"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 the best cruise routes

Top cruise destinations

A selection of hotel barge cruises

Check out the best deals

Prosperite barge cruise

Prosperite

Burgundy Canal
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
La Vie en Rose barge cruise

La Vie en Rose

Burgundy
6 guests
★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Central Canal
Last-minute
Save 20%
L'Impressionniste barge cruise

L'Impressionniste

Burgundy Canal
12 guests
★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Best price!
Grand Victoria barge cruise

Grand Victoria

River Saône
6 guests
★★★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Central Canal
River Rhone
New route for 2026
Elegance barge cruise

Elegance

6 guests
★★★★★
France
Aquitaine & Bordeaux
Last-minute
Save 20%
L'Art de Vivre barge cruise

L'Art de Vivre

Nivernais Canal & Yonne
8 guests
★★★★
France
Nivernais & River Yonne
C'est La Vie barge cruise

C'est La Vie

Champagne Loire
8 guests
★★★★★
France
Loire Valley
Champagne
Last-minute
Save 20%
Renaissance barge cruise

Renaissance

Loire Valley
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Loire Valley

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.

N DUO Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Comfort XL 2 to 4 people

N DUO

4 guests maximum
1 cabin
Ideal for 2 adults
1 bathroom
★★★★
From 1201€/7 nights
Neo Self-drive rental boat

Pénichette Premium+ 6 people

Neo

6 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
3 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 3010€/7 nights
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
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
N SIXTO Green Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium 6 to 8 people

N SIXTO Green

8 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★★
From 2741€/7 nights
Royal Mystique B Self-drive rental boat

Royal Mystique B

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
2 bathrooms
Comfort
From 1319€/7 nights
La Péniche FS Self-drive rental boat

La Péniche FS

12 guests maximum
6 cabins
Ideal for 12 adults
3 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 2711€/7 nights
Horizon 3 Self-drive rental boat

Horizon 3

7 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
3 bathrooms
Premier
From 2139€/7 nights

Testimonials

Guests have said...

The Clipper was as we expected, I rate it an 8/10
It was easy to handle.
Cruising from Port Cassafieres on the Midi was a good beginner route
My...

I rate the boat a 9.9/10... the food, rooms, everything
The Cruise route was better than expected, scenery, day trips..
We would book with you again...

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?...

Appreciated Everything!
Boat rated 10/10
What did you most appreciate about the route? One way toward the Mediterrean
How did you hear about...

Thank you for all you did to make this a great experience. 

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...

I’m speechless. This was absolutely the best trip ever. Barging is the perfect way to enjoy our vacation with so much to see and all done at a...

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

I rate the...

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