April 2013
Excavations for a new north-south U-Bahn line have unearthed more than 2 million archaeological finds from two millennia of Cologne's history, with everything from Roman harbour artefacts to cellars destroyed in World War II air raids. The pick of the finds are on view in TimeTunnel at the Römisch-Germanisches Museum until 5 May. www.museenkoeln.de

January 2013
The start of the year is Karneval season in Cologne, with hundreds of shows and masked balls in the run-up to Rosenmontag on 11 February, when up to 1 million people turn out to watch the carnival procession wind its way through the city (koelnerkarneval.de).

April 2013
Occupying the site of an old fort and fringed by some of Cologne's loveliest art nouveau houses, the leafy Volksgarten is one of the city's oldest parks. Now that spring is here it's the perfect retreat from the city's hustle and bustle, complete with a boating lake, beer garden and plenty of impromptu barbecues.

July 2012
Summer is the ideal time to visit the Unesco World Heritage-listed rococo palaces and gardens at Brühl (schlossbruehl.de), just south of the city. One look at the fabulous interiors of Schloss Augustusburg and you'll understand why Napoleon wished he could wheel it away.