Hiking the Path of the Gods from Sorrento was one of the most awe-inspiring activities of my 5 days in Sorrento. So much so, in fact, that I did this hike again a few years later from Salerno.
The Path of the Gods may not be the easiest activity to do from Sorrento, but I’m fairly certain it will be the most memorable. This guide will help you navigate all you need to know – how to get here from Sorrento, what you need to bring, and everything you need to know about this unforgettable hike. Enjoy!
What is the Path of the Gods?
The Path of the Gods is a beautiful cliffside hike along the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy. It stretches between two small towns and provides some of the most stunning coastal views.
In Italy, the Path of the Gods hike is known as Sentiero degli Dei. This is what you should look for when you’re here; you’ll rarely see it referred to in English.
Why is it called the Path of the Gods?
The Path of the Gods was so named for its use as the path that the gods would take from the heavens to the sea after being lured there by the sirens.
Some will tell you it’s because, here, you’re closer to the sky than you are the sea, or because of its otherworldly views. But for us it was more because we were literally up inside the clouds, looking down on all the mortals, wrestling with who to throw lightning bolts at first.
Also read: Why you should visit Herculaneum instead of Pompeii
Where is the Path of the Gods?
The Path of the Gods hike runs along the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast, stretching between the towns of Bomerano (near Amalfi) and Positano.
Path of the Gods map
This map contains all the places related to hiking the Path of the Gods that I mention in this post. To save this map: Click on the star ⭑ next to the map’s title to save in your Google Maps. To use this map: When you get here, open Google Maps on your phone, click “Saved” at the bottom, then click “Maps.”
Path of the Gods difficulty
If you’re someone who hikes regularly, the Path of the Gods is going to be a breeze. I work out a great deal and do challenging hikes whenever I can, so I found it to be a fun little excursion.
Then there were the 20-something hikers I passed who had left their poor struggling mother in their dust. For her, the difficulty level of the Path of the Gods may be closer to “moderate” or “challenging.” Granted, she wasn’t wearing proper footwear or clothing, but she was still not having a great time. Although she’s probably much better than I am at things like cooking dinner, doing her taxes, and getting out stubborn stains. We all have our strengths, people!
Path of the Gods terrain
To give the difficulty level another layer, you need to take into account the terrain too. The Path of the Gods is a pretty well-worn path with a few surprises.
Parts of it are paved road, other parts are stone pavers. Some of it is dirt path, other parts are loose rocks. There are tree roots to maneuver around, steps to climb (up and down), and boulders to traverse. There are tripping hazards galore and very few barriers between you and the long fall to the sea. And there are inclines and declines and almost nothing to hold on to.
In dry weather, there’s going to be a lot of dirt. What I thought was a tan line after I finished was actually all the dirt my body had accumulated. Similarly, in wet weather the path can be very muddy and slippery.
Use this information + the photos in this post to best gauge your own difficulty level for hiking the Path of the Gods.
Path of the Gods length
In terms of distance, from start (Bomerano) to finish (Positano), the Path of the Gods hike is about 6.5 km or four miles.
In terms of time, if you rush through it, the Path of the Gods takes around two hours. However, if you add in a lunch break, shorter rest breaks, time for exploring the area, time for picture-taking, etc., it could take you more like four hours.
You can probably do it in two hours if you absolutely need to. Personally, it takes me about 4 hours total. That includes:
- The entire hike from Bomerano to Positano including the steps
- Two longer breaks: One at “Ulisse’s House” for snacks and drinks and to wait out the clouds a little bit, and another at “Il Chiosco del Sentiero degli Dei” – a small restaurant at the end for refreshments and a breather
- Handful of shorter breaks for photos, exploring some ruins, snacks, and petting cats
What that four hours doesn’t include is time spent traveling to the start of the hike from Sorrento and the time getting back.
What to expect on the Path of the Gods hike
Now that you know (more or less) what you’ve gotten yourself into up here, here’s a little more. Along the Path of the Gods, you can also expect:
Many possible stops
There will be plenty of things to draw your attention away from the hike here. These include:
- Ulisse’s House – A small café (and former B&B) where you can have some drinks and snacks
- A cliffside restaurant or two
- One single water source from which to fill your bottles for the day
- An abandoned farmhouse
- A whole forest of hidden cairn sculptures
- Lots of donkeys, cows, and goats to see
- And not much else (This hike is truly a welcome break from the sensory overload of the Amalfi Coast.)
A well-marked path
Thankfully, the Path of the Gods is a pretty easy-to-follow trail. I mean, I’ve only gotten lost once on it and that’s a huge accomplishment for me. Otherwise, the path is fairly straightforward (as a figure of speech) and you can pretty much see where it leads pretty far ahead of you. Thankfully, there aren’t too many forks or directional choices you’ll have to make. You won’t need a map or any GPS. (But I still included a map for you at the top of this post because I get it.)
A handful of other hikers
The Path of the Gods is thankfully a pretty uncrowded hike as I assume most people visiting the Amalfi Coast are trying to avoid physical activity. That said, you probably won’t be alone up here either. There’s always been another hiker or two every so often to say Buon giorno! to.
A decent down 1,700 steps
No, that’s not a joke. The hike itself ends in a hillside town called Nocelle. But to get back to Sorrento (and pretty much everywhere else), you need to take the 1,700 winding steps down from Nocelle to Arienzo/Positano. Yay?
Only one place to get water
It’s very important to bring plenty of water when hiking the Path of the Gods from Sorrento. (Especially in hot-as-Hades mid-July like I did the first time.) Towards the beginning of the hike, there’s a single water fountain where you can fill up your bottles, but nothing else until the end.
Personally, I brought two liters (in my hydration bladder) + another bottle and ran out of it all just as I pulled up to this sign at the end: *cue angel choir*
Unpredictable weather
While hiking the Path of the Gods from Sorrento, we encountered heavy cloud cover and fog, a ton of sunshine, then rain, and eventually more sun. All I can is: Be prepared for everything!
At first, I was seriously pissed that our hike was under such thick cloud cover that we could barely see ten feet in front of us. Eventually, the clouds lifted and we then spent most of the hike baking in the sun. At the end of our 1,700 steps, it began to pour down rain. When I did this hike again in 2023, it rained nearly the whole time. What are you gonna do?
The most amazing views
Before I did this hike for myself, I’d read a lot about how the Path of the Gods is said to be one of the most beautiful hikes in the world. So the fact that it was shrouded in clouds was less divine than it was disastrous. But once they opened up, good god almighty! Everything you’ve read about it is true.
How to hike the Path of the Gods from Sorrento
To hike the Path of the Gods from Sorrento you have two legitimate options:
- Via organized tour with a guide
- Independently via public transportation
Path of the Gods from Sorrento with a tour
Booking yourself on a Path of the Gods tour that leaves from Sorrento is going to be (by far) the easiest and most efficient method. Here’s why booking a “tour” is the best idea here:
The only downside to hiking the Path of the Gods from Sorrento this way is that it’s going to cost more than the €3 bus ticket that doing it independently does. But really, this is a great example of just throwing money at the problem in order to have a smoother, faster, and more stress-free experience. Absolutely no judgment from me.
Path of the Gods tours from Sorrento
If planning all this out yourself is starting to feel overwhelming, consider one of these organized tour options:
Path of the Gods from Sorrento via public transportation
Hiking the Path of the Gods independently also has it advantages. You’ll have complete control over your schedule and pace and it’s much cheaper, for example. The downside being that you’ll have to navigate southern Italy’s public transportation network which takes a god-like level of patience and grace in itself. That said, here’s what you need to know.
Hiking the Path of the Gods from Sorrento requires 4 steps:
- Get from Sorrento to Amalfi
- Bus from Amalfi to Bomerano
- Hike from Bomerano to Positano
- Get back to Sorrento from Positano
Step 1: Get from Sorrento to Amalfi
In order to hike the Path of the Gods, you first need to get from Sorrento to Amalfi. You have a couple of options for how to do this:
Bus from Sorrento to Amalfi
To get from Sorrento to Amalfi you can take the SITA bus—the area’s public bus system. Now, I’ve come up with several acronyms for which I think “SITA” might represent, but instead I’ll just say this: The SITA bus is a perfectly fine way to get around. It’s cheaper than a cappuccino and, you know, there’s a door and some seats and the tires have air in them. So there’s that. Just keep your expectations low, that’s all I’m saying.
The SITA bus from Sorrento to Amalfi takes about 1.5 hours, during which you may or may not have a seat due to overcrowding. Either way, you’ll be pressed up against someone else on a bus that doesn’t have air conditioning, hugging the dangerous curves of the Amalfi Coast. (Even though I no longer suffer from motion sickness, I still get anxiety thinking about this.)
The SITA bus has pickup times throughout day and will cost you just a few euros. You can view the SITA bus schedule here. (The schedule changes throughout the year so check it as often as you feel you need to.)
Pro Tip: Sit on the right side of the bus for the most amazing Amalfi Coast views during the drive. (Unless you’re terrified of heights and/or suffer from vertigo.) On the way back, sit on the driver’s side.
Special note: The first time I hiked the Path of the Gods from Sorrento, I took the City Sightseeing bus between cities as a much faster workaround. Unfortunately, City Sightseeing has suspended their Sorrento—Positano route. They told me directly that they don’t have any future plans to run this route again. Booooo!
Ferry from Sorrento to Amalfi
For a much less stressful and more leisurely trip between Sorrento and Amalfi, you can opt to take the ferry instead. The ferry from Sorrento to Amalfi takes about 1 hour 45 minutes and leaves at several times throughout the day. You can see the full ferry schedule here.
Step 2: Bus from Amalfi to Bomerano
After arriving at the bus station in Amalfi, head to the ticket office across the street from the water and grab a SITA bus ticket for Bomerano (though you may need to specify Agerola). The process is quick, painless, and dirt cheap.
Both times I’ve done this, I’d had plenty of time to hang out in Amalfi before my bus arrived. Use this time to visit a shop and stock up on meat, cheese, and whatever else you need for your hike. This may be your last opportunity to do so!
Now, hang out in the clusterf*ck that is the Amalfi bus station and take a gamble as to which bus is the one you’re supposed to get on. (lol, you’ll see) The buses almost never say where they’re going and you pretty much just have to ask all the bus drivers (who are all standing around smoking cigarettes) if this is the right bus. They’ll hate it; you’ll hate it; everybody hates it. But eventually, one of them will say Yes!
Pro tip: Find the other people in hiking apparel carrying backpacks and work together as a team. I’m not even kidding.
SITA bus to Bomerano
The trip from Amalfi to Bomerano is basically vertical, cliffside, jam packed, hot, smelly, and there’s probably a drunk lady waving her beer bottle and screaming at the driver from the back of the bus the whole way. Do not make eye contact. But it’s only 30 minutes long—so that’s a plus.
I should note: the stops here are not marked. Nor does the driver give a damn. All I can tell you here, is to get off the bus when you see something that looks like this:
Step 3: Finding the start of the hike
Provided you get off at the right stop, you should now be in front of a place called On the Road Sushi & Grill. Pop in here for an espresso and a final bathroom stop.
From here, cross the street and take the road that’s paved in stones to the left of the big map sign (Via Villani). Take this pathway between the homes until you reach what is obviously a main road (SS366). Now, turn right but stay to the left of the little park area.
At the end of the little park area, you’ll see an alleyway on your left.Look for the white and red directional signs on the side of the building at the intersection of Via Pennino and Via Tommaso Mannini (pictured below). The signs will say Sentiero degli Dei. From here, the rest of the trail is pretty easy to follow.
You’ll pass farms and walk on paved roads for the first bit. You’ll soon come upon an abandoned farmhouse and eventually end up on the rocky dirt path that will define the rest of your hike.
At the end of the hike, you’ll end up in a town called Nocelle. From here, you’ll see signs directing you to the 1,700 steps to Arienzo/Positano and what I can only imagine is a slow descent into rheumatoid arthritis.
Step 4: Getting back to Sorrento
After you make it down the steps, you’ll be in Positano. From here, you have a couple of options for how to get back to Sorrento:
Bus from Positano to Sorrento
After all those steps, you may have a few choice words for the gods, but hold your tongue! You’re not home yet. Once you reach the end of the steps at the main road, you’ll then need to walk just a little bit farther to get to Positano. Your legs will be jello, but you can do it!
After the last step, turn right on the main road (SS163). From here, it’s another 12 minutes of walking until you reach the Positano Sponda bus stop where you can catch the SITA bus back to Sorrento. The bus from Positano to Sorrento takes about an hour. Here’s the SITA schedule again.
Ferry from Positano to Sorrento
The buses tend to be super crowded here if you visit in the summer. So much so that there will probably be a long line of people waiting to get on and you may have to watch several buses leave without you. And if it’s raining? Whew, start saying some prayers.
If the weather is nice though, you can always opt to take the ferry straight from Positano to Sorrento instead. The ride takes just 35 minutes (up to an hour if you choose a slower option) though it will cost more than the bus. Check out the ferry options here.
Note: In choppy weather, all ferries from Positano get canceled. Definitely have a backup plan if you decide to go this route. This happened to me in 2023 and I had to scramble to find a bus outta there. I ended up taking a bus from Positano to Amalfi and then a ferry from Amalfi to Salerno because that one was still running.
Pro tip: If you wanted to, say, take the ferry one way and the bus another, I’d definitely opt for taking the ferry to the hike in the morning and the bus back to Sorrento. That way, you won’t have to rush through the hike to make it back for the last ferry or risk missing it.
Can you drive to the Path of the Gods from Sorrento?
There is a third option for getting to the hike and back—driving your own car—but I highly, highly recommend against this. Driving the Amalfi Coast as a tourist in a rental car is a straight-up death wish. Please do not attempt this.
The other thing to consider is that, wherever you park your car near the start of the hike, you’ll have to get yourself back to that point at the end. And that’s much easier said than done and you’d have to backtrack a considerable amount. Actually, I’d just go ahead and consider it impossible. Don’t try to drive to and from the hike.
What to pack for the Path of the Gods hike
Here are a few key items you’ll need to pack if you plan to hike the Path of the Gods:
More info for your Italy trip
Like this post? Have questions about hiking the Path of the Gods from Sorrento? Let me know in the comments below. Have fun in Italy!
Save this info, pin this image:
