Munich - Pillows and bed linen

Pillows and bed linen sizing in Germany took me completely by surprise! Double beds are very uncommon. Most double beds are made up of two single bed mattresses on a double bed frame. Each mattress is covered by an individual base sheet, and rather than one large duvet there are two separate single bed duvets. At least this style of sleeping puts an end to all those arguments over who steals the duvet!

It's not just the bed size that's different, but also the pillow size. European pillows measure 80cm x 80cm. It is also possible (but difficult!) to by 40cm x 60cm pillows, and 40cm x 40cm cushions and covers.

The general sheeting (and duvet) size is 135cm x 200cm. This fits both a child's single bed and each mattress of the usual double bed. "Übergrössen" (oversized) sheeting measures 155cm x 200cm.

If you own a "französisches Bett", a French bed - in other words a large double bed with one giant-sized mattress - then you will need a 220cm x 260cm base sheet. A 200cm x 200cm duvet and cover will suffice. Both the bed itself, the base sheet, the duvet and the duvet cover are very hard to find, so you might find that you lose less sleep if you learn to sleep as the Germans do.