Yangyang electric boat café on Namdaecheon: Cafe Dunchi

On a summer day trip to Yangyang and Sokcho with a friend, I stopped by Cafe Dunchi (카페 둔치). We had marked it down while looking for something to do after lunch: an electric boat café. Rather than a fast-moving ride, it offered a gentle boat trip along Namdaecheon.

Where is Cafe Dunchi, and is parking convenient?

Cafe Dunchi is a floating café and water-leisure space on Namdaecheon in Yangyang. At the time of my visit, the posted café hours were daily from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, while boats were available from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

I parked in the dedicated outdoor lot directly in front. There was no separate parking fee while using the café.

After parking, I walked across a wooden bridge to enter. The first floor was for boat experiences, while the second floor was a café overlooking the river.

What are the boat prices and ride times?

At the time of my visit, there were two kinds of electric boat and a hwangpo dotbae (traditional sailboat). You could choose based on your group size and the experience you wanted.

• Four-seater electric boat: ₩28,000 for 30 minutes.
• Six-seater electric boat: ₩35,000 for 30 minutes.
• Twelve-seater hwangpo dotbae: posted as ₩10,000 per adult for a 20-minute experience.

What were the second-floor café seats and drinks like?

Up one flight of stairs was the café. It used the entire second floor, so it felt fairly spacious.

Most tables seated four, and there were plenty of comfortable places to sit, so it seemed suitable for visiting with older adults too. There were also bar seats in a row facing the river through floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as window seats.

There were drinks including coffee, juice, and tea. They also had croffles, honey bread, and cakes, so it looked like a decent place to stop for dessert after a meal.

Because we had another stop planned, we packed one iced café latte for ₩5,500 and one blueberry smoothie for ₩7,000. We sat briefly looking outside, then took our drinks downstairs to ride the boat.

Was the electric boat easy to operate for a first-timer?

Before boarding, I put on a life jacket. There were children’s sizes too, and I chose a red vest that fit from M, L, and XL.

At first, I said I would take the rectangular four-seater boat for ₩28,000, but that day I received an upgrade to a round six-seater boat as a service. The boat I rode had a canopy and a steering wheel.

Before departure, a staff member explained the precautions and controls for about a minute. Below the steering wheel were buttons for power, forward and reverse, and Bluetooth audio. Following the instructions, I used the forward and reverse buttons and the steering wheel, and found it simple to operate.

There were four drink holders in the middle, where we could put our takeaway drinks. They also gave us a stopwatch to check the ride time, which we started when we set off.

What did 30 minutes on Namdaecheon feel like?

The boat moved gently, and I did not feel motion sickness during the ride. The area where we could move around Namdaecheon felt broad, so it did not feel monotonous. We stayed within the area before the blue floating markers indicated by the staff.

It was a sunny day with almost no clouds, but the canopy over the boat made it much more comfortable. Since I did not have to row and could steer with the wheel, it did not take much effort, and I did not feel particularly hot while riding that day.

I could see people windsurfing nearby, which was fun to watch. The boat also had a Bluetooth speaker function, and I thought adding music would suit a date-like atmosphere.

After 30 minutes, we returned to where we had started and handed back the boat. If you like fast-paced activities, it may feel a little uneventful. I enjoyed slowly taking in the scenery with a drink beside me and my friend, and it felt like a good fit when looking for a gentle activity that does not require much effort.