Yangyang café and Namdaecheon boat ride with kids: Cafe Dunchi

Where is Cafe Dunchi, and was parking easy?

I visited Cafe Dunchi (카페 둔치) on Namdaecheon in Yangyang-eup with my children. It is a café alongside the Namdaecheon watersports center, where you can have a drink and take a boat ride.

The building looked as if it were in the middle of the water, so the description “waterfront café” felt fitting.

On the weekend I visited, a holiday coincided with the five-day market and the weather was good, so there were many visitors. Fortunately, the parking lot was large, and both we and the cars arriving before and after us parked with ease.

What were the drinks and desserts like with children?

We first went up to the café’s second floor.

There were more people inside than I expected.

There were various options including coffee, juice, and tea, but I chose one strawberry smoothie and one mango smoothie for the children. I noted the price as ₩7,000.

The fruit flavor was stronger than I expected, so I had a few sips while the children drank theirs. I had originally planned to take the drinks onto the boat, but we finished them all at the café while waiting.

I also received cookies through a review event. They were sweet and crisp, and the children said they wanted another one.

What views can you see inside the café?

Namdaecheon and Naksan Bridge were visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I wanted to photograph the children against the view, but only one of them turned around, which was a little disappointing.

The café also sold dessert items connected with Gangneung.

There were extra stools available too. They seemed useful to bring over when more seats were needed.

How do you register for the boat, and how long is the wait?

Life jackets were available to rent for the boat ride. My child was disappointed because another child who arrived earlier had taken the princess life jacket they liked. When I used one, I was glad it did not have a musty smell.

I had actually called the day before to take the boat and was told that the last boarding was at 6:00 PM. The timing did not work, so I visited the next day. If you plan to ride in the evening, it is a good idea to ask ahead about weather conditions and boarding times.

At the first-floor boarding area, I told them the number of passengers and paid, then received a numbered tag. When I waited at the café, a staff member called the number to let us know it was our turn to board.

I was told the expected wait would be an hour, but it actually took about an hour and a half. While waiting, we also walked on the plastic deck over Namdaecheon across from the café. It was longer than indicated, but considering that we could ride the boat for about 30 minutes, it did not feel especially long to me.

What was the Namdaecheon boat experience like?

After our number was called, we boarded the boat. A staff member attached a timer to the boat and explained how to operate it and the area where we could travel.

We could go close to Naksan Bridge, which had looked far away from the café. My companion said we should turn back, but I wanted to go farther toward the buoys. We could go farther out than I expected, and it was fun to look at the bridge from the river.

The sunlight fell nicely on the water, so I was pleased with the photos. I was left wishing I had asked the children to take a photo of me and my companion too.

After the experience, we moved on to our next stop. Being able to combine a break at the café with a Namdaecheon boat ride made it a good stop during a family outing in Yangyang.

What are the café’s address and hours?

The address is 295 Ilchul-ro, Yangyang-eup, Yangyang-gun, Gangwon State, South Korea. The café hours listed in the original post are daily from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, with last orders at 8:30 PM. When I asked before visiting, I was told that the last boat boarding was at 6:00 PM.