"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 the best cruise routes

Top cruise destinations

Canal du Midi

Canal du Midi

France

Camargue

Camargue

France

Saône Valley

Saône Valley

France

Friesland

Friesland

Holland

A selection of hotel barge cruises

Check out the best deals

Grand Cru barge cruise

Grand Cru

Near Dijon
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Shannon Princess barge cruise

Shannon Princess

Ireland
10 guests
★★★★★
Ireland
Shannon
La Vie en Rose barge cruise

La Vie en Rose

Burgundy
6 guests
★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Central Canal
Last-minute
Save 20%
La Belle Epoque barge cruise

La Belle Epoque

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

Enchanté

Midi Canal
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Canal du Midi
New route for 2026
Elegance barge cruise

Elegance

6 guests
★★★★★
France
Aquitaine & Bordeaux
Last-minute
Save 20%
L'Art de Vivre barge cruise

L'Art de Vivre

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

L'Impressionniste

Burgundy Canal
12 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.

FLASH SALE! Save up to 30%
Elegance Self-drive rental boat

Elegance

6 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
3 bathrooms
Comfort
From 1299€/7 nights
N SIXTO Green Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium 6 to 8 people

N SIXTO Green

8 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★★
From 2741€/7 nights
N SIXTO PRESTIGE C Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium+ 4 to 6 people

N SIXTO PRESTIGE C

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 2843€/7 nights
N QUATTRO B Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium 4 to 6 people

N QUATTRO B

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★★
From 1866€/7 nights
FLASH SALE! Save up to 30%
Royal Classique Self-drive rental boat

Royal Classique

6 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
3 bathrooms
Comfort
From 1319€/7 nights
N OCTO FLY Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium+ 8 to 10 people

N OCTO FLY

10 guests maximum
4 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 4 children
4 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 3332€/7 nights
FLASH SALE! Save up to 30%
Tamaris Self-drive rental boat

Tamaris

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
Value
From 939€/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

Testimonials

Guests have said...

I was very pleased with the total experience. Well-organised program. Hotels Afloat provided all required information. Thanks for the experience.

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...

Very satisfied. Everything was perfect!

What a magic and memorable time we had on Magnolia.  Never imagined the variety of things we would do in a short time! Magali's knowledge of the...

Tournus to Lyon with a short trip up La Seille canal.
Though I have never piloted a boat before this was an experience not to miss. The time of year...

Just arrived back from our fabulous holiday. We had a wonderful time and particularly wanted to extend our thanks and appreciation to you and the...

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 Afloat?...

We had an outstanding trip on the beautiful Belle Époque . It is the best holiday we have ever had. The staff was fun, efficient, courteous ....

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