"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

Saône Valley

Saône Valley

France

Friesland

Friesland

Holland

Charente

Charente

France

Canal du Midi

Canal du Midi

France

Selected of hotel barge trips

Check out the best hotel barges

Last-minute
Save 10%
Scottish Highlander barge cruise

Scottish Highlander

Scotland
8 guests
★★★★
Scotland
Caledonian Canal
New route for 2026
Elegance barge cruise

Elegance

6 guests
★★★★★
France
Aquitaine & Bordeaux
Last-minute
Save 20%
La Belle Epoque barge cruise

La Belle Epoque

12 guests
★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Last-minute
Save up to 20%
Renaissance barge cruise

Renaissance

Loire Valley
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Loire Valley
Last minute
Save 20%
Rosa barge cruise

Rosa

Aquitaine
8 guests
★★★★
France
Aquitaine & Bordeaux
Last-minute
Save 20%
Kir Royale barge cruise

Kir Royale

Exceptionally spacious
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Champagne
Magnolia barge cruise

Magnolia

Burgundy Canal
6 guests
★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Saône Valley
Last-minute
Save up to 20%
Finesse barge cruise

Finesse

Canal du Centre
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Central 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.

Last-minute
Save up to 30%
N SIXTO + Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium+ 6 to 8 people

N SIXTO +

8 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
3 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 2795€/7 nights
Last-minute
Save up to 30%
N1010 Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Comfort 6 to 8 people

N1010

8 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★
From 1373€/7 nights
Last-minute
Save up to 30%
Terrasse P.1120R Self-drive rental boat

Pénichette Comfort 4 to 6 people

Terrasse P.1120R

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
2 bathrooms
★★★
From 1281€/7 nights
Last-minute
Save up to 30%
Panoramic P.1165FB Self-drive rental boat

Pénichette Comfort 6 to 7 people

Panoramic P.1165FB

7 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 3 children
2 bathrooms
★★★★
From 1778€/7 nights
Last-minute
Save up to 30%
N QUATTRO FLY C GREEN Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium+ 4 to 6 people

N QUATTRO FLY C GREEN

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
2 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 2929€/7 nights
Last-minute
Save up to 20%
Consul Self-drive rental boat

Consul

4 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
Value
From 859€/7 nights
Save up to 30%
Linssen Yacht 36 Self-drive rental boat

Linssen Yacht 36

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
bathroom
★★
From 1277€/7 nights
Last-minute
Save up to 20%
Corvette B Self-drive rental boat

Corvette B

4 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
Value
From 959€/7 nights

Testimonials

Guests have said...

The boat was as expected: We appreciated the controls inside and outside, and rate the boat a 10.
The cruise route from Joigny out and back was...

Thank you Sandrine and Maxime for this wonderful discovery on board Maïtena, we've lived a beautiful escape "Gastronomy on the river"

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...

Our time with you both on Maitena has been one of the most memorable of my life. You make an exceptional host and hostess, spoiling us with...

5 stars for the Prosperity barge, the Burgundy Canal and the Hotels Afloat experience!

Bonjour Emma,
We had an absolutely wonderful trip on the...

High marks all around. Great pre-cruise advice. Efficient check-in. We ran into a couple of small problems--part of the experience!--which were...

Roomy cabins, nice outside deck space  (Renior Junior suite & Sisley Stateroom)
Beautiful countryside on the Burgundy Canal


We rate Hotels Afloat a...

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