Packing toiletrries /What do hotels supplies.

I can't remember any hotel in Europe that didn't supply those items. Where are your hotels? I always pack a bar of soap if I am renting an apartment, though.

Soap or body wash and shampoo should be present in your hotels, but it isn’t common for European hotels to stock washcloths. Some people bring them from home. I’ve found it preferable to bring along a net puff in lieu of a washcloth. Does the job equally well and dries a lot faster. I’ve also found hotels to have hair dryers available, usually one in every room, but occasionally available at the desk for those who ask. If you need to know whether there’s a hair dryer, check the hotel website or email the hotel to ask. Be aware, if you plan to bring a hair dryer, flat iron, curling iron, etc. that they must be dual voltage and that you will also need a plug adapter to fit Italian plugs.

Some hotels may not have hair conditioner but some do. Generally, only youth hostels and camping cabins expect you to bring your own soap and towel.

I actually stayed at a hotel in Athens that did not provide shampoo.

Most hotels will provide shampoo and soap, some will provide conditioner, many don't provide washcloths. If you have a question about what is provided at the hotels you are staying at, you can email them and ask.

Soap and shampoo have been supplied at every hotel I've been to. Most apartments I've used have had these things too, but I wouldn't assume in an apartment. In a hotel I think you can safely assume there will be soap and shampoo. No washcloth, maybe not conditioner or other items. A more expensive hotel will likely have more and nicer products, but I think at least basic soap and shampoo is a given for hotels in Italy.

A lot of budget hotels seem to be switching to wall-mounted soap dispensers, in which case what is in the shower is likely to be a single product that serves as both soap and shampoo. I would take a small bar of soap (either a hotel mini-bar or a partially-used bar) and a 1-oz. bottle of shampoo just in case you hit a place that doesn't supply it, but that is very, very unlikely in Italy and would probably only occur due to oversight by the person who serviced the room. I suspect that the hotel-rating system in Italy specifies that soap and shampoo be supplied in hotels at the 2-star level or higher. (There appears to be no such rule in Hungary, by the way.)

In my budget-hotel experience, conditioner and hand lotion are both extremely uncommon.

A travel tip a picked up here a few months ago is Bar hair conditioner. I’ve never stayed in a hotel that did not supply shampoo but some without conditioner so I purchased the bar type and it’s great. So easy to travel with as it’s not a liquid. I found it at the Ulta store for $8 and have used it on several weekend getaways and will carry it to Italy next month.

I don't pack extra liquids I probably won't need because of the very low carry-on limit. Should a hotel not provide soap and shampoo (can't remember the last time that happened), I can purchase them cheaply at a Tutto 99 Cents store or at any grocery or mini-market. I walk past several such stores every day while visiting Italy.

I’m currently finishing Week 2 of a 3-week trip in Italy. During this trip, I’ve had one hotel that didn’t have shampoo in the bathroom the first night. I always pack one travel shampoo to use for washing clothes, so I just used part of that one.

By a fluke, I’ve found a hair conditioner that’s been perfect for this trip and the tube will even last through another 2-week trip to Cambodia coming soon. I had to use a home hair color when I had the flu several months ago and had to cancel my hair appointment. The box of hair color had a tube of post-color deep conditioning that I saw and immediately saved it for this trip. It’s L’Oreal Excellence Cream Conditioning Treatment (No. 3 because it’s the 3rd step in the hair coloring process). The tube is 1.8 oz, and it’s so thick that the smallest squeeze is enough. It makes my hair shiny & soft.

Echoing acraven on this, of the 5 hotels we stayed in last month during our trip to Poland and Ukraine, 2 had dispensers by the sink and in the shower stall. A third had a dispenser by the sink and little bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash and body lotion in the shower stall, but no little bars of soap. Wondering if this is a trend? The dispensers are probably less wasteful than all the little bottles and bars of soap. But I would suggest if you must have a particular shampoo or conditioner to take a little travel size with you. We always check bags, coming and going, so not an issue for me, but in an effort to lighten my suitcase since we would be taking trains, I only took a little shampoo, figured there would be something I could wash the rest of me with.

Thanks everyone for all the input. I have picked up a few items travel size . I am sure we will be fine and if missing anything can ask at the hotel or purchase.

If I left home with no shampoo (or other toiletry) and needed to buy it in Europe, I might have to buy a full-size bottle and carry it for the rest of the trip. I do not want to take that risk. At the very least, I'd take an empty 1-oz. bottle so I could decant a small amount from a large bottle and abandon the rest.

I go to a lot of small cities and cannot count on easily finding a store that sells suitable travel-size toiletries. Even in large cities, in three attempts I have yet to find a travel-size solid deoderant. This time I ended up with an aerosol from Rossmann in Poland. It was very lightweight but didn't last long enough, so I had to buy another one at Boots in London (still no small solids). And I don't like to use aerosols.