"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

Camargue

Camargue

France

Shannon

Shannon

Ireland

Loire Valley

Loire Valley

France

Bodrag River

Bodrag River

Hungary

Selected of hotel barge trips

Check out the best hotel barges

Grand Cru barge cruise

Grand Cru

Near Dijon
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Last-minute
La Vie en Rose barge cruise

La Vie en Rose

Burgundy
6 guests
★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Central Canal
La Nouvelle Etoile barge cruise

La Nouvelle Etoile

Holland and France
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Holland
Alsace
Dutch Waterways
Last-minute
Save 20%
La Belle Epoque barge cruise

La Belle Epoque

12 guests
★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Save up to 20%
Spirit of Scotland barge cruise

Spirit of Scotland

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

Elegance

6 guests
★★★★★
France
Aquitaine & Bordeaux
Nymphea barge cruise

Nymphea

Brittany
6 guests
★★★★
France
Brittany
Last-minute
Save 20%
Enchanté barge cruise

Enchanté

Midi Canal
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Canal du Midi

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.

Save up to 40%
La Peniche S Self-drive rental boat

La Peniche S

10 guests maximum
5 cabins
Ideal for 10 adults
4 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 2691€/7 nights
Last-minute
Save up to 30%
Europa 600 Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium 6 people

Europa 600

6 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
3 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 2058€/7 nights
Last-minute
Save up to 20%
Continentale Self-drive rental boat

Continentale

6 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
3 bathrooms
Value
From 1599€/7 nights
Last-minute
Save up to 30%
Europa 500 Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium 6 to 8 people

Europa 500

8 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
3 bathrooms
★★★★
From 2912€/7 nights
Last-minute
Save up to 20%
Cirrus A Self-drive rental boat

Cirrus A

4 guests maximum
1 cabin
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
1 bathroom
Value
From 1079€/7 nights
Save up to 30%
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 20%
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
Last-minute
Save up to 30%
P.1022FB Self-drive rental boat

Pénichette Premium 2 to 3 people

P.1022FB

3 guests maximum
1 cabin
Ideal for 2 adults
and 1 child
1 bathroom
★★★★
From 2268€/7 nights

Testimonials

Guests have said...

The cruise was so wonderful, despite a few glitches! Don't think we'll ever do a self-drive again, as we're getting up there in years, but would...

We really appreciated the bow thruster, and rate the boat 7/10.
Enjoyed a side trip to Dompierre sur Besbre... the route was good
A friend...

The chef was fantastic, and the food was great. Loved the intimacy of travelling with a smaller group which is invaluable for pax travelling...

The barge trip was fantastic. The crew, the food, the excursions, the barge were all great.
The crew was pleasant and funny. The food was a gourmet...

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...

The boat performed flawlessly and places we visited were awesome.

Everything was perfect. From the information and service we received to the boat, boat owners and boat cruise itself We rate the Magnolia 10/10:...

How would you rate your boat? 4 stars   
How would you rate the Customer Service from Hotels Afloat, i.e. our response to emails, phone calls etc. ...

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