"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 the best cruise routes

Top cruise destinations

Saône Valley

Saône Valley

France

Friesland

Friesland

Holland

Bodrag River

Bodrag River

Hungary

Canal du Midi

Canal du Midi

France

Camargue

Camargue

France

A selection of hotel barge cruises

Check out the best deals

Last-minute
Save 20%
Renaissance barge cruise

Renaissance

Loire Valley
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Loire Valley
C'est La Vie barge cruise

C'est La Vie

Champagne Loire
8 guests
★★★★★
France
Loire Valley
Champagne
Best price!
Grand Victoria barge cruise

Grand Victoria

River Saône
6 guests
★★★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Central Canal
River Rhone
Grand Cru barge cruise

Grand Cru

Near Dijon
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Last-minute
Savoir Vivre barge cruise

Savoir Vivre

Burgundy Canal
8 guests
★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Last-minute
Save up to 20%
Anjodi barge cruise

Anjodi

Midi Canal
8 guests
★★★★
France
Canal du Midi
Save up to 20%
Finesse barge cruise

Finesse

Canal du Centre
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Central Canal
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
Champagne
Bruges to Paris

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
Save up to 30%
La Peniche F Self-drive rental boat

La Peniche F

12 guests maximum
6 cabins
Ideal for 12 adults
3 bathrooms
★★★★
From 2465€/7 nights
Save 25%!
Neo Self-drive rental boat

Pénichette Premium+ 6 people

Neo

6 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
3 bathrooms
★★★★★
Save up to 29%
Corvette A Self-drive rental boat

Corvette A

4 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
Value
Save 25%!
Europa 600 Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Premium 6 people

Europa 600

6 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
3 bathrooms
★★★★★
Save up to 29%
Horizon 5 Self-drive rental boat

Horizon 5

12 guests maximum
5 cabins
Ideal for 8 adults
and 2 children
5 bathrooms
Premier
Last-minute
Save up to 30%
Nicols 1310 Self-drive rental boat

Nicols 1310

12 guests maximum
5 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
and 4 children
2 bathrooms
★★★
From 1794€/7 nights
Save 25%!
Panoramic P.1400FB Self-drive rental boat

Pénichette Comfort 8 to 9 people

Panoramic P.1400FB

10 guests maximum
4 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
and 2 children
3 bathrooms
★★★★
Save up to 29%
Vision 3 Self-drive rental boat

Vision 3

10 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
3 bathrooms
Comfort

Testimonials

Guests have said...

The boat was generally as expected.  By chance, we had only 4 passengers not 8, and that gave an unexpected feeling of space and comfort. In...

Words cannot describe the experience we have had on this cruise from Bruges to Paris. The excellence of service was the best part and then the...

Hi Emma,

We had a most fabulous trip down the canal and absolutely loved the boat.

I will get organised when we get back home and do some reviews...

We liked the sundeck on the N900DP: We did not know what to expect as it was our first time!
I'd rate the boat a 6/10
We expected to stop at villages...

High marks all around. Great pre-cruise advice. Efficient check-in. We ran into a couple of small problems--part of the experience!--which were...

Thank you, thank you, thank you for a most wonderful voyage. Every single part of the experience is filled with love and consideration. Your...

Thank you for a memorable week of cruising on a barge. The experience was everything we had hoped for

In all of my travels, Hotels Afloat is the best organisation that I have used.  They provided me with all of the information that I needed but...

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