Path of the Gods Hike, Amalfi Coast – Tips and Important Things to Know

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If you are visiting the Amalfi Coast and love to hike, then you should definitely consider hiking the Path of the Gods. Also called Sentiero degli Dei, this cliff side hike will not disappoint in terms of views and vistas. This post covers everything you need to know about the Path of the Gods hike, including how to get there, what the hike is like, tips and important things to know!

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What is the Path of the Gods Hike?

The Path of the Gods hike is a clifftop trail along the Amalfi Coast with stunning views of the coastline. It is named after the Greek gods in Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’, who rushed to save Ulysses from the sirens on the islands of Li Galli. According to the myth, the gods created the path with their footsteps as they descended to Earth to prevent the ship from sinking. The hike is classified as a moderately difficult hike. Of course this is relative to your experience with hiking. As an avid hiker, I found the path to be easy and very enjoyable. This hike is best done as a one way hike and not an out and back. I will cover what I mean by this and how to do this below.

Where is the Path of the Gods?

The trailhead officially starts in Bomberano in the comune of Agerola, a small village high up from the coast. The official trail end is Nocelle, just above Positano.

Stats for the Path of the Gods Hike

• Starting Point: Bomerano – Piazza Paolo Capasso
• Ending Point; Nocelle
• Distance: 3.6 miles
• Time: 1.5 hours to 3.5 hours (really depends on your fitness level)
• Elevation Gain: 728 ft
• Hike Classification: Moderate
• Route Type: Point to Point

Alternative Starting and Ending Points

Starting Points

Praiano to Nocelle

Instead of starting in Bomberano, you could also start in Praiano where you can join the trail at a certain point. However, Praiano is closer to the coast and the Path of the Gods is much higher up and entails climbing up A LOT of stairs to join the trail! It is estimated to take around 1 hour of climbing stairs to do this. See HERE for more details and reviews of people who have taken this path.

Nocelle (Positano) to Bomberano

You can also start the hike from the other direction in Nocelle. However, Nocelle is not that well connected so you would either have to take a bus or walk from Positano, take a bus with a change from anywhere else on the Amalfi Coast (i.e., town of Amalfi) or take a taxi. There are almost 1800 steps from Positano to Nocelle, so if you are brave enough to walk up, know that you will have to climb almost 1800 steps (I do not recommend this!)

Ending Points

Nocelle to Positano via Arienzo

This is essentially what I did as I was staying in Positano. However, there are those 1800 steps I spoke about earlier. From Nocelle, you will have to take these steps to Arienzo and then walk from Arienzo to Positano on the main road. The good news is that at least you are going down hill and the main road part is all flat!

Nocelle to Positano via Montepertuso

This is an alternative to these 1800 stairs! From Nocelle, follow the signs to Montepertuso. This route adds to the distance and time but is a much more gradual descent than the 1800 stairs. It can take an additional 1 to 1.5 hours and is around 3.5 KM. Personally, I don’t think the extra distance is worth it. I would just take a bus or taxi back to Positano or even just take the 1800 stairs.

How to get to the Path of the Gods?

I am going to assume you will start in Bomerano.

By Bus: 

If you are planning on taking the bus to Bomerano, you will first have to get to the Town of Amalfi. So, if you are staying in Sorrento, would you either have to take a bus to Amalfi Town or a ferry. From Amalfi Town it takes about 40 minutes to get to Bomerano by bus. The bus you are looking for is the 5080 Amalfi – Agerola – Naples bus. The earliest bus leaves at 7:10 AM from Amalfi Town in the summer. See HERE for the schedule.

Coordinating the ferry and bus schedules may turn out to be a little time consuming but the bus is the cheapest way to Bomerano.

By Shuttle:

If you don’t want to figure out all the logistics of what I outlined just above, you could take the Travelmar ferry and then shuttle to Bomerano. The best part is that they have figured out the timings for you! One downside is that there is only one morning schedule from Positano for example and that too starts a little later in the day. Another downside is that it only runs at certain times of the year. See HERE for more.

By Taxi or Private Driver: 

The easiest but least cost effective way to get to Bomerano is to get a taxi or a private driver. If you want take a taxi, you should arrange that at least the night before. Your hotel or host should be able to help with this. I booked a private driver with Eurolimo and it cost me around €130 (standard cost). I used them throughout my stay in the Amalfi Coast and highly recommend their service!

By Car:

You could come by car if you have one but the roads up to Bomerano are very winding and parking in town is limited.

By Tour: 

If you are staying in Sorrento, then there are a few tours that bring you from Sorrento for a guided hike. The great news is that they take care of transport. Check these out below!

One Way Hike

You can absolutely hike the path of the Gods as an out and back hike (start at one end and return to the same end). However, I think this is a waste of your time. Especially given you are probably on the Amalfi Coast on vacation. The best thing to do is to start in Bomerano and finish in Nocelle and then take a bus or taxi back to where you are staying. The Path of the God’s is actually ideal if you are staying in Positano as the trail ends just above it in Nocelle.

Hiking the Path of the Gods

In this section, I will attempt to outline what the hike was like from start to finish.

Bomerano to The Official Trailhead

Find Piazza Paola Capasso when you get to Bomerano. You can’t miss it as it’s the town main piazza. The entire town was very quiet when I got to Bomerano at 7 AM. There are a few shops in this square where you can get snacks and souvenirs. However, it was all closed at 7 AM. From this square look for Via Sentiero Degli Dei. You can’t miss it either. The official trailhead for the Path of the Gods hike is at the end of this narrow road.

Once you pass civilization, you will take a very steep road down. Keep going down this road until you reach the intersection shown below.

Soon you will arrive at this sign, marking the official start of the hike.

Path of the Gods

The trail is relatively easy at the start. Any inclines and declines are gradual and you will have to hike up a bit of rocky terrain. Nothing too difficult. At around the 2 KM mark (Colle La Serra), you will see a sign post with 2 paths. #327 is the main trail and it will be to your left while #327A will be to your right and this is the alternative path for anyone scared of heights. Trail #327 goes along side the cliff with little protection between you, the trail and the cliff. However, I never once felt unsafe. I recommend #327 over #327A as #327 is really where all the beautiful views are.

Views from the hike:

Signage

What the trail is like:

Once you start seeing the town of Positano, then you will start some steeper ascends and descends. At this point the trail will also start to weave into a wooded area, which is a somewhat nice respite from the sun.

Before you know it, you will be in Nocelle!

Nocelle

The little town has a couple of restaurants and a small piazza with a church. Don’t miss getting a lemon or orange slushie from the stand at the square! The guy there is SO nice!!! I wish I got his name so I could mention him by name here!

Nocelle to Positano

If you are not staying in Positano, you can take the bus or call a taxi to where you need to go or hike back to Bomereno (if you left your vehicle there). If you are staying in Positano, or if Positano is your final destination, then you have 3 options as described above:

1. You can take a bus or taxi back to Positano (number for taxis as posted in Nocelle – 3392013482)
2. You can either take the stairs back down to Positano (the stairs start at the little piazza where the church Chiesa di Santa Croce is (on the opposite side of the church).
3. You can continue to hike via Montepertuso for a more gradual descent.

Tips for the Path of the Gods Hike

My biggest tip for the Path of the Gods hike is to start early. Here is why:

1. It gets very hot on the trail by mid-day and hiking in that heat is not fun. If you are planning on hiking during the summer, start at at least 8 AM. I got to the trail by 7 AM
2. It also gets crowded. With the path being narrow, this will add to more time. There was no on on the trail when I started at 7 AM and it was so peaceful!
3. The sun is behind you in the morning and this makes for better pictures.

If you have the means, take a taxi to the starting point. It will be so worth it to start earlier in the day. Most if not all public transportation options only get you to the start later in the day.

If you are wondering if the path from Nocelle to Positano is worth the stairs, I would say, it depends! Taking the stairs is probably your fastest option back to Positano. But if you have bad knees, then I don’t think the 1800 steps and the strain on the knees to climb down is worth it.

What to Bring for the Path of the Gods Hike?

• I recommend hiking shoes if you have them. But understand that you may not want to carry another pair of shoes that you will use for this one hike. I wore hiking shoes but I was going to Cinque Terre after the Amalfi Coast and hiked there as well so it made sense for me. If nothing else, you should absolutely wear sneakers or shoes with a good grip and hard soles.
• Hat or cap – there are areas where you are exposed to the sun and the elements
• Water – bring lots of water, especially if you are going to hike during the day when it is hot
• Sunscreen
• Snacks

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