Yangyang café with electric water boats for families: Cafe Dunchi

Can you enjoy a café and water boats with a child?

While looking for something for our family to do in Yangyang, we visited Cafe Dunchi (카페 둔치), a café where you can ride water boats on the Namdaecheon Stream. Three adults and a 19-month-old came together, and it was an especially memorable experience from this Yangyang trip.

Where is Cafe Dunchi, and is parking convenient?

Cafe Dunchi is at 295 Ilchul-ro, Yangyang-eup, Yangyang-gun, Gangwon State, South Korea, beside the Namdaecheon Park Golf Course. We could use the parking lot in front of the building for free, and there was plenty of space, so it was easy to park. The original post lists its hours as 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily.

The first floor is for the water boat experience, while the second floor is the café. Since we planned to buy drinks and take them on the boat, we went upstairs first.

What drinks and desserts are available, and how much do they cost?

There was a wide selection of drinks, including several varieties made with house-made fruit syrups.

They also sold large cookies and bingsu (shaved ice dessert). There was a varied bakery selection, along with bottled drinks and drinks for children.

The café requests one menu item per person. We visited as three adults and one infant, so we ordered drinks for the three adults.

• Americano ₩5,000
• Vanilla latte ₩6,000
• Dolce latte ₩6,000
• Change to decaf: additional ₩1,000

The iced Americano had a nutty flavor, and I liked the gentle sweetness of condensed milk in the dolce latte. When we said we would be using the water boat, they served the drinks in takeaway cups, so we took them down to the first floor.

At the time of our visit, there was a notice that signing up on site for a Digital Tourism Resident Card gave a 10% discount on all items. It said sign-up was also possible through simple SNS login.

How much do water boats cost, and how long is the ride?

The four-person water boat cost ₩30,000 and the six-person boat cost ₩40,000, for 30 minutes of use. The four-person boat was long and narrow, while the six-person boat was round.

What were preparation and steering like with a 19-month-old?

We put on life jackets and got on the boat. At the time of our visit, there were plenty of infant life jackets available. After we boarded, a staff member explained how to operate it in detail and showed us how to connect Bluetooth. I found the controls simple to use.

I was worried at first because we were riding with a child. When we went, the boat moved slowly and did not rock much, and none of us felt motion sick. Our baby, who had been worn out by the hot weather, seemed happy in the river breeze.

Was it nice to enjoy the scenery with drinks on the boat?

Because it was an electric boat, we did not need to pedal, which was convenient. Heading out onto the Namdaecheon Stream and feeling the river breeze made the heat feel much less intense.

There was a timer in front of the boat table, so it was easy to check our remaining time. There were also drink holders, so we could set down and drink the coffee we bought at the café.

The area where boats could travel felt spacious, so we moved around on the river and took in the view. Sunlight came through the clouds, making shimmering reflections on the water. My family also said this time felt relaxing and enjoyable.

On trips to Gangwon, we usually look at the sea and eat raw fish, but this time we made a different memory by boating on the Namdaecheon Stream with our child. What stayed with me was sharing time as a family while having drinks and looking at the river scenery.