Hotel barging

Our beautiful hotel barges will take you along the peaceful canals of Europe. Carrying between 6 and 22 passengers, these vessels can navigate waterways not accessible to larger ships, allowing you to visit places tourists normally do not see. The barges move at a relaxing, leisurely pace, so you can take in views of the exquisite countryside and explore inland as you wish.

Popular destinations for hotel barging

People most suited to hotel barging holidays

Nature lovers
Friends or family groups
People interested in local history and culture
People have a passion for high-quality food and wine
People who want to experience day-to-day French life
People who want to explore lesser-known destinations

Some of our hotel barges

L'Art de Vivre

Once a Scottish munitions carrier, the L'Art de Vivre was transformed into a charming 8-passenger luxury hotel barge. She is a noble ship owned by Count Florian Walewski, one of the pioneers of canal barging and a direct descendant of Napoleon, and has been in his family for decades. Today she cruises the magical waterways of Burgundy, a region where the appreciation of all that is good in life - whether it be cuisine, wines, or the land itself - still reigns.

See all our L'Art de Vivre itineraries

La Belle Epoque

The 12-passenger La Belle Époque is a state-of the-art luxury hotel barge which benefited from a major refurbishment in 2011. She has been designed with both elegance and passenger comfort in mind and offers a host of luxurious facilities, including a sun deck, spa-pool, fitness studio, chartroom, and wood panelled saloon and dining room. She provides the opulence of a top class hotel with ever-changing Burgundy scenery.
See all our La Belle Epoque itineraries

Hirondelle

The 8-passenger Hirondelle cruises some of the most tranquil and beautiful waterways in all of Europe: the Canal de Bourgogne, the Canal du Centre, the Canal du Rhône au Rhine and the River Saône. The vessel is a charming floating "country home", featuring four lavishly appointed staterooms with large windows that open well above the water line and en suite facilities. Excursions to the region's wineries and places of interest are provided by minibus but there are also bicycles on board which guests can use to explore the local area.
See all our Hirondelle itineraries

L'Impressionniste

L'Impressionniste is a former Dutch cargo barge that was refurbished to a luxurious 12 passenger hotel barge. Having undergone a complete transformation, L'Impressionniste is today a powerful canal and river cruiser boasting elegant turn-of the-century décor, such as prints fabric and wall colorings. Other features on board include spacious cabins with en suite marble facilities, sundeck, spa pool, fitness center, sauna and gallery.
See all our L'Impressionniste itineraries