Canal & river vacations

From luxury converted barges to modern style cruisers, choose the perfect boat to explore selected destinations on the inland waterways.

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Luxury barge cruises

Selected barge cruises

Halfboard cruises

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Self-drive rentals

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Hotel barges

Top rated and selected barges, reviewed, tested and rated. We offer a large choice of converted barges and routes on the inland waterways.

Luxury style

Private charters, couples or groups

Halfboard

Perfect for discovering

Home & Away

The boat, the crew and you

Self-drive Rentals

Skipper your boat! A perfect vacation for families and friends, we have boats for couples and up to 12 people! Choose your boat and destination now.

Fleets

The best boat rental companies

Destinations

Canals, rivers and lakes

Expert advice

Find your boat holiday

Welcome to Hotels Afloat

Cruise with EmmaHi, I’m Emma James-Aldridge, and my company is dedicated to organising hotel barge and self-drive boat cruises in France, the rest of Europe and Canada, for clients from across the globe.
If you're a family, group of friends, couples or individuals, I have the perfect cruise for you.

We provide expert and detailed advice, we spare no effort in making and managing your booking to ensure the success of your boating holiday cruise.

With 98% of our clients saying they would book with us again, and many returning each year, you can be confident that you're in safe and expert hands.
Hotels Afloat looks forward to welcoming you aboard!

 

Our clients have awarded us (4.8) stars

The perfect present at any time of year
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Top cruise destinations

Discover the best cruise routes

See all destinations

Charente

France

Shannon

Ireland

Loire Valley

France

Île-de-France

France

Camargue

France

Check out the best deals

A selection of hotel barge cruises

View all the barge cruises
Luciole barge cruises

Luciole

12 guests

France

Nivernais & River Yonne

Magnolia barge cruises

Magnolia

6 guests

France

Burgundy Canal

Save up to 10%
Aurora barge cruises

Aurora

8 guests

Holland
France
Belgium
Belgium - France

Dutch Waterways
River Yonne
Flanders
Bruges to Haarlem
Bruges to Paris
Rotterdam to Paris
Île-de-France

Saraphina barge cruises

Saraphina

4 guests

France

Canal du Midi

Grand Victoria barge cruises

Grand Victoria

6 guests

France

River Saône

Check out the cruise deals

Self-drive boat rentals

View all the Self-drive boat choices
N OCTO
Nicols

N OCTO

8 guests

Nicols

Euro Classic 139
France Afloat

Euro Classic 139

6 guests

France Afloat

Linssen 33.9 Aft cabin
France Afloat

Linssen 33.9 Aft cabin

6 guests

France Afloat

Tarpon 37 Duo Prestige
France Passion Plaisance

Tarpon 37 Duo Prestige

6 guests

France Passion Plaisance

Horizon 1
Le Boat

Horizon 1

5 guests

Le Boat

Haines Rive 34
France Passion Plaisance

Haines Rive 34

6 guests

France Passion Plaisance

Horizon 5
Le Boat

Horizon 5

12 guests

Le Boat

N OCTO FLY
Nicols

N OCTO FLY

10 guests

Nicols

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Testimonials

Guests have said...

Thank you to Alex, Nicole and Carls for an excellent trip. It exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves French...

Marcia; Kerikeri, New Zealand 2019

Hi there Emma ,

Just to let you know that we had a great time on our barge. We miss it and the life style. We are looking at other places such as...

Norman Price. Burgundy

The layout was very practical and well appointed with everything needed for a week aboard supplied and in very good condition. We were also given a...

Graham Jensen. Midi canal

The boat is well equipped but slow... I rate it 7/10.
We enjoyed being able to cruise one way.
We do not expect to do another canal cruise but would...

Susan Stephens. Midi canal

The boat was better than I expected.

...Being able to rest and not having to cook, drive or figure out touring plan for the day. Just relax. I...

Donnelle Holck, USA. July 2014

How would you rate your boat? 5 stars
How would you rate your cruise destination? 5 stars
How would you rate the Customer Service from Hotels Afloat?...

Mario Leo.. USA, August 2019

“We thank you for your kindness and warmth. You made us feel like family from the first day. Lots of laughter all the week long. France will now...

Paul, New York USA

The route (Furstenberg - Ketsin) was difficult to navigate in/out of the lakes: poor signage and marinas a challenge to locate, but the Germans and...

Donald Elliot. Germany