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Everything You Need to Know Before You Walk the Amalfi Coast’s Most Famous Trail
There is a moment about forty minutes into the Path of the Gods when the trail turns a corner and the entire Amalfi Coast opens up below you. The towns are visible from above: Positano, Praiano, the white speck of Amalfi further east. The sea is the particular aquamarine that only makes sense at this height. The mountains rise behind you and the ridge drops away in front and for a few seconds you are not quite sure where to look.
This walk gives you the view that most people come to the Amalfi Coast for and never actually find from the road below. It is not the hardest hike in Italy or the most dramatic. It is just the right one. The trail runs along the ridge between Agerola and Nocelle, roughly ten kilometres at altitude, and the whole thing takes most people between four and five hours with stops. You do not need to be a serious hiker. You need to be reasonably fit, well-shod, and willing to start early.
The Basics
Trail name: Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods) Distance: Approximately 10 kilometres point to point (6 miles total) Duration: 4 to 5 hours for most walkers including stops. Allow the full morning. Difficulty: Moderate. Not technical, but steep in sections with uneven terrain Direction: Walk from Agerola (Bomerano) to Nocelle. Not the reverse. Start point: Bomerano, a hamlet of Agerola, reached by bus from Amalfi End point: Nocelle, above Positano, with a descent of roughly 500 steps into the town Best months: April, May, September, October Worst months: July and August — the heat on the exposed ridge is serious
Why Walk West to East: Agerola to Nocelle
You can walk it either way. Do not walk it the other way.
The views open progressively as you head east. The first section above Agerola is wooded and relatively shaded. As the trail climbs to the ridge the coast appears in stages rather than all at once. Moving toward the light in the morning hours means the views over Positano are at their best as you arrive above them.
The descent into Nocelle and then into Positano comes at the end naturally: roughly 500 steps from Nocelle to the road, then a further descent into the town. Walking east to west means those same 500 steps at the start, on fresh legs, and then climbing back up at the end when your legs are done. Nobody who has done it that way recommends it.
Nocelle puts you above Positano with access to the town by foot or by bus, and the ferry back along the coast from Positano is the right way to end the day.
Getting to the Start: Bomerano, Agerola
Agerola is a mountain town above the coast, not on the coast road itself.
By bus from Amalfi: The SITA bus line connects Amalfi to Agerola via the inland road. About forty minutes. Buses run regularly in the morning and less frequently in the afternoon. Check the SITA Sud timetable before you go and catch the earliest bus that works for your start time. The bus stops in Bomerano, the hamlet nearest the trailhead.
By car: Park in Agerola and walk down to Bomerano. Parking in Agerola is straightforward in a way that nowhere on the coast road is. This makes sense if you are staying inland or if the early morning bus timing does not work.
The trailhead in Bomerano is signed from the main piazza. Follow the signs for Sentiero degli Dei. The path starts on a paved lane that quickly turns to track. You will know you are going the right way when the coast starts appearing below you on the left.
The Walk: What to Expect Section by Section
The first hour is the most varied. The trail winds through terraced gardens, old lemon groves, and Mediterranean scrub. Wide in places, narrow in others. Some elevation gain and a few scrambling moments over rocky outcrops, nothing technical. The views start opening as you gain height.
The middle section is the heart of it. The trail follows the ridge with the coast stretching below and the limestone mountains rising behind. This is where you stop often. The light on the sea shifts as the morning goes on and each stopping point gives you a different angle on the same view. Take your time.
The descent into Nocelle begins after the ridge and is the steepest section. The path narrows and the surface gets more uneven. This is where good footwear earns its keep. Nocelle appears below and the views over Positano on the way down are among the best of the whole walk.
Nocelle to Positano is a staircase of roughly 500 steps cut into the cliff. About twenty minutes at a steady pace. The steps are uneven and the handrails are intermittent. If your knees feel the descent, slow down. There is no hurry.
Getting Back: Nocelle and Positano to Your Base
Once you reach Positano you have three options.
By ferry: This is the one to take. The journey back along the coast by water after a morning above it on the ridge is how the day should end. You see everything from a completely different angle. Ferries run regularly throughout the day in the main season. Buy tickets at the booth on the main beach.
By SITA bus: Buses run from Positano along the coast road to Amalfi and Sorrento. Crowded in peak season and slow on the coast road. The bus stop is on the coast road above the main beach area. Fine if the ferry timing does not work.
By water taxi: More expensive, faster, and more comfortable. Available from the beach directly. If there are a few of you and the ferry has gone, split the cost.
What to Wear and Carry
The terrain is rocky and uneven in sections, the ridge is fully exposed, and the Nocelle descent needs proper grip underfoot. Plan accordingly.
Footwear: Proper hiking shoes or trail runners with a good sole. Not trainers, not fashion sneakers, not flip flops or sandals. A leather walking sandal with a proper sole works for the less technical early sections but a closed trail shoe is the right call for the full route. The Campania Capsule Wardrobe Guide covers the specific footwear that handles both the trail and the town afterward.
Clothing: Light and breathable. The ridge is exposed and the wind picks up in the morning. A lightweight windproof layer in your pack weighs almost nothing and matters when the breeze hits. Linen is too delicate for the scrub sections. A technical or cotton T-shirt, a light layer, and whatever you want to wear in Positano afterward packed in your bag.
What to carry:
- Water: at least 1.5 litres per person. There is nowhere to refill on the trail.
- Sunscreen: the ridge is fully exposed from mid-morning
- Snacks: no food stops on the trail. Grab something from the bar in Bomerano before you start.
- A small day pack: hands free matters on the rockier sections
- Your phone fully charged: the views will do serious damage to your storage
Timing: When to Start
Start between 7 and 8am. In July and August this is non-negotiable. In every other month it is still the right call.
The morning light on the coast is best in the first hours after sunrise. The early sections of the trail are shaded and the ridge is bearable before the sun gets high. By 11am in summer the heat on the exposed sections is hard work. By noon it is a different walk entirely.
Starting early also means arriving in Positano late morning rather than mid-afternoon, which gives you time for lunch, a swim, or a slow wander before the ferry back.
The trail fills up as the morning goes on. At 7am you will have the first section almost to yourself. By 10am it is noticeably busier on the narrower ridge sections. Starting early is not just about the heat.
The Best Viewpoints: Where to Stop
A few specific spots on the trail are worth pausing at deliberately rather than just stopping when you feel like it.
The first ridge opening, about an hour in. The trail climbs out of the terraced gardens and the coast appears for the first time. The view runs west toward Praiano. The morning light here is at its best and this is when the walk stops feeling like a warm-up.
The central ridge section, roughly halfway. The widest panorama on the trail. Positano to the east, the Capri silhouette on the horizon on a clear day, mountains behind you in both directions. Take as long as you want here.
The Nocelle descent viewpoint. As the trail begins dropping toward Nocelle, there is a point where Positano appears directly below: the white and pastel buildings cascading down the cliff to the sea. This is the best view of Positano from above anywhere on the coast, completely different from anything you see from the road or the water. Stop before you start the steps.
Practical Notes
The trail is not always perfectly signed. Screenshot the route on Google Maps or download it on Maps.me before you lose signal. Signal is patchy on parts of the ridge.
Do not walk it in the rain. The limestone rock and clay soil become treacherous when wet. If the forecast shows rain, postpone. The trail is not enjoyable wet and some sections become genuinely unsafe.
Dogs on the trail. Farm dogs at the terraced properties in the early sections can be territorial. Walk calmly past, do not run, and they generally settle fast.
The 500 steps into Positano are harder than they look. Your knees will know about it the next day if you have not been walking much recently. Take them steadily, especially if the trail has already done a number on your legs.
Book the return ferry ahead if you can. In peak season the afternoon ferries from Positano fill up. If you have a rough idea of your arrival time, booking the night before online saves the queue at the booth.
Read Next
For everything else the Amalfi Coast and Campania region offers, the Amalfi Coast, Naples and Capri Travel Guide covers the full picture: where to stay, what to see at Herculaneum and Ravello, how to navigate the coast road, and the Capri logistics most guides get wrong.
What you wear on the trail matters as much as what you wear everywhere else on this coast. The Campania Capsule Wardrobe Guide covers the twelve pieces that carry you from the ridge above Positano to dinner in Ravello, including the specific footwear that handles both.
For the full Italy wardrobe picture, the Complete Guide to Italy is where to start.
Heading to the Amalfi Coast? The Campania Capsule Wardrobe Guide covers what to wear on the Path of the Gods, on the steps of Positano, and at dinner in Ravello.