"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

Bodrag River

Bodrag River

Hungary

Loire Valley

Loire Valley

France

Saône Valley

Saône Valley

France

Charente

Charente

France

Selected of hotel barge trips

Check out the best hotel barges

Shannon Princess barge cruise

Shannon Princess

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

Grand Victoria

River Saône
6 guests
★★★★★★
France
Saône Valley
Central Canal
River Rhone
Rendez-Vous barge cruise

Rendez-Vous

Burgundy Canal
4 guests
★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
Last-minute
2027 offers!
Panache barge cruise

Panache

Holland & Alsace
12 guests
★★★★★
France
Holland
Alsace
Dutch Waterways
La Nouvelle Etoile barge cruise

La Nouvelle Etoile

Holland and France
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Holland
Alsace
Dutch Waterways
2027 offers!
Scottish Highlander barge cruise

Scottish Highlander

Scotland
8 guests
★★★★
Scotland
Caledonian Canal
Enchanté barge cruise

Enchanté

Midi Canal
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Canal du Midi
2027 offers!
Kir Royale barge cruise

Kir Royale

Exceptionally spacious
8 guests
★★★★★★
France
Champagne

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.

Elegance Self-drive rental boat

Elegance

6 guests maximum
3 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
3 bathrooms
Comfort
From 1299€/7 nights
2027
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
Horizon 1 Self-drive rental boat

Horizon 1

5 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
1 bathroom
Premier
From 1359€/7 nights
Tarpon 32 Self-drive rental boat

Tarpon 32

8 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★★
From 1457€/7 nights
Royal Mystique A Self-drive rental boat

Royal Mystique A

6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 4 adults
2 bathrooms
Comfort
From 1179€/7 nights
2027
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
Cirrus A Self-drive rental boat

Cirrus A

4 guests maximum
1 cabin
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
1 bathroom
Value
From 1079€/7 nights
With a Skipper
La Péniche eXP Self-drive rental boat

La Péniche eXP

NEW 2026
6 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
★★★★★
From 4930€/7 nights

Testimonials

Guests have said...

Your warmth and joie de vivre infused every moment of our journey with you. We can't thank you enough for your caring and attention to detail, your...

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

Much more than we expected
The rooms and baths were just lovely and fresh. Being able to be outside under an umbrella and out of the sun..
I give it...

Thank you to Alex, Nicole and Carls for an excellent trip. It exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves French...

Dear Emma
We've just returned from Burgundy.
Many thanks for arranging the booking with Heidi & Stefan. Everything went very well indeed. The boat...

Just a note to thank you for your assistance and wise advice with our cruise week before last. Everything was wonderful. We came away convinced...

Hi Emma

It was fun, would do it again.

Boat and destination: 4*
Hotels Afloat Customer service 5*
Website: 4*
We are likely to cruise again, via...

The boat was better than expected, with 2 steering positions. (Upgraded at the base to a superior boat than that booked)
I'd rate it a 6/10
The Loire...

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