The hotel descriptions often state the rooms have a balcony or a terrace. Can you explain the difference? I want to make sure I request a room with a balcony I can walk out on, and sit out on.

Lots of luck with that. I tend to think the term terrace is usually used to indicate a large area off the room, that is usually at ground level, or perhaps is the roof of a lower level.

But the term balcony can be used for any "cantilevered" structure jutting out from the building. It may be big enough for a couple chairs and table, or it may just be big enough to actually step out and just stand on (sometimes called a Juliet balcony).

In my (perhaps rather limited as I prefer apartments to hotels) experience, a balcony on a hotel in Europe will likely be tiny - maybe just big enough to stand on or if you are really lucky it will have a table and chairs. A terrace will usually be larger but is often a common area - rooftop terrace for eating and drinking etc. You will need to check with each hotel I fear.

in general a balcony is a structure (whatever the size) off an upstairs/elevated room.

A terrace is off a ground floor room - like a patio.

We stayed at a couple of hotels this past May that offered both terraces and balconies. The balcony was about the size to fit a table and 2 chairs and enough room to stand out on, where the terrace had walk-around room. The terraces were usually on the European 1st Floors/U.S. 2nd floors, right above an entrance way. Some were on the ground floor. You just get more outside room.

Hi O,

A terrace is usually a patio off a ground floor room, although it can also be on the roof of the floor below.

A balcony juts out from an upper-floor room, and is mounted to the wall.

Balconies can go from large enough to put a flower pot to having a table and chairs.

>..a balcony I can walk out on, and sit out on.

These are hard to find.

Here in Spain it can be rather confusing because we use the term terrace" (terraza, in Spanish) also when we mean "balcony" (balcon, in Spanish)if it is big enough to put a couple of chairs on it. But the other posts explain quite well the difference.

Most balconies I have found were the stand on kind - no room for anything but a couple of pairs of feet - except for one in a new hotel in spain - that had a small table and 2 upright metal chairs.

A terrace is much larger - either ground floor or the roof or another part of the building.