Well, fancy that. In 2010 Stockholm will become Europe’s first Green Capital. The new award from the European Commission promotes sound environmental practice and healthy city living; and the city barely broke sweat to win it.

Right in the middle of town, where all the pollution and stress should be, is one of Europe’s finest natural harbours, sprinkled with islands. The city spreads round it in a series of handsome low-rise districts — each more modest and well-mannered than the last. The largest park, Ekoparken, covers 10 square miles, and is home to more than the odd squirrel and rabbit — take a wrong turn in there and you might just blunder into a moose.

So green is the city, in fact, that one of its biggest burger chains, Max, publishes the tally of carbon emitted to produce each item on the menu.

For artistic types, the calm and spacious Moderna Museet (modernamuseet.se) is home to works by the likes of Picasso, Miro, Kandinsky and de Chirico. Nine of the city’s restaurants have Michelin stars. And if you’re in the market for hip Scandinavian design, then take yourself down Gotgatan, the long street that bisects the studenty island of Sodermalm, where emporia such as 10-Gruppen (tiogruppen.com) sell the latest in cool city bags and hand-bound, leather-backed books.

The next 12 months promise to be good for the urban fabric, too, with the opening of a museum of photography in May (fotografiska.eu). Foodies are eagerly awaiting the opening of BAR, a new concept restaurant from the owners of Michelin-starred LUX (luxstockholm.com). To eat there, you’ll have to work at your own menu, choosing ingredients from fish tanks, ice counters and vegetable bins before one of the chefs cooks them.

When you’ve had enough buzz, sightseeing by sea kayak is always a possibility. The Kanotcenter Svima Sport (svima.se) runs guided tours of Stockholm’s many tranquil waterways for novice paddlers, from June to August from £13pp.

The time to visit, by the way, is on either side of midsummer (not over midsummer itself, when the city empties). Stockholmers go a bit doolally as 19 hours of sunlight burn off their usual reserve. Join them by one of their many outdoor lidos, or in the summer cafes spread across the central Kungstradgarden, and heaven knows what might happen. Whatever it is, it’ll be unlikely to harm the environment.

Return flights to Stockholm’s Arlanda airport start from £136 return with SAS (flysas.com). Double rooms at the new Hotel Skeppsholmen (00 46 8601 3005, hotelskeppsholmen.com), next to the Moderna Museet, start from about £135 a night. Tre Sma Rum (00 46 8641 2371, www.tresmarum.se), in Sodermalm, has doubles for £70 a night. For more information, visit stockholmtown.com

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