Do most hotels provide soap?

Some hotels where I have stayed only provide liquid soap from a dispenser, which I found awkward for my usual hygiene rituals. Also, be aware that few hotels in Europe offer wash cloths, although some provide washing mittons.

Well, I have always stayed in places that have the little bars of soap.( I mostly stay in 2 star places, and a few times in three stars) I find them fine for body washing, but I always bring my own liquid face wash .
I always bring my own shampoo as some places didn't have it, or if they did it was nasty stuff that I would only use to wash my socks!

Depending on the kind of places you are staying in, you might want to bring the full size bar, or at least plan to get one over there.

I remember my first time in Germany (1987), our company put up my co-worker and his wife, and me, in a small, traditional hotel outside of Munich. We found that, and my coworkers wife was very annoyed because, the hotel did not provide soap (they didn't take credit cards, either). It was explained to me that, traditionally, in at least Germany, guests brought soap as a personal item.

Since that time, I have stayed over 100 night in Germany and I would say that, most of the time, soap was not provided. I do tend to stay in small, family run, traditional hotels and Gästehäuser that cater to German travelers. It is probably different in starred, tourist hotels in big cities. Even on my last trip to Germany (Oct), half of the hotels I stayed in did not provide soap.

When I was in Salzburg, I stayed in a budget hotel that was pretty nice, but they had liquid soap that was in a plastic pump sitting on the sink. It was very sticky and dirty and didn't want to ever use it! It was really gross! I bought a bar of soap in a drug store for 99 cents and was made locally. I really liked it and enjoyed using it. After this, I never count on having good hotel soap. I'm sure this could be a different story if you stay in better hotels.

Ah soap! I always travel with a bar of soap in a zip lock(what else?). If they have those nasty liquid soap dispensers, this will be an asset. But I prefer a full-size bar of soap to those little hotel-size bars anyway. Takes little room and you can dispose of it at the end of your journey.

Melanie,
If I am not staying in a "chain" hotel, I assume that the soap is no bigger than a sugar packet, or there's no soap at all. Same with Shampoo. Hotels may provide shampoo, but it will be in a small packet, not a bottle.

To be safe, bring a bar of your favorite, and a zip lock as one poster suggested. The soap (if scented) will also work to freshen up your luggage.

You can buy a soap for 1 EUR or less at your destination.

When I bought that 99 cent soap in Salzburg, that was a full sized bar, and when I brought it home, I didn't put it in a zip locked bag. I put it on top of my clothes, so when I got home, my clothes smelled wonderful! That's another advantage of bringing your own soap!

We take a hotel size bar of facial soap in a snack size ziplock. Most places have soap but we have never brought it back unused.

We also bring a travel size Purel hand cleaner to use after playing with pigeons, petting cats or climbing on ruins and before and after meals.

One small size of each has lasted for 4 weeks of travel with five people.