July 12, 2025, 6:25 am | Read time: 3 minutes

The small town of Arona in Piedmont on Lake Maggiore is ideal for vacationers who enjoy swimming and hiking, but also sightseeing and culture. It features a medieval old town, beach resorts, museums, a beautiful lakeside promenade, and a small harbor. The mountainous surroundings offer excellent hiking opportunities and noteworthy excursion destinations. Additionally, the town is easily accessible by car, train, or even by plane.

Arona – the Best Tips

Sights in Arona

Old Town and Museo Civico

In the heart of Arona, a town with nearly 14,000 residents on the southwestern shore of Lake Maggiore, you’ll find Piazza del Popolo with a town hall from the early Renaissance period. Right next to the town hall is the Museo Civico featuring exhibits from the more than 3,000-year-old settlement history of the lakeshore. The museum at Piazza Graziano 36 is open Saturdays and Sundays from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Admission is free.

Fortress

From the lakeside promenade, tourists have a magnificent view of the next major attraction, the Rocca di Angera fortress from the 10th century. It served as a residence for the Visconti and the Archbishop of Milan and was destroyed by Napoleonic troops at the end of the 18th century.

Sights Outside of Arona

Walkable Statue

Also worth seeing is the 35-meter-high bronze statue of Cardinal Borromeo about two kilometers north of Arona in San Carlo. Visitors can ascend via a spiral staircase inside to the head of the statue for 7 euros per person and enjoy a splendid view over Lake Maggiore. Tourists can take a small tourist train from Arona to the statue.

By Ship Across Lake Maggiore

From the harbor in Arona, excursion boats travel across Lake Maggiore. The Navigazione Lago Maggiore ferry lines operate hourly between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., stopping at all passenger ports on the lake as well as Isola Bella and Isola Madre. A trip to Locarno on the northern shore, in Switzerland, takes just under two hours from Arona and costs about 25 euros. For visitors to Isola Bella and Isola Madre, an additional entrance fee of 25 euros applies. Those interested can also charter a motorboat or sailboat or rent a pedal boat in Arona.

Traveling to Arona

By car from Milan, Arona can be reached via the A8 highway, and regular regional trains also run from Milan to the town’s station. The nearest airport is Milano-Malpensa. Just a mountain range away is Lake Orta.

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Arona on the Map

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Text: Jasch Zacharias