by ferry across the Sea of Marmara.