Travel Agenda: Winter Wonderland; The British Museum; Four Seasons in Beirut

Today...

The festive season gets underway in Gloucester with the Winter Wonderland. Expect fir trees, an ice cave, Santa's grotto, market stalls, a Spiegeltent with live music – even snow ( christmasingloucester.co.uk).

This week...

Travel around ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome via Aztec Mexico and the Islamic world at The British Museum in London. To enhance the experience, the museum is launching new multimedia guides on Tuesday, in 11 different languages, plus a British sign language and children's guide. They will feature audio-visual elements and guided tours ( britishmuseum.org).

In the diary...

With Gordon Campbell Gray opening his latest hotel there last month, it seems Beirut is the place to be. Four Seasons is set to open a modern glass and steel hotel in the city early next month, complete with a rooftop pool and Mediterranean views ( fourseasons.com). And while Japan Airlines cuts back on its services between Heathrow and Tokyo, Emirates is launching a new route to the Japanese capital from a range of UK airports via Dubai, from 28 March next year ( emirates.com).