Banana Beach — Zakynthos’s Liveliest Strip

Named for the gently curving shape of its shoreline rather than any tropical fruit, Banana Beach is the beating heart of the Vasilikos peninsula’s beach scene. This is Zakynthos at its most unabashedly fun — long, golden, fully equipped, and humming with energy from morning until the sun drops into the Ionian.

What Awaits You

Nearly a kilometre of fine golden sand — soft underfoot, shallow at the waterline, and clean enough to win repeated Blue Flag certification. The water is the archetypal Greek turquoise, warm from June through September, and shallow for a long way out, making it unusually forgiving for families with small children.

Banana Beach is fully organised. You’ll find sunbeds and umbrellas for rent along most of its length (roughly €8-12 per set per day), beach bars serving everything from frappés to cocktails, and a full complement of water sports: jet skis, banana boats (inevitably), parasailing, pedal boats, kayaks, and even wakeboarding further offshore. If it floats and goes fast, someone on this beach is selling it to you.

The atmosphere is energetic without tipping into chaos. You’ll find a genuinely mixed crowd — Greek families, young European travellers, couples doing the classic island circuit. It’s the kind of beach where strangers share sunscreen and end up sharing dinner recommendations by evening.

Getting There

From Zakynthos Town, take the main road south towards Argassi and follow signs to Vasilikos (about 14 km, 20 minutes). Banana Beach is well-signposted once you’re on the Vasilikos peninsula. There’s ample free parking directly behind the beach — one of Zakynthos’s more generous gifts to visitors.

By sea, several boat tours stop here as part of their southern coast routes. It’s also within easy cycling distance of Vasilikos village if you fancy earning your sunbed.

Facilities

Banana Beach has everything:

• Sunbeds & umbrellas: Multiple operators along the whole beach
• Beach bars: 3-4 options serving food and drinks all day
• Water sports centre: Jet skis, banana boat, parasailing, kayaks, paddleboats
• Showers & changing rooms: Available at the main beach bar area
• Parking: Large free car park

Insider Tips

The western end (left side as you face the sea) is markedly quieter. Fewer tour-bus groups find their way that far down, the sunbed prices are often slightly lower, and the atmosphere is more relaxed. Same sea, fraction of the noise.

Book water sports early in the day during July and August — by midday, slots for parasailing and jet skis are often gone for hours ahead. The operators open around 9 AM.

If you’re here with kids under 10, stick to the central and eastern sections where the water stays shallow for a remarkable distance. The natural slope is gentle and forgiving.

Evening is underrated. Once the day-trippers leave around 6 PM, the beach takes on a golden stillness. The beach bars slow down, local families come out, and the sunset over the Ionian is genuinely spectacular from this stretch of coast.

Best Time to Visit

For swimming and sun: June and September hit the sweet spot — warm water, manageable crowds, golden light.

Peak season: July-August. Lively, crowded, every sunbed occupied by 10 AM. Come early or commit to the western end.

Off-season: May and October — the beach is almost to yourself, water sports operations are minimal but the swimming is still excellent.

Tourist vs Local Perspective

Tourists love Banana Beach for its convenience and energy. Locals from Zakynthos Town use it as their “practical” beach — easy to get to, full facilities, reliably good. You won’t hear Zakynthians rhapsodising about its hidden character, but you will see them here on summer weekends, barbecuing with extended family in the car park at sunset. That tells you something. Some beaches don’t need mystique — they just need to be reliably, uncomplicatedly good. Banana Beach delivers exactly that.