"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

Charente

Charente

France

Shannon

Shannon

Ireland

Friesland

Friesland

Holland

Camargue

Camargue

France

Canal du Midi

Canal du Midi

France

Selected of hotel barge trips

Check out the best hotel barges

Luciole barge cruise

Luciole

Nivernais Canal & Yonne
12 guests
★★★★
France
Nivernais & River Yonne
Last-minute
Save 20%
L'Impressionniste barge cruise

L'Impressionniste

Burgundy Canal
12 guests
★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Last-minute
Save 20%
Finesse barge cruise

Finesse

Canal du Centre
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Central Canal
Last-minute
Save 20%
La Belle Epoque barge cruise

La Belle Epoque

12 guests
★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
La Nouvelle Etoile barge cruise

La Nouvelle Etoile

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

La Bella Vita

Venetian lagoon
20 guests
★★★★
Italy
Venice Lagoon
Last chance
Savoir Vivre barge cruise

Savoir Vivre

Burgundy Canal
8 guests
★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Kir Royale barge cruise

Kir Royale

Exceptionally spacious
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Champagne

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
Espade Concept Fly Self-drive rental boat

Espade Concept Fly

9 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 3 children
1 bathroom
★★★
From 1209€/7 nights
Flash sale!
Save up to 50%
N1160 Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Comfort 8 to 10 people

N1160

10 guests maximum
4 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
and 1 child
2 bathrooms
★★★
From 1702€/7 nights
Flash sale!
Save up to 50%
N OCTO Fly 12 Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium 8 to 12 people

N OCTO Fly 12

12 guests maximum
4 cabins
Ideal for 8 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 3095€/7 nights
Flash sale!
Save up to 50%
N1000 Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Comfort 6 to 8 people

N1000

8 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★
From 1397€/7 nights
Last-minute
Corvette A Self-drive rental boat

Corvette A

4 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
Value
From 959€/7 nights
Flash sale!
Save up to 50%
N1310 Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Comfort XL 10 to 12 people

N1310

12 guests maximum
5 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
and 4 children
2 bathrooms
★★★
From 1995€/7 nights
Flash sale!
Save up to 50%
N1100 Self-drive rental boat

Cruise Comfort 6 to 9 people

N1100

9 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
3 bathrooms
★★★★
From 1470€/7 nights
Last-minute
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

Testimonials

Guests have said...

We had a fantastic time on the barge. Everything we were expecting and more. Spoke to numerous full time bargees who recommended the Nivernais as...

Kudos to all of you and the memorable barging experience. What great fun, friendship and excellence. You have set the bar so high. I cannot...

Hi Emma,

We've just returned from cruising on the hotel barge, Aurora. Words cannot express how wonderful the experience was. This had been our...

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

The boat was spacious; we rate it 9/10
Cruised from Migennes to Sens and back: Appreciated that there were
relatively few locks
We found you on line,...

The crew were entertaining, knowledgeable and competent. The food and service was exceptional -  5 stars each meal. The Captain Chris was extremely...

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...

We chose the Octo with a senior member of the party (87 years) in mind. Amongst other things, we liked the outdoor eating area which was all in a...

The perfect present at any time of year
Gift Vouchers

v3.21