France by the French

Where do the natives go for outstanding beaches, high culture and top cuisine? Ally Carnwath asked six French insiders for their holiday recommendations




The travel editor: Jean-Pierre Chanial

I spend my holidays every year in La Lozère in southern France. It's not easy to get to – there are no direct fast trains and no airport – but that protects the character of the area and there are lots of things to do. One of the major draws of the départment is nature; it's the last relatively untouched great expanse in France and it contains the Causses (limestone plateaux) which are almost completely uninhabited and very wild.

Because there's so much forest, the area is very rich in bird life. It's a place where the eagle is king and there are many different birds of prey. If you want to see animals, there's a park full of wolves that was established by a wolf fanatic in a village called Sainte Lucie close to Marvejols. And there are wild horses that live freely on the Causses. There are also beautiful hikes that can stretch over several days, and you can do treks on horseback. It's also one of the French départments most reputed for fly-fishing. It's for real enthusiasts because the rivers are difficult to fish – but there are great rewards if you can do it.

Many of the larger villages and small towns are extremely attractive. One of the prettiest is Châteauneuf de Randon (cantonchateauneufderandon.fr), which is of particular significance to British visitors because it is where the 14th-century warrior Bertrand du Guesclin repelled the English army during the Hundred Years War. The village is completely medieval and is situated on a small hill which provides a glorious view over the surrounding area. The tourist office organises guided visits.

There may not be many Michelin-starred restaurants in the region but there are plenty of terrific places to eat: rustic places with honest food and excellent prices. You're not far from the area where Roquefort cheese is produced and there's Tomme de Lozère, a big round cheese made from cow's milk which, for my money, is the best cheese in France.

Jean-Pierre Chanial is travel editor of Le Figaro.

• How to do it La Lozère (lozere-uk.com) is 192km from Nîmes. Fly from London Luton or Liverpool to Nîmes with Ryanair (ryanair.com) and hire a car through Auto Europe (auto-europe.co.uk). Or, take Euro-star from London St Pancras to Paris, then take a train (changing at Clermond-Ferrand) to Langogne in the heart of La Lozère. From £136 through Rail Europe (0844 848 4070; raileurope.co.uk).

The celebrity chef: Cyril Lignac

Aveyron, in the Midi-Pyrenees region, is where I was born and where I learnt to cook. A few English people have discovered it but, compared with places like Provence, it's a hidden gem. Cuisine is part of the culture there because you have everything you need for cooking. It's a farming region, very green and similar to the most beautiful parts of the British countryside. There are lots of specialities: wine, cheese and meat.

My favourite restaurant in the north of the region is Bras, in Laguiole on the Aubrac plateau (00 33 5 6551 1820; michel-bras.com). It's run by Michel Bras, a chef quite unlike any other, who strikes a balance between the most modern styles of cooking and those rooted in the history of the region. One of his specialities is gargouillou – an assortment of baby vegetables, herbs and flowers from the area, cooked in a buttery sauce. He also has a dish called ombre et lumière (light and shade) which is fish cooked with olives. It's absolutely divine; you have to try that.

There's a fantastic market every Saturday morning in Rodez, where I was born. It's in the town square just behind the cathedral and people come from across the region to sell their produce. There are little cafes all around the square where you can sit and relax.

I learnt my trade at the Restaurant du Vieux Pont in Belcastel, a historic village in the centre of the region (00 33 5 6564 5229; hotelbelcastel.com). Run by two sisters, it has a Michelin star and serves food from the region cooked with real sensitivity and subtlety. It was once an auberge run by their mother, where all the local labourers used to eat. It has expanded since then but has retained that spirit.

If you want to work up an appetite, there are some beautiful lakes in the region such as Lac de Pareloup, where you can go boating, windsurfing or jet skiing, or just bathe. It's really a region where you have everything; great food, markets, a lake and lots of beautiful little medieval villages.
Cyril Lignac runs Le Quinzieme Cuisine Attitude in Paris (cyrillignac.com).

• How to do it Fly from London Stansted to Rodez (ot-rodez.fr) with Ryanair (ryanair.com), then hire a car through Avis (avis.co.uk).

The Music insider: Cécile Revenu


La Route du Rock festival takes place in Brittany at a beautiful site in Saint-Malo, a fortified town surrounded by beaches and the sea. And it's not far from the village of Cancale, which is one of the best places in France for eating oysters, so it's great for anyone who wants to combine the best of France with music. It is a completely independent festival and is one for real music aficionados. There's a good mix of big names – they've had the Cure, Franz Ferdinand and Pulp in the past – and less well-known bands. People come to see the main bands but also to discover new ones.

The main concerts take place in the evening at an 18th-century fort, but there are also free concerts on one of the beaches in Saint-Malo. So you can get up late and wander down to the beach to listen to music and go for a dip at the same time. I remember the French artist Camille playing a gig with Nouvelle Vague on the beach and midway through the song she ran out to the sea, plunged in, came back and carried on. The organisers also put on beach football tournaments involving artists, journalists and fans.

It's always a really convivial atmosphere – lots of Bretons but also lots of other French people – all having a good time. I have been most years for the past 10 years. The weather can be a bit variable but the worst is that it's going to be a little bit cold – there's no risk of mud. I saw the New York band Interpol in the rain once there and it was magical.

Another good bet is the Garden Nef Party (17-18 July; garden-nef-party.com), which takes place at Angoulême, a historic town surrounded by ramparts. It's only been going a few years and is not expensive. The festival site is opposite the town on a hill, so you have this stunning view over Angoulême.

Cecile Revenu works for Les Inrockuptibles, the French equivalent of NME.

• How to do it Route de Rock (laroutedurock.com) takes place on 14-16 August this year and features My Bloody Valentine, the Kills and Simian Mobile Disco. Tickets for the three days cost ¤94. Take the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Saint-Malo with Brittany Ferries (0871 244 0744; brittany-ferries.co.uk) from £172 return for a car and two adults. See also saint-malo-tourisme.com.

The fashion designer: Alexis Mabille

Arles is a very beautiful town with a strong sense of its cultural identity. The festival of photography (rencontres-arles.com), which takes place from July to September, is quite well known but it's fantastic. The whole city is taken over by photography; churches, restaurants, even private homes are all invaded by the artists. And the old SNCF train station is transformed into a massive space for installations and graphics.

Fashion is very well represented, as quite a lot of well-known fashion photographers, such as Peter Lindbergh, exhibit. There's a fantastic museum – Musée Arlatan on rue de la Republique (00 33 4 9093 5811) – where you can find costumes from the 16th and 17th centuries. Arles has seen lots of immigration and there is a strong gypsy influence. It's a very interesting place, with a real diversity of people – a lot of stars live in the area – and it's quite glamorous in the summer.

The trendiest place to stay is the Grand Hotel Nord-Pinus (00 33 4 9093 4444; nord-pinus.com). It's where the bullfighters used to prepare before going to the arena. You can also go there to eat. They serve a local speciality – a ragoût of bull meat with spices and a heavy wine sauce. I don't like it very much but it is very traditional and you should at least try it. There are lots of great coffee shops, and I'd recommend the Hôtel de la Poste on rue Molière for a drink – it has a lovely terrace with trees and it's very traditional.

A place that is great fun at night is El Patio (00 33 4 9049 5176; patiodecamargue.com), a restaurant owned by one of the members of the Gypsy Kings. It's like a big hacienda: you eat outside and there are musical performances and entertainment in the style of a 19th-century circus. It's lots of fun and great for children.

Alexis Mabille has created dresses for Keira Knightley and Carla Bruni and designs jewellery for Yves Saint Laurent.

• How to do it Arles (arlestourisme.com) is 32kms from Nîmes. Fly from London Luton or Liverpool to Nîmes with Ryanair (ryanair.com), then hire a car through Auto Europe (auto-europe.co.uk).

The champion surfer: Jeremy Flores

Hossegor is about half an hour from Biarritz in the Pays Basque, and 40 minutes from the Spanish border. Some of the best surfers in France are from around the area. It hosts international surfing competitions, so the waves are first-class, and for an experienced surfer there's every type of wave to have fun. Close to the shore you get very powerful ones, which are good for doing barrels, and further out there are long point breaks where you can do turns. There are lots of clubs where you can hire surf boards and take lessons. If you want to learn, I'd recommend the summer because the waves are smaller.

People from all over the world come to see the famous waves but it's not just a place for surfers: the beaches are really nice and it's a great place to sunbathe. It's becoming the destination for people who like beach holidays, but it's a pretty mellow place. Fifteen minutes from the city, you can be in the surrounding pine forests with absolutely no one around. There are routes for cycling, walking and running through the forests. And you can go through the forests and across the sand dunes to get into the ocean in places which are deserted. Those are the coolest spots.

In terms of places to stay, there's something for everyone. There are lots of cool campsites with a relaxed atmosphere and people from all over having fun. Or there are big houses with swimming pools to rent just next to the beach. As for nightlife, there's a part of Hossegor called La Centrale where all the bars are. If you ask for a good place to party, everyone will tell you the same thing: Rockfood (rockfoodhossegor.com). It's a restaurant and bar right on the beach decorated with surfboards signed by the world's best surfers, and after 11pm it turns into a club. No one actually holds parties at night on the beach itself though; everyone is very eco-conscious and they try to preserve this paradise.

Jeremy Flores, 21, is the wunderkind of French surfing and the youngest-ever competitor in the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Tour.

• How to do it Hossegor (hossegor.fr) is 41km from Biarritz. Fly from Gatwick or Bristol to Biarritz with Easyjet (easyjet.com), then hire a car through Carrentals.co.uk (carrentals.co.uk).

The architect: Manuelle Gautrand

I spent three years in Lyon in the early 90s and the more time I spent there, the more I discovered. It may not be thought of as a tourist town but it has beautiful architectural monuments, a lovely setting and lots of cultural heritage. Two historic parts of the city are great to wander around. La Croix Rousse is the old silk-weaving quarter, where the artisans of Lyon had beautiful apartments and workshops. It has a lot of historical charm, with a flavour of 19th century industry.

The Saint-Jean quarter is another wonderfully historic area in the west of the city. It can be a bit touristy so you have to go as far west and upwards as possible to lose yourself in the little alleyways. Up there, it's inaccessible to cars so you almost have the impression of being in the country. There's a real sense of peace and calm.

Lyon has a great mix of traditional and modern architecture. The opera house on the main square was restored by the top French architect Jean Nouvel. I think it's beautiful, very contemporary but retaining a sense of history. The interior is shiny and glossy – Nouvel's style in the 80s – and magnificent. I also love the Cité Internationale de Renzo Piano, a massive complex on the banks of the Rhône with hotels, conference centres, a museum and a casino.

Another really notable aspect of architecture in Lyon is the Art Deco skyscrapers in Villeurbanne. They were built in the 30s – the first in France – and are incredible. People live there but if you're feeling adventurous you can ask if they'll let you in. Lots of the inhabitants are aware how significant their buildings are and are quite willing to let you in to climb up the inside. 

Manuelle Gautrand's award-winning projects have included the Centre for Contemporary Music in Paris and the Lille Modern Art Museum.

• How to do it Take the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Lyon (via Paris) through Rail Europe (as before) from £99 return. See also lyon-france.com.