Yangyang café with river boat rides: Cafe Dunchi

During our trip to Yangyang, we stopped by Cafe Dunchi (카페 둔치) to take a break over coffee. At first, I thought it was simply a riverside café, but there were water-leisure facilities downstairs, so we ended up operating a boat ourselves.

What views can you see from the café?

Up close, it was larger than I expected. The first floor housed the water-leisure facilities, while the second floor operated as a café.

From the café, we could see Namdaecheon River at a glance. It is not far from central Yangyang, yet it was quieter than I expected when we visited.

There were no tall buildings nearby, so the view felt wide open. Just having coffee while looking out over the river felt like a proper break.

Were parking and restroom access convenient?

The parking lot was spacious, so even though we visited during a holiday period, we parked easily without any stress.

The one drawback was the restroom. It was not inside the café; we had to use the public restroom in the park, a two- to three-minute walk away. It was not a major inconvenience, but I thought there could be a short wait on weekends or holidays if it was busy.

What drinks did we have?

We ordered an iced Americano and a passion fruit ade. Since it was a café at a tourist spot, we did not expect much from the drinks, but both were better than expected.

Is the round electric boat easy to operate for first-timers?

As we drank our drinks and looked out the window, the boats below kept catching our attention. In the end, we went downstairs and rode a round electric boat. The session lasted 30 minutes, and although I was worried it might be difficult to operate, the explanation made it seem simpler than expected.

My girlfriend, who was trying it for the first time, got used to it quickly. In our experience, it was easygoing for a couple to enjoy together.

What I liked most was the Bluetooth feature. We connected our phone, played songs we liked, and slowly made our way around on Namdaecheon River.

With the wind on us and music playing, the time passed quickly. Having our favorite music alongside the river scenery made the boat ride more enjoyable.

A staff member told us that during salmon spawning season, you may be able to see schools of salmon passing by from the boat. It was not spawning season on the day we visited, so we did not see any salmon.

As we headed toward the middle of the river, a cool breeze kept blowing. I thought bringing a windbreaker would be helpful if riding in spring or fall.

What can you do nearby after the boat ride?

After the boat experience, we looked around the surrounding park. There was a pond, a walking path, and photo spots along the way. The daisy flower bed stood out even from a distance, and once we got closer, we kept taking photos.

The playground was also fairly large. Perhaps because it was a holiday period, there were many children and families there.

There was a ship-shaped play structure, a trampoline, and a rope playground. Seeing the facilities nearby, I thought it could also work well for a family trip with children.

We stopped in for a cup of coffee, then ended up staying longer than expected after taking the boat and going for a walk. It was a nice stop for couples like us who want river views and a light activity during a trip.