"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

Loire Valley

Loire Valley

France

Canal du Midi

Canal du Midi

France

Shannon

Shannon

Ireland

Bodrag River

Bodrag River

Hungary

A selection of hotel barge cruises

Check out the best deals

New route for 2026
Elegance barge cruise

Elegance

6 guests
★★★★★
France
Aquitaine & Bordeaux
Last-minute
Save up to 20%
Spirit of Scotland barge cruise

Spirit of Scotland

Scotland
12 guests
★★★★★
Scotland
Caledonian Canal
Last-minute
Save 20%
La Bella Vita barge cruise

La Bella Vita

Venetian lagoon
20 guests
★★★★
Italy
Venice Lagoon
Rendez-Vous barge cruise

Rendez-Vous

Burgundy Canal
4 guests
★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
C'est La Vie barge cruise

C'est La Vie

Champagne Loire
8 guests
★★★★★
France
Loire Valley
Champagne
Last-minute
Save up to 20%
Finesse barge cruise

Finesse

Canal du Centre
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Central Canal
Last minute
Save 20%
Rosa barge cruise

Rosa

Aquitaine
8 guests
★★★★
France
Aquitaine & Bordeaux
Save 20%
Maïtena barge cruise

Maïtena

4 guests
★★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Burgundy Canal

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.

Tarpon 32 Self-drive rental boat

Tarpon 32

8 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★★
From 1457€/7 nights
Last-minute
Save up to 25%
Horizon 2 Self-drive rental boat

Horizon 2

5 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
2 bathrooms
Premier
From 1479€/7 nights
Last-minute
Save up to 25%
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
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
Save up to 25%
Cirrus B Self-drive rental boat

Cirrus B

4 guests maximum
1 cabin
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
1 bathroom
Value
From 659€/7 nights
Europa 300 Self-drive rental boat

Comfort Premium 4 to 6 people

Europa 300

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★★
From 2590€/7 nights
Panoramic P.1500FB Self-drive rental boat

Pénichette Premium 8 to 12 people

Panoramic P.1500FB

12 guests maximum
4 cabins
Ideal for 8 adults
and 2 children
4 bathrooms
★★★★
From 2520€/7 nights
N PRIMO Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Comfort 2 to 4 people

N PRIMO

4 guests maximum
1 cabin
Ideal for 2 adults
1 bathroom
★★★
From 998€/7 nights

Testimonials

Guests have said...

I had no preconceived notions about the barge. I saw the photos online and it looked okay for a week. It turned out to be better laid out and...

Just want to let you know how much we enjoyed our trip on Finesse.  The barge was beautifully appointed, the amenities were excellent, and the crew...

The boat was better than expected, with 2 steering positions. (Upgraded at the base to a superior boat than that booked)
I'd rate it a 6/10
The Loire...

Dear Emma

We all thoroughly enjoyed our holiday with Locaboat. Thank you so much for helping to organise it all.

The boat was great and we enjoyed...

We rate the boat 9/10. The scenery in the forest was great.
We heard about Hotels Afloat by word of mouth and will book 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?...

We especially liked Savoir Vivre because they arranged dinner at local restaurants rather than all meals on board as the other Burgundy barges had....

We had a very enjoyable time on the cruise. The boat was very comfortable. 

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