"Carefully created cruises, just for you"™

Cruise with Emma

Hi, I’m Emma James-Aldridge, and my company is dedicated to organising hotel barge and self-drive boat cruises on the inland waterways, canals and rivers of France, other European countries 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.

Why choose us
Self-drivesHotel barges

Our clients have awarded Hotels Afloat
★★★★★ (4.9) stars

Discover rivers and canals

Top cruise destinations

Friesland

Friesland

Holland

Loire Valley

Loire Valley

France

Bodrag River

Bodrag River

Hungary

Charente

Charente

France

Saône Valley

Saône Valley

France

Selected of hotel barge trips

Check out the best hotel barges

Nymphea barge cruise

Nymphea

Brittany
6 guests
★★★★
France
Brittany
Last-minute
2027 offers!
La Belle Epoque barge cruise

La Belle Epoque

12 guests
★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Last-minute
Kir Royale barge cruise

Kir Royale

Exceptionally spacious
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Champagne
Last-minute
Magna Carta barge cruise

Magna Carta

Tested by Jane McDonald
8 guests
★★★★★
England
River Thames
Last-minute
2027 offers!
Panache barge cruise

Panache

Holland & Alsace
12 guests
★★★★★
France
Holland
Alsace
Dutch Waterways
Last chance
Savoir Vivre barge cruise

Savoir Vivre

Burgundy Canal
8 guests
★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Last-minute
2027 offer!
Enchanté barge cruise

Enchanté

Midi Canal
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Canal du Midi
Best price!
Grand Victoria barge cruise

Grand Victoria

River Saône
6 guests
★★★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Central Canal
River Rhone

A selection of self-drive boat rentals

Discover the offers and discounts

The price shown is based on a 7-day cruise and indicates the lowest starting price, and excluding any special offer or discount.

Next year!
Classique Star Self-drive rental boat

Classique Star

10 guests maximum
4 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
and 4 children
3 bathrooms
Value
From 1379€/7 nights
Last-minute
Tarpon 37 DP Self-drive rental boat

Tarpon 37 DP

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
2 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 1100€/7 nights
Last-minute
Triton 1050 Self-drive rental boat

Triton 1050

8 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
bathroom
★★★
From 969€/7 nights
Save up to 50%
Linssen 34.9 GS Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium Steel 4 to 6 people

Linssen 34.9 GS

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★★
From 1960€/7 nights
Last-minute
Tarpon 49 QP Self-drive rental boat

Tarpon 49 QP

12 guests maximum
5 cabins
Ideal for 8 adults
and 2 children
5 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 3229€/7 nights
Triton 860 Fly Self-drive rental boat

Triton 860 Fly

3 guests maximum
1 cabin
Ideal for 2 adults
and 1 child
1 bathroom
★★
From 879€/7 nights
Save up to 50%
Classic P.1107W Self-drive rental boat

Pénichette Classic 4 to 7 people

Classic P.1107W

7 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 1 child
1 bathroom
★★
From 1246€/7 nights
Last-minute
La Peniche F Self-drive rental boat

La Peniche F

12 guests maximum
6 cabins
Ideal for 12 adults
3 bathrooms
★★★★
From 2465€/7 nights

Testimonials

Guests have said...

I was very pleased with the total experience. Well-organised program. Hotels Afloat provided all required information. Thanks for the experience.

It was all lovely, but the highlight was Auxerre. I knew it was a large town but we were in awe when we came round the bend in the river and saw...

The boat was better than expected...
The drivability including the bow thruster, the kitchen, the central heating, taking the boat solo.

I rate the...

Our third time on the Savoir Faire. We’ve enjoyed a wonderful time. Good friends, delicious food and lots of fun. Outstanding boat and Captain....

Thank you all so very much for an absolutely marvellous week! Your hospitality, flexibility, understanding and company were wonderful! You shared...

What a magic and memorable time we had on Magnolia.  Never imagined the variety of things we would do in a short time! Magali's knowledge of the...

Hello Emma,
We came back from the cruise and it was perfect.
So perfect that my mother in law and her husband are asking for more...
They want to...

I rate the boat an 8/10.
The route is beautiful, peaceful.
I was offered options, of route and boats, with enough info to be confident of a great...

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