"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

Loire Valley

Loire Valley

France

Charente

Charente

France

Canal du Midi

Canal du Midi

France

Shannon

Shannon

Ireland

Selected of hotel barge trips

Check out the best hotel barges

Magna Carta barge cruise

Magna Carta

Tested by Jane McDonald
8 guests
★★★★★
England
River Thames
2027 offers!
Athos barge cruise

Athos

Midi Canal
10 guests
★★★★
France
Canal du Midi
Camargue
Luciole barge cruise

Luciole

Nivernais Canal & Yonne
12 guests
★★★★
France
Nivernais Canal & River Yonne
La Vie en Rose barge cruise

La Vie en Rose

Burgundy
6 guests
★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Central Canal
2027 offers!
Spirit of Scotland barge cruise

Spirit of Scotland

Scotland
12 guests
★★★★★
Scotland
Caledonian Canal
Last-minute
2027 offers!
Panache barge cruise

Panache

Holland & Alsace
12 guests
★★★★★
France
Holland
Alsace
Dutch Waterways
Saroche barge cruise

Saroche

Champagne
6 guests
★★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Saône Valley
Rendez-Vous barge cruise

Rendez-Vous

Burgundy Canal
4 guests
★★★★★
France
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.

2027
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
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
2027
N1170 Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Comfort 8 to 10 people

N1170

10 guests maximum
4 cabins
Ideal for 8 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★
From 1567€/7 nights
2027
N OCTO Fly C Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium + 8 to 10 people

N OCTO Fly C

10 guests maximum
4 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 4 children
4 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 3742€/7 nights
Vision 2 Self-drive rental boat

Vision 2

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
1 bathroom
Comfort
From 2399€/7 nights
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
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
2027!
Linssen 34.9 GS Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium Steel 4 to 6 people

Linssen 34.9 GS

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★★
From 1960€/7 nights

Testimonials

Guests have said...

Hi Emma,

We just returned home from our barge trip and have had time to let the experience sink in.  For as long as I can remember, our trip to...

We had an amazing week with Linzi, Simon and Richard on the Savoir Vivre. Celebrated my 70th birthday on the barge cruise and want to thank all of...

We really enjoyed our trip....it was just a bit short!!

What an outstanding week. The experience, food and service amazing and our group could not have been happier with the time spent together. Thank...

"We all had such a lovely time on La Belle Epoque that we are now thinking of booking a cruise for next year. The Dolce Vita looks lovely: Which...

We liked the sundeck on the N900DP: We did not know what to expect as it was our first time!
I'd rate the boat a 6/10
We expected to stop at villages...

Here goes
We LIKED
the superb weather we had
the beautiful countryside
the peace & tranquility slow boat travel brings
the overall layout of the boat
the...

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...

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