Aim The Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA) is a valid tool for use in clinical practice to provide an easily administered and interpreted means of assessing levels of physical activity among adults older than 50 years. However, there are some concerns about its reliability. The aim was to linguistically and culturally adapt the RAPA into Turkish, and assess its validity and reliability. Methods This methodological and cross‐sectional study included 110 participants (68 women) from the community and a nursing home. The RAPA was translated and culturally adapted into Turkish using established double‐back translation methods. The participants completed the RAPA twice with a 1‐week interval to examine test–retest reliability. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire‐Short Form and Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly were used to examine the validity. Results The mean age of the participants was 70.5 years (SD 10.5 years). The weighted kappa coefficients exceed 0.81 for each of the nine items, the aerobic score and strength and flexibility score, showing that the test–retest reliability was very good. There were positive moderate correlations between the RAPA, International Physical Activity Questionnaire‐Short Form and Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (P < 0.01). Additionally, the RAPA was negatively correlated with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire‐Short Form sitting time as prehypothesized (P < 0.01). The convergent and discriminate validity of the RAPA were acceptable. Conclusions The present study has shown that the Turkish version of the RAPA was an easy‐to‐use, valid and reliable measure of physical activity among adults aged older than 50 years. This study has also provided considerable evidence about the test–retest reliability of the RAPA, which was not investigated in the original validation study. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; ••: ••–••.