"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

Camargue

Camargue

France

Saône Valley

Saône Valley

France

Loire Valley

Loire Valley

France

Friesland

Friesland

Holland

Selected of hotel barge trips

Check out the best hotel barges

Rendez-Vous barge cruise

Rendez-Vous

Burgundy Canal
4 guests
★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Prosperite barge cruise

Prosperite

Burgundy Canal
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Last-minute
2027 offers!
Renaissance barge cruise

Renaissance

Loire Valley
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Loire Valley
Maïtena barge cruise

Maïtena

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

Magnolia

Burgundy Canal
6 guests
★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Last-minute
2027 offers!
La Bella Vita barge cruise

La Bella Vita

Venetian lagoon
20 guests
★★★★
Italy
Venice Lagoon
Johanna barge cruise

Johanna

Midi Canal
4 guests
★★★★★
France
Canal du Midi
Last-minute
2027 offers!
Spirit of Scotland barge cruise

Spirit of Scotland

Scotland
12 guests
★★★★★
Scotland
Caledonian 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.

Last-minute
2027
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
2027!
Panoramic P.1165FB Self-drive rental boat

Pénichette Comfort 6 to 7 people

Panoramic P.1165FB

7 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 3 children
2 bathrooms
★★★★
From 1778€/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
NEW 2025
Liberty Self-drive rental boat

Liberty

5 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
2 bathrooms
Premier
From 2459€/7 nights
Triton 1050 Self-drive rental boat

Triton 1050

8 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
bathroom
★★★
From 969€/7 nights
Last minute
2027!
Terrasse P.1500R Self-drive rental boat

Pénichette Comfort 8 to 12 people

Terrasse P.1500R

12 guests maximum
4 cabins
Ideal for 8 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★
From 1925€/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
Last minute
2027!
Europa 300 Self-drive rental boat

Comfort Premium 4 to 6 people

Europa 300

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★★
From 2590€/7 nights

Testimonials

Guests have said...

Good layout for our group.. we rate the boat 8.5/10
Cruising from Trebes to Narbonne, we liked the small villages, beauty of the canal and...

Overall the whole experience was just WONDERFUL and we had a fabulous time! THANKS!
The boat: It was a great boat!
Route: loved the scenery, the...

The facilities were exactly what we required for our trip. The top desks were a great focal point.
Please rate the boat: 9/10
The route was peaceful...

This experience has been one I’ll never forget. You all have a special place in my heart. Thank you for treating the 10 of us so well. Your passion...

Kudos to all of you and the memorable barging experience. What great fun, friendship and excellence. You have set the bar so high. I cannot...

To call the voyage perfect is not enough. Perfection has to include the crew and our Captain Chris. Thanks for all the kindness

Good day Ms. Emma,
My friends and I just returned from our Hotels Afloat vacation. It met or exceeded every expectation.
Your guys on either end of...

We enjoyed Alex's captaining of the barge and the great vineyards, castles that he took us to. We appreciated Nicole's care, her cups of tea and...

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