Canal & river vacations

From luxury converted barges to modern style cruisers, choose the perfect boat to explore selected destinations on the inland waterways.

Start exploring

Luxury barge cruises

Selected barge cruises

Halfboard cruises

View the choices

Self-drive rentals

View the fleets

Hotel barges

Top rated and selected barges, reviewed, tested and rated. We offer a large choice of converted barges and routes on the inland waterways.

Luxury style

Private charters, couples or groups

Halfboard

Perfect for discovering

Home & Away

The boat, the crew and you

Self-drive Rentals

Skipper your boat! A perfect vacation for families and friends, we have boats for couples and up to 12 people! Choose your boat and destination now.

Fleets

The best boat rental companies

Destinations

Canals, rivers and lakes

Expert advice

Find your boat holiday

Welcome to Hotels Afloat

Cruise with EmmaHi, I’m Emma James-Aldridge, and my company is dedicated to organising hotel barge and self-drive boat cruises in France, the rest of Europe 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.

We provide expert and detailed advice, we spare no effort in making and managing your booking to ensure the success of your boating holiday cruise.

With 98% of our clients saying they would book with us again, and many returning each year, you can be confident that you're in safe and expert hands.
Hotels Afloat looks forward to welcoming you aboard!

 

Our clients have awarded us (4.8) stars

The perfect present at any time of year
Gift Vouchers

Cruise Gift Vouchers

Top cruise destinations

Discover the best cruise routes

See all destinations

Shannon

Ireland

Île-de-France

France

River Saône

France

Camargue

France

Loire Valley

France

Check out the best deals

A selection of hotel barge cruises

View all the barge cruises
Save 15%
Aurora barge cruises

Aurora

8 guests

Holland
France
Belgium
Belgium - France

Dutch Waterways
River Yonne
Flanders
Bruges to Haarlem
Bruges to Paris
Rotterdam to Paris
Île-de-France

Magnolia barge cruises

Magnolia

6 guests

France

Burgundy Canal

Saraphina barge cruises

Saraphina

4 guests

France

Canal du Midi

Luciole barge cruises

Luciole

12 guests

France

Nivernais & River Yonne

Grand Victoria barge cruises

Grand Victoria

6 guests

France

River Saône

Elegance barge cruises

Elegance

6 guests

Check out the cruise deals

Self-drive boat rentals

View all the Self-drive boat choices
Linssen 33.9 Aft cabin
France Afloat

Linssen 33.9 Aft cabin

6 guests

France Afloat

Salsa B
Le Boat

Salsa B

12 guests

Le Boat

Horizon 2S
Le Boat

Horizon 2S

5 guests

Le Boat

Euro Classic 139
France Afloat

Euro Classic 139

6 guests

France Afloat

Grand Classique
Le Boat

Grand Classique

12 guests

Le Boat

N SIXTO PRESTIGE C
Nicols

N SIXTO PRESTIGE C

6 guests

Nicols

Consul
Le Boat

Consul

4 guests

Le Boat

N1170
Nicols

N1170

10 guests

Nicols

Ready for your next cruise?

Ready for your next cruise?

Get started

Testimonials

Guests have said...

The Horizon 4 was as expected: I rate it an 8/10
The cruise on the Lot River was as expected but expected more mooring spots and more moorings with...

Philippa Baws; Lot, July 2017
You were right, we had a phenomenal week with Alex, Arnot and Audrée this week on La Vie en Rose! Attention to detail but not stuffy, just like...
Darlene P; May 2022

We rate the boat 9/10. The scenery in the forest was great.
We heard about Hotels Afloat by word of mouth and will book again.

Kin-Lun Tsang. Alsace

We loved our week on the Esperance. The boat itself is beautiful with plenty of room for three couples. We have an amazing crew who took great care...

Anna G: October 2022

We really appreciated the small intimate personal environment and the excellent service
Boat rate: 10/10
Burgundy canal: Appreciated the surrounding...

Kai and Irmgard Borner, USA. July 2015

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,...

David Dwyer, River Yonne; August 2016

Compact and easy to handle, I rate this boat a 9/10. The base staff were very helpful.
Appreciated the wide route and automated locks.
Would book...

Kym Dixon. River Saône

The boat was better than expected, and rates 10/10. Appreciated the contrasting countryside and villages.
We would book with Hotels Afloat again...

Vikki Booth. 2012