Carol nearly sliced a chunk off my left ear with her scissors when I told her I was going to Stockholm for the weekend. "You must be mad," she said. "It's hideously expensive and freezing cold." I was obviously a travel dunce, unfit to book my own midwinter break.

Normally, I would be the last person to take issue with the considered judgment of an acknowledged travel professional such as Carol. Who after all has heard more holiday yarns than a hairdresser? But on the issue of Stockholm, she will have to cede ground. Next time my fringe needs attention, I shall take pleasure in telling her she was only half right.

With daytime temperatures last month peaking at a brow-numbing -4C, I will not be able to argue that Stockholm was warm, but the combination of affordable flights and the current strength of the pound means that for possibly the first time since the Vikings stopped sacking villages, Sweden is an affordable option. Whether you're looking for a romantic break amid the last bite of winter, or to welcome spring in one of the most beautiful, best preserved and cleanest cities in Europe, there has seldom been a better time to visit.

Stockholm's central station is as clean, orderly and pleasant a place to alight as you could imagine. It's hard to believe that this is a major capital-city terminus. Where are the beggars and boozers that populate every other bus station in the world's major cities? Well, this is Stockholm, and while poverty is far from non-existent, it is an extraordinarily civil city. Even a trio of buskers sharing brandy and cigarettes in the pale dusk looked like they made a decent living.

This first impression - of a clean, small city populated by approachable well-heeled people - lasted throughout the weekend. It may or may not have much to do with the fabled 50 years of near socialism, but prosperity seems abundant.

It's also one of those places where everyone you meet makes you feel vaguely ashamed of your ignorance. The Volvo-driving cabbies of Stockholm could probably double as interpreters at the UN. "Do you speak English?" I asked a walrus-moustached driver at the bus station. "Of course," he boomed. "And French and German."

Situated on 14 islands at the point where Lake Mälaren begins to mix with the Baltic Sea, Stockholm is a spacious, elegant and occasionally breathtaking place. A third of the city is water and another third parks and woodland.

The bridges that link it pass over fast-flowing clear water carrying occasional chunks of ice, some of them yards across, that batter and bounce off the arches. It's so clean that in summer fishermen haul salmon out of these waters.

At this time of year, during daylight hours at least, Stockholm feels like a city in hibernation. Only on Saturday afternoons in the streets around the huge NK department store is there any sense of bustle. Away from the centre, it's like Sunday morning all day, so quiet you can bump into the same rock legend twice in one day. Outside the SAS Raddisson Hotel on Saturday morning, we passed Elvis Costello on his way out. Two hours later we saw him again. Busy it is not.

At night, Stockholm is a different proposition. Far from huddling round the home fires, the Swedes pour out in their droves. The restaurants in the city centre overflow, and the sheer variety of watering holes is evidence of a mature drinking culture. From jolly pubs specialising in frothy beer in the old town, to chi-chi bars where unfeasibly attractive sorts order manhattans in four languages, there is something for everyone (as long as you don't intend to stay sober).

What they all have in common, however, is the culture of the cloakroom. In more temperate climes, it's considered acceptable to sling your coat over the back of a chair, but not in these latitudes. There simply wouldn't be enough chairs to cope with the weight of Puffas, mufflers, gloves, scarves and hats needed to cope with the climate. Instead, the bars and restaurants boast cavernous cloakrooms where at closing time plans for further boozing are hatched, and potential suitors are inspected under brighter lights. It's a world away from the raffle tickets and wan, shuffling queues at home. Trust me, cloakrooms can be fun.

In daylight, the lack of crowds and open spaces make Stockholm a great city for walking off a hangover. Each of the islands is unique, and you can explore the four at the heart of the city comfortably in a weekend, as long as you take a hat.

At the heart of the city is the island of Gamla Stan, the Old Town, site of the original settlement and now the sort of well-preserved medieval quarter that tourist boards everywhere would give their eye teeth for - a warren of narrow cobbled streets and timber cottages. As tourist quarters go, it is relatively uncommercial, refreshingly free of tat. If you must, you can buy a troll or a little witch on a small birch broom, but they're actually rather nice. Even the snowstorm paperweights are tasteful.

What you should do here, and all over Stockholm, is eat. The city is said to have more restaurants per capita than any other in Europe. It is one of those places where you know that one stomach and three meals a day is not enough to do the place justice.

The Swedes excel at both seafood and the under-rated art of comfort food. Thanks to the experience of countless Nordic winters, your average Swedish chef has a way with carbohydrate. The prime example is pittipanna , a fried jumble of finely-diced potatos, onion and ham, browned and topped with a fried egg.

After a plateful, you realise why the Swedes appear to drink with impunity after dark; they'll always have this to soothe their hangovers.

The five best places to eat

1 Berns, Berzeli Park, Nybroplan
The magnificent main room was built as a theatre during the last century. Lavishly gilded, it was recently spruced up by Terence Conran, who installed a fish bar topped with a 20ft tall cut-glass lobster. Dinner with wine: £60 per head.

2 Den Gyldene Freden, Österl nggatan 51, Gamla Stan
Stockholm's oldest restaurant in the oldest part of the city. Dinner with wine: £50 per head.

3 Lisa Elmqvist, Östermalmshallen, Östermalmstorg
Inside a wonderful covered market. Seafood is abundant, and plenty of traditional dishes. Seating is limited, so most people eat standing at the counter. Brunch: £6 - £10 per head.

4 Sturehoff, Stureplan
Currently rated Stockholm's hottest eaterie, a great bustling brasserie specialising in Swedish cuisine. Herring and potatos, white fish and oysters, schnapps and beer. The staff wear naval uniforms for no apparent reason. Dinner with wine: £25 - £40 per head.

5 Any sausage stand
These little stands all round the city serve excellent bratwurst, served with sauerkraut, onions and mustard. Breakfast, lunch or dinner: £2.50.

The practicals

Ryanair (0870 1569569 and www.ryanair.com) has flights to Stockholm from £24 return inc tax. The Bern's Hotel( 00468 566 32200) has double rooms for two-night weekends from £86 per room inc breakfast. For more information call the Swedish Travel & Tourism Council on 020 7870 5600 (open 10am - 3pm, Mon-Fri). Brochure line: 01476 578811.