Trafalgar Square

What makes it special

Nelson's Column honours Admiral Nelson, and the statue on top is five metres high. Bronze panels at the base show scenes from his battles.

Sir Edwin Landseer designed the four lions around the base of the column, and he modelled their paws on those of a domestic cat. Critics have long said the lions look more like enormous dogs, so look closely at the faces and decide for yourself.

Three of the square's four plinths carry bronze statues. The fourth shows a changing commission of contemporary art, so what stands there depends on when you visit.

The square's two fountains reward a closer look. Find the mermaids, dolphins and tritons, the male figures with fish tails, set around their basins.

Visiting

Nelson's Column is the place to start: circle its base and the four lions. Then cross to the two fountains, whose basin edges make a good place to sit and watch the square.

From the fountains, head for the Fourth Plinth. The central staircase then takes you up to the north terrace, which is closed to traffic and joins the square to the National Gallery.

Public toilets are at the base of the central staircase on the west side. Outside the café on the square, a panel explains the Imperial Measures once set into the terrace wall.

If you want a seat indoors, the Café in the Crypt is under St Martin-in-the-Fields, at the edge of the square.

Tips

Keep your food in your bag on the steps, because a byelaw restricts feeding the pigeons. Leave the lions, the column and the fountains alone: the city asks visitors not to climb them or wade in, for safety.

If you are nearby after dark, walk back through while the fountains are still running.