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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Arona
Visit Arona for a half‑day to see the Sancarlone statue and lakeside walk; one day is enough for the main sights and a ferry ride.
Arona is a small lakeside town on Lake Maggiore in Piedmont. Its main attractions – the giant Sancarlone statue, La Rocca park and a lakeside promenade – are close together, so a half‑day covers them. Add a short ferry trip to Stresa or a quick boat ride across the lake for a full day experience.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar (cool, occasional fog)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €40–60 excl. bed · Mid €60–90 excl. bed · High €90+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- Police 112 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at a café | €1.20–2.00 |
| Panini | €3–5 |
| Gelato | €2–3 |
| Ferry ticket (Arona‑Stresa) | €12 |
| Regional train ticket (Arona‑Milan) | €8–12 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MXP · Milan Malpensa International Airport
- 25 km (16 mi) south, about 30 min by car or train16 mi (25 km) south, about 30 min by car or train
Typical fares
- Train Arona‑Milan (regional)
- about €10, 30 min (check)
- Ferry Arona‑Stresa
- ≈ €12 round‑trip, 30 min each way (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk the compact centre; regional trains connect Arona to Milan, Novara and Switzerland. Local buses serve frazioni. Ferries run to Stresa and Locarno.
See and do
Known for
- Sancarlone statue of Saint Charles Borromeo
- La Rocca park
- Lake Maggiore promenade
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Stresa | Ferry from Arona lake pier, about 30 min; or drive 15 km (9.3 mi) via SS33Ferry from Arona lake pier, about 30 min; or drive 9.3 mi (15 km) via SS33 | ≈1 h total |
| Locarno (Switzerland) | Hydrofoil from Arona pier, about 45 min | ≈1 h 15 min |
Sleep
- Arona town centre
- Close to Sancarlone, La Rocca and lakefront; good for a night or day‑trip base.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | Scusiskusi |
| Thank you | Graziegrahtsee-eh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?kwan-toh koh-sta |
| Where is the toilet? | Dove è il bagno?doh-veh eh eel bahn-yo |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con carta?pos-soh pah-gah-reh con kar-ta |
| I would like a coffee | Vorrei un caffèvor-ray oon kahf-feh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- Limited public transport within town; plan walking routes.
- Ferry schedules vary by season; check times in advance.
Arona is a low‑risk town; main concerns are traffic on lakeside roads and seasonal fog on the lake.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Arona yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Sancarlone statue of Saint Charles Borromeo
- La Rocca park
- Lake Maggiore promenade
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Arona, revision 3947704 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=3947704
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/arona). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.