Bed sizes in Europe can be confusing.

I am often asked if I know of a hotel in Europe that offers “king size” beds. People complain when looking for hotels that they are only finding hotels that have “double” beds. People also ask if I know of Paris hotel rooms that have “two queen beds” so that they can have 4 in a room. 

I’m here to help you with the European bed size dilemma. 

Facts you should know:

In Europe, a “double” bed is the term for any bed that holds 2 people and can be a double, queen, or a king.

The terms “queen”, “king” are not used in continental Europe. “Double” typically refers to 140 cm or any higher width. 

Modern continental Europe practice is to refer to a bed by explicit width or size (“80 cm bed” or “80 × 200 cm bed”).

A “twin or single” bed is half the size of the 160-180cm bed. A single can be 80-90cm wide.

Often a hotel will offer a room with “a double bed or two twins”. This means a larger bed can be divided into two twins that are made up with their own separate linens. Unlike in the US where twin beds have a nightstand between them, in Europe the beds are pushed together with no space between them.

Most hotels in Europe do not offer two large beds in one room. It is more likely that a room for more than two will have one large bed plus a sofa bed or twin. Some hotels will add a twin cot to a room to accommodate extra people.

My advice if bed size is important to you:

If the room description on the hotel website doesn’t specify the size of the bed in centimeters, email the hotel and ask. A “double” that is 140cm wide is quite a bit smaller than one that is 180cm.

 

160cm wide “double” Bed at Hotel des Marronniers, Paris

 

90cm single bed, Hotel des Marronniers, Paris

 

Large bed separated into twins, Hotel Academie, Paris

 

Sofa Beds

“Sofa Beds” in European hotels can be:

A futon-like sofa where the back drops down and creates the mattress with no bars. The size varies.

A pull out sofa (common in the US) with bars to hold up the pull out mattress. Size varies.

A twin bed with bolsters and a cover that can be made up into a twin bed. Twin bed size.

 

Pull out sofa bed, Hotel Grand Hommes, Paris

Extra Twin bed with cover and bolsters, Hotel Grand Hommes, Paris

My advice if you are considering a room with a sofa bed:

First, go on a website like Tripadvisor that has reviews with photos. See if you can find a picture of the sofa bed. You can even put “sofa bed” in the reviews “search” to see if any reviews mention the sofa bed.

Contact the hotel and ask them to send you a picture of the sofa bed to be sure it is what you want (or what you don’t want). Ask them to tell you honestly if it is comfortable for an adult (many sofa beds are for children).

 

 

 

Here is a general guide on how European beds compare in size to other countries: