"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

Friesland

Friesland

Holland

Canal du Midi

Canal du Midi

France

Saône Valley

Saône Valley

France

Camargue

Camargue

France

Loire Valley

Loire Valley

France

Selected of hotel barge trips

Check out the best hotel barges

Last-minute
Save up to 20%
Renaissance barge cruise

Renaissance

Loire Valley
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Loire Valley
Last chance
Savoir Vivre barge cruise

Savoir Vivre

Burgundy Canal
8 guests
★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Nymphea barge cruise

Nymphea

Brittany
6 guests
★★★★
France
Brittany
Save 20%
Maïtena barge cruise

Maïtena

4 guests
★★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Burgundy Canal
Magnolia barge cruise

Magnolia

Burgundy Canal
6 guests
★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Saône Valley
Shannon Princess barge cruise

Shannon Princess

Ireland
10 guests
★★★★★
Ireland
Shannon
Last-minute
Save 20%
La Bella Vita barge cruise

La Bella Vita

Venetian lagoon
20 guests
★★★★
Italy
Venice Lagoon
20% off
Aurora barge cruise

Aurora

8 guests
★★★★★★
Belgium
Belgium - France
France
Holland
Flanders
Bruges to Haarlem
Rotterdam to Paris
Dutch Waterways
Île-de-France
Champagne
Bruges to Paris

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.

With a Skipper
La Péniche eXP Self-drive rental boat

La Péniche eXP

NEW 2026
6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 4930€/7 nights
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
Last minute
Save up to 50%
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
Horizon 5 Self-drive rental boat

Horizon 5

12 guests maximum
5 cabins
Ideal for 8 adults
and 2 children
5 bathrooms
Premier
From 2639€/7 nights
Last-minute
Dancer 4 (Salsa A) Self-drive rental boat

Dancer 4 (Salsa A)

10 guests maximum
4 cabins
Ideal for 8 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
Comfort
From 2059€/7 nights
Last-minute
Save up to 50%
N800 Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Classic 2 to 3 people

N800

3 guests maximum
1 cabin
Ideal for 2 adults
1 bathroom
★★
From 712€/7 nights
Last-minute
Haines Rive 34 Self-drive rental boat

Haines Rive 34

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★
From 1457€/7 nights
Last-minute
Clipper Self-drive rental boat

Clipper

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
Comfort
From 1099€/7 nights

Testimonials

Guests have said...

Hi Emma,

We had a most fabulous trip down the canal and absolutely loved the boat.

I will get organised when we get back home and do some reviews...

“We thank you for your kindness and warmth. You made us feel like family from the first day. Lots of laughter all the week long. France will now...

The boat was as expected and rates a 7/10:  Galley was well-equipped and the teak table on the bridge was large and easily accommodated 8-10...

5 stars for the boat and for Hotels Afloat!  Superb.  We will definitely book again and have recommended you
Thank you very much for arranging...

The boat was as expected, appreciated it's size & many bathrooms
We rate it a 9/10
The Nivernais route was better than we expected, and loved the...

We appreciated the barge's level of comfort, the bikes and peace
Enjoyed cycling into nearby villages, Châteauneuf and the locks!
Max and Bea were...

The cruise was better than expected! We rate the boat 10/10. The host Tim was the best thing and we appreciated the serenity of the Nivernais...

It was truely delightful finally meeting you, you are just as lovely as you have been through e-mails. We really enjoyed our cruise because you...

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