"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

Shannon

Shannon

Ireland

Charente

Charente

France

Loire Valley

Loire Valley

France

Friesland

Friesland

Holland

Selected of hotel barge trips

Check out the best hotel barges

2027 offers!
Scottish Highlander barge cruise

Scottish Highlander

Scotland
8 guests
★★★★
Scotland
Caledonian Canal
2027 offers!
La Belle Epoque barge cruise

La Belle Epoque

12 guests
★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
2027 offers!
Rosa barge cruise

Rosa

Aquitaine
8 guests
★★★★
France
Aquitaine & Bordeaux
Rendez-Vous barge cruise

Rendez-Vous

Burgundy Canal
4 guests
★★★★★
France
Burgundy Canal
2027 offers!
L'Art de Vivre barge cruise

L'Art de Vivre

Nivernais Canal & Yonne
8 guests
★★★★
France
Nivernais Canal & River Yonne
Magna Carta barge cruise

Magna Carta

Tested by Jane McDonald
8 guests
★★★★★
England
River Thames
Elegance barge cruise

Elegance

6 guests
★★★★★
France
Aquitaine & Bordeaux
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.

Consul Self-drive rental boat

Consul

4 guests maximum
2 cabins
Ideal for 2 adults
and 2 children
2 bathrooms
Value
From 859€/7 nights
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!
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
★★★★
From 2002€/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
2027
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
★★★
From 1397€/7 nights
2027!
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
★★★★
From 1386€/7 nights
2027
N1350 B Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Comfort XL 8 to 10 people

N1350 B

10 guests maximum
4 cabins
Ideal for 8 adults
4 bathrooms
★★★★
From 2534€/7 nights
2027
N1160 Self-drive rental boat

Cruiser Comfort 8 to 10 people

N1160

10 guests maximum
4 cabins
Ideal for 6 adults
and 1 child
2 bathrooms
★★★
From 1702€/7 nights

Testimonials

Guests have said...

We enjoyed it very much.  Very likely to book with Hotels Afloat again, rated 5/5 *

Rated barge 4/5 *; rated region 4/5 *

Let me tell you again how much we enjoyed our trip with LeBoat.
The boat was exactly what we needed, in great shape, very spacious and operated...

Here goes
We LIKED
the superb weather we had
the beautiful countryside
the peace & tranquility slow boat travel brings
the overall layout of the boat
the...

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

Our boat was beautifully kept and every...

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...

Compact and easy to handle, I rate this boat a 9/10. The base staff were very helpful.
Appreciated the wide route and automated locks.
Would book...

"We all had such a lovely time on La Belle Epoque that we are now thinking of booking a cruise for next year. The Dolce Vita looks lovely: Which...

We enjoyed Alex's captaining of the barge and the great vineyards, castles that he took us to. We appreciated Nicole's care, her cups of tea and...

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