GUIDEBOOK : Solutre, France

Getting there: Solutre is a brief detour off Autoroute 6 from Paris to the Cote d’Azur. Leave Autoroute 6 at Macon Sud and take Route 79 in the direction of Cluny. Look for signs only to Solutre, which is about 10 miles from Macon. Ignore a sign pointing to Pouilly off to the left of Route 79. It will take you miles out of your way to another, larger town of the same name.

There is fast train service to Macon aboard the TGV, which can cruise at 160 m.p.h. The run from Paris to Macon takes only 1 hour and 40 minutes. Slower and much cheaper trains also serve the city. The major car rental companies have offices at the rail station, which is on the route to Solutre.

Where to stay: Relais de Solutre, 71960 Solutre, Saone-et-Loire, telephone 85-35-80-81. We spent $52 in the off-season for a double room with bath. The price included service but not breakfast. A three-course dinner without wine runs from $20 to $30 per person.

There is one other hotel in Solutre: Le Pichet, about 100 yards down the road from the Relais. The rooms are smaller and darker than those at the Relais, but some have striking views of the village. The rates, not including breakfast, are from $32 to $35 in the off-season. Dinner, not including wine, is under $20 per person.

Unless you have reservations, your chances of finding accommodations in Solutre during the summer high season are almost nill. But the travel guides list a number of auberges in the area, and Macon has scores of hotels.

For more information: The French Government Tourist Office has a (900) number--420-2003--that costs 50 cents per minute to call. Or write to the office at 9454 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 303, Beverly Hills 90212.