"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 Small ships

Our clients have awarded Hotels Afloat
★★★★★ (4.9) stars

Discover the best cruise routes

Top cruise destinations

Friesland

Friesland

Holland

Charente

Charente

France

Saône Valley

Saône Valley

France

Bodrag River

Bodrag River

Hungary

A selection of hotel barge cruises

Check out the best deals

La Nouvelle Etoile barge cruise

La Nouvelle Etoile

Holland and France
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Holland
Alsace
Dutch Waterways
Last-minute
20% off
Aurora barge cruise

Aurora

8 guests
★★★★★★
Belgium
Belgium - France
France
Holland
Flanders
Bruges to Haarlem
Rotterdam to Paris
Dutch Waterways
Île-de-France
Bruges to Paris
Last-minute
Save up to 20%
La Belle Epoque barge cruise

La Belle Epoque

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

Enchanté

Midi Canal
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Canal du Midi
Shannon Princess barge cruise

Shannon Princess

Ireland
10 guests
★★★★★
Ireland
Shannon
Grand Cru barge cruise

Grand Cru

Near Dijon
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Save up to 20%
Finesse barge cruise

Finesse

Canal du Centre
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Central Canal
Last-minute
Save up to 20%
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.

Save up to 20%
N1000 Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Comfort 6 to 8 people

N1000

8 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★
Save up to 20%
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
★★★★
Save up to 30%
La Péniche FS Self-drive rental boat

La Péniche FS

12 guests maximum
6 cabins
Ideal for 12 adults
3 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 2711€/7 nights
Save up to 20%
Classic P.935W Self-drive rental boat

Pénichette Classic 2 to 5 people

Classic P.935W

5 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
1 bathroom
★★
Save up to 20%
N800 Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Classic 2 to 3 people

N800

3 guests maximum
1 cabin
Ideal for 2 adults
1 bathroom
★★
Save up to 20%
Panoramic P.1180FB Self-drive rental boat

Pénichette Premium 6 to 7 people

Panoramic P.1180FB

7 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
and 1 child
3 bathrooms
★★★★★
Save 5%
Neo Self-drive rental boat

Pénichette Premium+ 6 people

Neo

6 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
3 bathrooms
★★★★★
Save up to 20%
P.1020FB Self-drive rental boat

Pénichette Premium 4 to 5 people

P.1020FB

5 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 1 child
2 bathrooms
★★★★

Testimonials

Guests have said...

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.

Although one might wonder when we returned, inadvertently, a day early, but we had a wonderful time on the Midi.
The whole thing was a magnificent...

exceeded our expectations... We liked the relaxed atmosphere of the area, easy access to small villges and larger towns (Auxerre was great)...

The crew were entertaining, knowledgeable and competent. The food and service was exceptional -  5 stars each meal. The Captain Chris was extremely...

Our experience could not have been better. Everything was perfect!

Rated barge 5/5

The boat was as expected: We appreciated the controls inside and outside, and rate the boat a 10.
The cruise route from Joigny out and back was...

Once again, you organized the perfect trip for us.
Not only did Peter and I love our barge trip but son Doug and his girlfriend did as well. We...

The chef was fantastic, and the food was great. Loved the intimacy of travelling with a smaller group which is invaluable for pax travelling...

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