Yangyang sunset boat café with brown sugar bubble tea: Cafe Dunchi

On the way home after a Gangwon trip, we looked for one last Yangyang activity to make a special memory with our kid. We wanted somewhere close to Yangyang IC so it wouldn't take us too far out of our way home.

That's how we found Dunchi & Leisure, a floating café sitting right on the Namdaecheon River. It wasn't just a place to grab a drink — you could actually hop on an electric boat and tour the river, which made it a special spot to visit with our kid. We arrived just as the sun was starting to set, and with the sunset mixing into the river view, it turned out to be a great choice for our last stop.

Cafe Dunchi: a floating café minutes from Yangyang IC

Cafe Dunchi is a floating café and leisure spot on the lower stretch of the Namdaecheon River in Yangyang. It's close to Yangyang IC, so it was easy to swing by on the way back toward Seoul or Incheon. You know that feeling on a trip when you have just enough time and energy left for one more stop, but not enough for a full-on tourist attraction?

Cafe Dunchi was perfect as the last stop of our Gangwon trip — you can sit back with a drink or go do the electric boat thing with the kid. The café building sits right on the surface of the Namdaecheon River, so just looking out the window already felt different from an ordinary café.

Turn your head and apparently you can spot the ocean horizon and Yangyang's mountains in the distance too.

Fish jumping out of the Namdaecheon River

What surprised me most when we got to Cafe Dunchi was seeing fish jump out of the Namdaecheon River, over and over, right in front of us. Every time a fish leapt out of the water, our 5-year-old son spotted it first and got so excited.

I thought it would just be our son who loved it, but my husband and I couldn't take our eyes off it either every time a fish jumped.

Apparently, depending on the season, you can catch the rare sight of salmon and dace returning to the Namdaecheon River leaping above the surface. It felt special to see fish leap with real force in nature, right in front of our eyes, instead of through an aquarium tank or a video. It's not a common experience even for adults, so I think this will stay in our memory as a Yangyang activity worth doing with a kid.

Iced chocolate and brown sugar bubble tea from the second-floor café

Before getting on the electric boat, we ordered drinks at the café on the 2nd floor of Cafe Dunchi. We went with iced chocolate and brown sugar bubble tea.

The iced chocolate was great to share with our 5-year-old, and the brown sugar bubble tea, sweet with chewy bubbles, was exactly what we needed for a sugar boost mid-trip. If you buy a drink at the café, you can bring it onto the boat with you. There's a spot inside the electric boat to slot your drink in, so we didn't have to worry about spilling while moving. Drinking at a table is nice, but sipping the same drink while looking out at the river made it feel so much more special.

How much is the electric boat at Cafe Dunchi?

With drinks in hand, we headed down to the Namdaecheon water leisure sports center on the 1st floor of Cafe Dunchi. What we rode was an electric boat, powered by a motor — it wasn't really a thrill-ride kind of experience but more of a relaxed, leisurely cruise while taking in the Namdaecheon scenery.

With our drinks slotted in and cruising slowly around the river with our kid, it felt like the fatigue that had built up over the whole trip melted away.

Chatting with our son on the calm water while keeping an eye out for jumping fish, we got some cozy family time in.

For a 5-year-old, just riding a boat was exciting enough on its own, and from a parent's perspective, it was satisfying because we could enjoy it together without it being crowded or noisy. There are electric boats for 1-4 people and 1-6 people, so you can pick based on how many are in your family. The 1-4 person boat was listed at ₩30,000, and the 1-6 person boat was ₩35,000.

Why sunset is the best time to visit Cafe Dunchi

We deliberately visited Cafe Dunchi right as the sun was starting to set. The crisp daytime view is nice too, but watching the river and sky slowly turn warm colors as the sun dropped was genuinely beautiful.

Floating on the water in the electric boat, everything around us felt quieter, and it was a moment that calmed us down too. It felt like we could wrap up the trip without rushing, taking a moment to slow down and reflect before heading home — a great stop before the drive back. With the river, mountains, and sunset all in view together, it was also a great spot for photos.

A Yangyang spot worth returning to with the whole family

This time it was just my husband, our 5-year-old son, and me at Cafe Dunchi, but I found myself thinking I'd love to bring both my parents and my in-laws on our next Gangwon trip.

For young kids, there's the novel fun of watching fish jump and riding the electric boat, while the older generation can enjoy a relaxed cup of tea taking in the Namdaecheon scenery. The fact that family members of very different ages can each enjoy it in their own way felt like the biggest strength of this place. Apparently the scenery changes with the seasons too — cherry blossoms in spring, lush green in summer, reeds and silver grass in fall, and snow-capped mountains in winter.

This isn't the kind of place you visit once and check off — it's a Yangyang spot I'd want to come back to across different seasons. If you're looking for a unique Yangyang activity to enjoy with your kid near Yangyang IC, I'd recommend Dunchi & Leisure.

Ordering iced chocolate and brown sugar bubble tea at the 2nd-floor café, then taking them onto the electric boat, and watching fish jump above the water — the whole family had a fun, wonder-filled time. If you're looking to unwind and have a special experience before heading home at the end of a Gangwon trip, stop by as your last stop.

Cafe Dunchi visitor information: address, prices, hours

• Address: 295 Ilchul-ro, Yangyang-eup, Yangyang-gun, Gangwon-do, South Korea (Water Leisure Sports Center & Cafe Dunchi)
• Electric boat, 1-4 people: ₩30,000
• Electric boat, 1-6 people: ₩35,000
• Water leisure operation may vary depending on weather and site conditions, so checking ahead before visiting is recommended.