The 1912 Varda (German) Viaduct and Kapıkaya Canyon Day Trip

Sixty-four kilometres north-west of central Adana in the pine-clad foothills of the Taurus Mountains (in the Karaisalı district), a monumental curved stone railway bridge soars 99 metres (325 feet) in the air across a sheer rocky ravine: the 1912 Varda Viaduct (Varda Köprüsü, known locally as Alman Köprüsü, "The German Bridge", or Koca Köprü). Paired just ten minutes away with the flat, accessible riverside trail of Kapıkaya Canyon, this is the #1 nature and photography excursion from Adana.

1. The 1912 Varda Viaduct (And Its James Bond "Skyfall" Fame)

Constructed between 1907 and 1912 by German engineers as the most challenging engineering link on the historic Berlin, Constantinople, Baghdad, Hejaz Railway, the viaduct had to bridge a deep gorge while curving on a 1,200-metre radius between two mountain tunnels:

• The Engineering & Cinema Icon: spanning 172 metres in length on eleven stone arches supported by four colossal 99-metre-high masonry piers, the bridge gained worldwide fame in 2012 when the opening ten-minute train-roof fight sequence of the James Bond film Skyfall was filmed right on top of these arches, ending with Daniel Craig plummeting 99 metres off the viaduct into the canyon below.
• How to Experience It: walk across the old maintenance catwalk or watch an actual TCDD train rumble across the stone arches from the panoramic hillside viewing cafés on either side of the gorge (check the daily train passing times around early in the morning to early in the morning and in the afternoon to in the early evening so you have your camera ready when the train crosses the bridge).

2. Walking Through Kapıkaya Canyon (5 km east of Varda Viaduct)

Five minutes' drive brings you to the entrance of Kapıkaya Canyon (Kapıkaya Kanyonu) in Kapıkaya village. Carved by the rushing waters of the Çakıt Stream through 200-metre-high vertical limestone cliffs, the canyon features a well-maintained, family-friendly 7.2-kilometre riverside walking trail with wooden suspension bridges, oleander bushes, plane trees and a glass canyon viewing terrace.

How to Get There by Train (Toros Express) or Car

By car or taxi, drive north from Adana past Seyhan Lake via Karaisalı in 60 minutes. Without a car, you can ride the actual TCDD Toros Express or Erciyes Express train departing from central Adana Train Station early in the morning straight across the Varda Viaduct to Hacıkırı Station. On weekends, Adana Metropolitan Municipality also runs seasonal public excursion buses from the station square.