Hogwarts' dark arts, high Hawaii, and The Beano: Travel agenda

Where to go and what to know

1. Go to the Zoo

Berlin's historic Hotel Zoo reopens next month after a two-year renovation. The building dates back to 1891. As a hotel, it opened its doors to guests in 1911, with Grace Kelly and Sophia Loren among the celebrities to have stayed here. The grand unveiling is on 3 November, with double rooms starting at €112 with breakfast.

hotelzoo.de

2. Comic relief

The Beano is coming to London St Pancras International station from Monday, with a 13-week programme of events including an exhibition of historic covers, a "Table Dennis" game and costumed characters from Dennis the Menace to the Bash Street Kids (to 5 January 2015).

stpancras.com/beano

3. LA link

Travellers will have a new way to reach Los Angeles next summer, when non-stop services from Dublin begin in June. The airline? Not Aer Lingus, nor a US carrier, but Ethiopian Airlines – which will refuel during the journey from Addis Ababa. Connections from airports across the UK are available.

ethiopian.com

4. Liquid assets

Footprint's third edition of Diving the World by Beth and Shaun Tierney is published this month, with 368 pages of inspiration for your next trip. The book also offers tips on what to do on "dry days", alongside practical information for dive sites and colourful underwater photography. £19.95.

footprinttravel guides.com

 

5. A kind of magic

Warner Bros's Harry Potter studios has a new section devoted to the Dark Arts. Fans of the boy wizard will be able to explore dark magic, Horcruxes and other sinister artefacts, all washed down with a butterbeer or two. The section is the Studio Tour's first permanent addition since it opened in March 2012.

wbstudiotour.co.uk

6. Get Carta

Six self-guided tourist trails have been launched for 2015, the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta. The two- to three-day itineraries aim to tell the story of the document. They include a London-to-Windsor journey, Kent and Sussex, and "Cathedral Cities of the North".

magnacartatrails.com

7. Sky high

Visitors to Hawaii will soon have a better chance to view the islands' breathtaking landscapes – from the air. Maverick Helicopters, which currently takes tourists on flights over the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas, starts operating from the island of Maui in spring 2015.

maverickhelicopter.com

8. Easy app

EasyJet's free iOS and Android app now allows passengers to take a photograph of their passport to upload the details to their booking, rather than typing them in manually online. Customers can now book, check-in (up to two hours before departure), and board flights via their mobile device, from most easyJet airports.

easyjet.com