Please explain sizes of beds in France

I don't think the room description necessarily describes the size of the beds. Chambre double has a double bed of some size, probably two twins pushed together. Chambre twin is two twin beds, separated. Chambre triple probably has the third twin bed. In Germany, the number of stars defines the smallest size the beds might be; don't know about France. Anyone know how to find the star ratings catalog for France?

A double bed in the room, a pair of single or twin beds in a room, and quad is for four. Chambre is room. Not going to touch the last question.

My suggestions would be to get a twin room. That's two single beds. A double bed in France is similar to a "full" size in the U.S. which is smaller than a queen. A twin is more than half the size of a double. The star rating in France has nothing to do with bed size. It's all about the amenities the hotel offers.

Once you choose the hotel I would email or call them directly to confirm exactly what you want. Despite doing that on numerous occasions there have been surprises upon arrival. By that time a shrug of the shoulders from the innkeeper is the answer. It is one of those things that seem to get lost in translation and somehow I feel like the Europeans are not as fussy about the exact sleeping arrangement as we are. However, I do love the two twin bed scene...great when you are traveling with a friend. The surprise is when you ask for that and end up with one bed because you told them two people.

Reconfirming what others have said that a double is a small double bed and the Europeans generally are less concerned about bed size than we are. If you have meat on your bones, you'll be better off with the twins.

A double often is two twin beds pushed together. In non-chain hotels, rarely will you find a bed larger than a full size (no queen or kings). Often the hotel's website can help by clicking the room type and either the description or photos will give a clue. But not all room types are the same so don't even count on that.

In Germany hotels are awarded stars by the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA) according to points accumulated in 270 categories (the French use only 22 categories), which could be considered "amenities". Criteria 68-70 refer to the size of the bed. To have any stars, the hotel's double beds must be 1.8m x 1.9m minimum, twice the size of a single bed, 0.9m x 1.9m. For 4 or 5 stars, 1.8m x 2.0m minimum. So a single bed in Germany is about 5 in narrower than a twin in the US and 3 in shorter, but a double bed in Germany is 13 in wider than an American double, 7 in wider than a queen.

Unfortunately, bed sizes in French hotels aren't really standard. You can find double beds that are only 1.4m wide, others are 1.5m. And twin beds aren't necessarily the same size, either. We stayed in a place that required us to bring our own bedding, and was shocked to find that the twin sheets (purchased in France) were too big for the beds. It was a good thing it was our children sleeping in them, as it would have been uncomfortable for a large adult. Best to contact the hotel directly, although I wouldn't be surprised if you can't get a response, or find out later the information was wrong.

And after all this confusing information... just know that you can still have a great time given that there will be a roof over your head and some sort of device to sleep on! (doesn't seem that different from UK...those rooms confuse me too)

Thanks for all the information. After I was bitten by bed bugs in New York, my standards for a hotel, or bed and breakfast, etc. has lowered, if it's clean and no bed bugs then it's about a 5 star to me.

Also, some B&Bs and small hotels will state the "double" bed size i.e. 140, 160, 180 etc. - especially in older buildings were the room sizes are not standard. So the one "double" can be no bigger than a full size, yet the next "double room over has a bigger bed... As others have said, for meaty couples, best bet is twin beds (usually 90), unless the bed size is clearly stated for the room that you have picked. There's is no way that my husband and I can sleep in a 140 - LOL!

just got back from france last night.
we booked double in all of our hotels. mostly 3 stars, only two 2 stars double in all of our hotels means : two twin beds pushed together. only 1 out of 6 hotels were a double sized bed.

In much of Europe, the standard twin bed is 90 cm (35.5") wide. The American standard is 39" (= 99 cm). To give you an idea, the standard American NARROW bunk bed is 36". (think sleeping on the couch) In France the standard single (i.e. twin) bed is a room 120 cm (47"). The Amreican standard full (double) bed is 54" (137 cm). The standard European bed (also in France) is 140 cm. The difference is just enough so that most sheets from one region will not quite fit the beds of the other region. Some single rooms in Europe have the wider French beds - they will usually say French single. The standard length of twin and full beds is the same in both regions.