Yangyang riverside café with electric boats: Cafe Dunchi

Can you relax at a café with a child and ride an electric boat too?

While traveling in Yangyang, I was looking for something to do with my child and visited Cafe Dunchi (카페 둔치) by the Namdaecheon River. I stopped by because we could have coffee and ride an electric boat. It was busier than I expected during the pleasant May holiday, but relaxing with the river view and riding the boat with my child was satisfying.

Where is it, and what are the hours and restroom situation?

Cafe Dunchi is at 295 Ilchul-ro in Yangyang-eup. At the time of my visit, the posted café hours were 10:00 AM to 9:30 PM, with last orders at 8:30 PM. Boat hours were 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, which differed from the café hours.

Walking along the deck path with reeds and flowers, I spotted the café with music playing. We took commemorative photos at the nearby photo zones before going in. There is no restroom inside the café, so you need to use the outdoor restroom near the entrance.

Where are the best seats for relaxing with river views?

As a floating café, it offered views toward the Namdaecheon River even from indoors. Simply looking outside from inside made me feel relaxed.

The interior reminded me of Bali and was also good for taking photos. The chairs were comfortable, and the terrace seats were nice for resting while looking out at the riverbank.

What drinks and desserts can you choose with a child, and how much are they?

At the time of my visit, there were old-fashioned patbingsu (shaved ice with sweet red beans), Pororo drinks, and fruit juices. Desserts included handmade almond tuiles and dried jelly, and the egg tart caught my eye most. The café said it used coffee beans brought in from Gangneung, and it also had drinks made with homemade fruit syrup.

These are the representative drink prices I listed in the original post.

• Americano ₩5,000
• Café latte ₩5,500
• Dolce latte ₩6,000
• Hazelnut latte ₩6,000
• Mango smoothie ₩7,000
• Grapefruit ade ₩7,000

I ordered one hazelnut latte with less sweetness and one mango smoothie. I preferred the less-sweet order to overly sweet drinks. I was told we could ride the boat while drinking, so we headed down to the boat area without waiting to finish our drinks.

What did the electric boat cost, and what was riding with a child like?

Electric boat rental was ₩28,000 for a four-person boat and ₩35,000 for a six-person boat, both for 30 minutes. I went down thinking 30 minutes would be enough time to enjoy it.

There were XL, L, and kids' life jackets, and we put them on before boarding. My child especially liked the life jacket with a princess illustration. As I carefully balanced my way onto the round motorboat, a safety staff member explained how to operate it and which areas we could not enter.

After hearing the instructions, the controls felt simple. A center button controlled forward movement and stopping, while the steering wheel changed direction. I was also told to contact them by phone if there was a problem.

What I liked most was that I could connect Bluetooth to the boat. We played music we wanted and moved across the water without needing to pedal while taking in the scenery. Being able to enjoy the river view while drinking our beverages made it a memorable part of our Yangyang trip with my child.