The village stands on the A830, the historic Road to the Isles, which threads west from Fort William through Glenfinnan to Mallaig and the Skye ferries. The road has been improved over the years, so it is reasonably quick now, with only a few tight bends remaining. Arisaig itself sits on a bypassed loop, which has made it noticeably quieter than it used to be. The West Highland Line runs four trains a day from Glasgow Queen Street via Crianlarich, Fort William, and Glenfinnan, terminating at Mallaig. Arisaig station, just a platform halt, is the most westerly stop on the entire British rail network. There is step-free access to Platform 1 and a barrow crossing to Platform 2. Buy your ticket on board if your journey starts here, because there is no ticket office and no waiting room.

From April to October, the Jacobite steam train operated by West Coast Railways runs between Fort William and Mallaig and stops at Arisaig by request. The morning excursion leaves Fort William at 10:15 AM and returns by 4 PM, giving you two hours in the village. From mid-May to mid-September there is also an afternoon train, 2:30 PM to 8:30 PM, so you can spend a full six hours here, time for a boat trip to the Small Isles by going out in the morning and returning in the afternoon. The Jacobite stops at Glenfinnan for the obligatory photo of the curving viaduct made famous by the Harry Potter films. Under your own steam on the regular ScotRail service, you can day trip from Fort William for about a quarter of the Jacobite fare, leaving at 8:30 AM and getting back by early evening.

Two miles east of Arisaig, the Prince's Cairn marks the spot where, on 20 September 1746, Bonnie Prince Charlie boarded a French ship and left Scotland forever. He had been on the run for six months since his defeat at Culloden. This was the sixth attempted rescue. Winter was closing in and the redcoat dragnet was tightening. He sailed with about a hundred supporters, promising he would return. France would not commit troops to another invasion, and in 1747 made peace with Britain. He never came back. A mile up the loch sits the Loch nan Uamh Viaduct, built of concrete between 1897 and 1901 to carry the railway around the head of the loch. At the larger Glenfinnan Viaduct fifteen miles east there had long been a legend that a horse and cart fell into a pylon during construction. Modern imaging found nothing at Glenfinnan, but in 2001 the same techniques revealed a horse and cart entombed inside the central pylon at Loch nan Uamh. Alas, far too late to save the poor horse.

Arisaig Marine operates a foot passenger ferry from April to September to the Small Isles of Eigg and Muck, leaving from the village pier. The Arisaig Sea Kayak Centre runs guided trips around the coast and across to the islands. Traigh Golf Club, between Arisaig and Morar, is nine holes; twice round is par 68. The Arisaig Americana music festival comes in June, with the 2026 edition tentatively set for 5-7 June. The Arisaig Highland Games and Clan Ranald Gathering meet at Traigh Farm near the golf course every summer. The Old Library is the main place to eat in the village proper, and the Arisaig Bunkhouse next to the hotel offers simple but clean rooms from about £50 for a twin. As of July 2023, mobile signal is patchy at best, with nothing at all from Three. 5G has not arrived. North from Arisaig the road runs to Mallaig for year-round ferries to Skye and the Small Isles; east it leads through Glenfinnan back toward Fort William.