"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

Friesland

Friesland

Holland

Canal du Midi

Canal du Midi

France

Bodrag River

Bodrag River

Hungary

Charente

Charente

France

Selected of hotel barge trips

Check out the best hotel barges

2027 offers!
Rosa barge cruise

Rosa

Aquitaine
8 guests
★★★★
France
Aquitaine & Bordeaux
Last-minute
2027 offers!
Anjodi barge cruise

Anjodi

Midi Canal
8 guests
★★★★
France
Canal du Midi
Esperance barge cruise

Esperance

Midi Canal
6 guests
★★★★★
France
Canal du Midi
Last-minute
2027 offers!
Panache barge cruise

Panache

Holland & Alsace
12 guests
★★★★★
France
Holland
Alsace
Dutch Waterways
Elegance barge cruise

Elegance

6 guests
★★★★★
France
Aquitaine & Bordeaux
La Nouvelle Etoile barge cruise

La Nouvelle Etoile

Holland and France
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Holland
Alsace
Dutch Waterways
Last-minute
2027 offers!
Finesse barge cruise

Finesse

Canal du Centre
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Central Canal
Grand Victoria barge cruise

Grand Victoria

River Saône
6 guests
★★★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Central Canal
River Rhone

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.

Horizon 4 Self-drive rental boat

Horizon 4

9 guests maximum
4 cabins
Ideal for 8 adults
4 bathrooms
Premier
From 2179€/7 nights
2027!
La Peniche S Self-drive rental boat

La Peniche S

10 guests maximum
5 cabins
Ideal for 10 adults
4 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 2691€/7 nights
Dancer 4 (Salsa A) Self-drive rental boat

Dancer 4 (Salsa A)

10 guests maximum
4 cabins
Ideal for 8 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
Comfort
From 2059€/7 nights
Classique Self-drive rental boat

Classique

8 guests maximum
4 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
Value
From 1259€/7 nights
Last-minute
2027
N SIXTO FLY C Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium+ 6 to 8 people

N SIXTO FLY C

8 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
3 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 3420€/7 nights
Last-minute
2027
N QUATTRO S Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium 4 to 6 people

N QUATTRO S

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
1 bathroom
★★★★
From 2059€/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
Last-minute
2027
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 2059€/7 nights

Testimonials

Guests have said...

We especially liked Savoir Vivre because they arranged dinner at local restaurants rather than all meals on board as the other Burgundy barges had....

We booked a Penichette 935W but we were upgraded. The boat was wonderful & we had plenty of room.
I rate this boat a 9/10 - as great!
Canal...

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.

We had a very enjoyable time on the cruise. The boat was very comfortable. 

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...

5 stars for the barge, destination, Hotels Afloat booking service and the overall Hotels Afloat experience.

Our boat was beautifully kept and every...

Thank you all so very much for an absolutely marvellous week! Your hospitality, flexibility, understanding and company were wonderful! You shared...

I can’t describe how wonderful the barge trip was. The food, the wine, the loving care. Everything was just exquisite!  Karen R***s. PS. Steve and...

The perfect present at any time of year
Gift Vouchers

v3.21