Canal & river vacations

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

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Luxury barge cruises

Selected barge cruises

Halfboard cruises

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Self-drive rentals

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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

Hi, 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 97% 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 (4.5) stars

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Top cruise destinations

Discover the best cruise routes

See all destinations

Shannon

Ireland

Canal du Midi

France

Friesland

Holland

Camargue

France

Charente

France

Check out the best deals

A selection of hotel barge cruises

View all the barge cruises

Save up to 10%

La Vie en Rose

6 guests

France

Central Canal

Adagio

8 guests

France

Loire Valley

Elisabeth

6 guests

France

Burgundy Canal

Grand Victoria

6 guests

France

River Saône

Luciole

12 guests

France

Nivernais & River Yonne

Alegria

4 guests

France

Canal du Midi

Magnolia

6 guests

France

Burgundy Canal

Save 10%!

Saraphina

4 guests

France

Canal du Midi

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Self-drive boat rentals

View all the Self-drive boat choices

Le Boat

Horizon 3

7 guests

Nicols

N1100

9 guests

Le Boat

Clipper

6 guests

Le Boat

Horizon 5

12 guests

Linssen Grand Sturdy 34.9

Locaboat

Linssen Grand Sturdy 34.9

6 guests

France Passion Plaisance

Nicols 1000

8 guests

France Passion Plaisance

Le Boat

Vision 3 SL

10 guests

France Passion Plaisance

Nicols 900

7 guests

France Passion Plaisance

Ready for your next cruise?

Ready for your next cruise?

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...

Sarah Stewart. Yonne river and Nivernais

The boat was as expected, we rate it 8/10: Liked the sliding sunroof
Canal de Burgundy:The villages were a bit more deserted than expected and the...

Lex Van den H. September 2016

4 points about the boat we liked:
The kitchen was well stocked with crockery, cutlery, etc.
There was plenty of storage for suitcases.
The two...

J McKay. Canal du Nivernais

We have very much enjoyed our week of canal and river cruising on "La Vie en Rose". We had some fabulous food, cheese and wine and learnt a lot...

Maryanne, Auckland NZ 2019

I had no preconceived notions about the barge. I saw the photos online and it looked okay for a week. It turned out to be better laid out and...

Barbara Sager, USA; October 2016

Dear Emma,

I am now back home; but, wishing I was still in France on "L'Art de Vivre". The trip was fabulous, from start to finish. The...

Jane Nee; October 2017

It was all lovely, but the highlight was Auxerre. I knew it was a large town but we were in awe when we came round the bend in the river and saw...

Meredith Louden. River Yonne & Nivernais canal

5 stars for the Prosperity barge, the Burgundy Canal and the Hotels Afloat experience!

Bonjour Emma,
We had an absolutely wonderful trip on the...

Stephanie R, USA; Cruised September 2019