"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

Saône Valley

Saône Valley

France

Charente

Charente

France

Shannon

Shannon

Ireland

Bodrag River

Bodrag River

Hungary

Selected of hotel barge trips

Check out the best hotel barges

Prosperite barge cruise

Prosperite

Burgundy Canal
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Last-minute
Save 20%
L'Art de Vivre barge cruise

L'Art de Vivre

Nivernais Canal & Yonne
8 guests
★★★★
France
Nivernais & River Yonne
Save up to 20%
Spirit of Scotland barge cruise

Spirit of Scotland

Scotland
12 guests
★★★★★
Scotland
Caledonian Canal
La Nouvelle Etoile barge cruise

La Nouvelle Etoile

Holland and France
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Holland
Alsace
Dutch Waterways
Last-minute
Save up to 20%
Renaissance barge cruise

Renaissance

Loire Valley
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Loire Valley
Last-minute
Save 20%
Panache barge cruise

Panache

Holland & Alsace
12 guests
★★★★★
France
Holland
Alsace
Dutch Waterways
Last-minute
Save 20%
La Bella Vita barge cruise

La Bella Vita

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

Saroche

Champagne
6 guests
★★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Saône Valley

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.

Save up to 50%
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
Save up to 50%
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
Save up to 50%
N1310 Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Comfort XL 10 to 12 people

N1310

12 guests maximum
5 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
and 4 children
2 bathrooms
★★★
From 1995€/7 nights
Last-minute
Save up to 20%
Corvette A Self-drive rental boat

Corvette A

4 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
Value
From 959€/7 nights
Save up to 50%
N QUATTRO FLY C GREEN Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium+ 4 to 6 people

N QUATTRO FLY C GREEN

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
2 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 2929€/7 nights
Save up to 50%
N1010 Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Comfort 6 to 8 people

N1010

8 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★
From 1373€/7 nights
Save up to 50%
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
Save up to 50%
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

Testimonials

Guests have said...

The cleanliness and reliability of the boat overall: 9/10
The cruise in the Lot was generally as expected:  One or two of the locks were a little...

Thanks for the email. We really did enjoy the cruise, it was wonderful. One of our better holidays especially as we were barging with a group of...

“We thank you for your kindness and warmth. You made us feel like family from the first day. Lots of laughter all the week long. France will now...

Very satisfied. Everything was perfect!

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...

5* for the barge Magnolia, the Burgundy Canal, Hotels Afloat customer service and website.
We are very likely to book again and to recommend Hotels...

After dealing with Emma pre and post Covid, I felt as though we had become good friends! Emma helped us plan a family barge experience to...

The Caprice is Spacious; we liked the sliding back door
Boat rated 10/10
Was the route as you expected? yes
What did you most appreciate about the...

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