Best linen sheets − 9 beautiful, breathable sets, approved by our sleep editor

Linen sheets are breathable, durable, and designed to be wrinkled. Whether you suffer from night sweats or hot flashes and you're shopping for a cooling sheet set, or you want to embrace a more lived-in look, you'll find a lot to like about linen sheets.

A little more about linen: it's woven from the stem of the flax plant. Flax fibers are totally hollow (hence the enhanced breathability). Out of all the bed sheet types, linen is a safe bet for hot sleepers. Naturally moisture-wicking and antimicrobial, linen is built to bust the bacteria that breed in hot, sweaty environments, such as bed. Linen is tough and textured, able to withstand the wear and tear of nightly use. Your linen sheets might start out a little starchy, but they should get softer with each wash.

As H&G's resident Sleep Editor, I lead a team of expert testers to sample some of the world's best bed sheets. Together, we've tried crisp percale, smooth sateen, breathable bamboo, and cooling eucalyptus, but I like linen best. You'll find linen sheets at all the best places to buy bedding in every conceivable color. With so much on the market, it's easy to feel spoiled for choice.

Best linen sheets 2025 – 9 breathable sets, ranked and reviewed

So, to save you time and money, I've narrowed the search to the nine best linen sheet sets. Whether you're shopping for a lightweight linen set for summer or all-season sheets for year-round use, I've got you covered. Some of these sets are tried and tested by a member of my expert team for look and feel, thermoregulation, and durability. Where we haven't been able to get our hands on a product, we've scoured the specifications and read countless customer reviews to pick out the pros and cons.

Best linen sheets

How we test linen sheets

As H&G's resident Sleep Editor, I lead a team of expert testers in the search to find the world's best bed sheets. We sleep with sheet sets for at least 30 nights, making sure to strip the beds, wash the sheets, and make the beds again before we publish our initial review. This should give an accurate indication of long-term performance.

For the sake of a fair fight, we assess each sheet set against the same criteria: look and feel; cooling; and durability. Look and feel is informed by the pros and cons of different bed sheet types. Materials matter, but so do the ways in which those materials are woven. Cotton percale and cotton sateen might sound similar, but they look and feel different: the former is cool and crisp, while the latter is silky and smooth.

To assess cooling, we switch off our HVAC systems to sleep through heat waves and cold snaps, making note of any nights where we wake up in a sweat. To assess durability, we launder the sheets according to the instructions on the care tag. Once the sheets are dry, we remake our beds and carry on testing to consider how the look and feel of the sheets weathers over time.

We like to compare our results against verified reviews to pick out common customer concerns. We also consider the practical aspects of buying sheets, from the details of delivery to the variety of colors, prints, and patterns. Then, we bring it all back to the price of the sheets to help you determine value for money.

How to choose linen sheets

Set your budget

Linen bedding can get seriously expensive, with some luxury sets retailing for more than $500. That's a lot of money to spend on sheets and shams. It's totally possible to grab a great set of linen sheets for less than $100, but I reckon the sweet spot is somewhere between $200 and $300. Remember, linen sheets are super durable. You're investing now so that you don't need to buy another sheet set for years to come. 

Consider your color palette

Next, consider style. You'll find a lot of linen in neutral hues to showcase its natural texture. We're talking whites, creams, and beige tones to complement any bedroom color palette. If you're keen to experiment with color, I recommend shopping at Bed Threads or Magic Linen. These specialist sleep stores work with organic dyes to protect the texture of your linen and save you from irritated skin. 

FAQs

What is GSM?

GSM stands for 'grams per square meter'. It's a measure of textile weight to help you tell the difference between thick and thin sheets. Think of it as the linen equivalent of the best thread count for bed sheets: the lower the GSM, the lighter and more breathable the linen, while a higher GSM rating indicates thicker, more durable material.

Why is linen so expensive?

Long story short: because the materials are harder to source, and the production process is more laborious. Linen is woven from flax, which is native to Europe and Asia. If you want to buy linen sheets in the US, you're paying in part for the flax fibers to be harvested and shipped to an American factory. 

Speaking of: the linen production process is a lot more involved than you might expect. Factory workers need to extract the linen fibers from the flax stalks before looming them across low-speed machines. It takes a long time to produce a comparatively small amount of linen fabric, which increases demand and ups the cost.

Is linen a sustainable bed sheet fabric?

Yes. The linen production process uses the entirety of the flax plant, minimizing waste. Compared to the production of, say, cotton, making linen requires far less water and fewer pesticides. 

The process of making linen should leave animals and insects unharmed. This is in stark contrast to the process of harvesting silk, which endangers the lives of millions of silkworms. Bonus: linen is both recyclable and biodegradable.

Is it better to sleep on linen or cotton?

To the untrained eye, linen and cotton seem pretty similar. Each material is prized for its natural breathability and thermoregulation: I'd happily recommend linen or cotton sheets for hot sleepers. With that said, there are a few key differences in look, feel, and price point. 

Where cotton percale is crisp and smooth, and cotton sateen is soft and silky, linen has more texture. Some people find linen too stiff and scratchy to start, but it should soften up after a few cycles in the washing machine. Unlike cotton, which creases and crumples, linen should lie beautifully on your bed: wrinkles are all part of the charm.

Cotton threads are thin, granted, but flax fibers are hollow. That makes linen highly breathable and an excellent option for hot sleepers in warm climates. If you tend to sleep warm in the summer, but cool in the winter, you might struggle to stay warm under linen sheets all year round. In that case, you could shop a set of linen sheets for summer or invest in an all-season set.

Once you've invested in a set of linen sheets, it's important to take good care of it. It's worth learning how to wash linen bedding to get the most out of your product. Pay attention: washing linen is a delicate process, and you can't rely on the same old tips and tricks you use to wash cotton.