The first issue you need to resolve is whether you're willing to pay the whopping extra fee for picking a car up in Italy and dropping it in France. If you're OK with that, have AutoEurope give you a list of its possible drop-off locations around the eastern perimeter of the city. We can't specify a particular location without knowing which rental company AutoEurope will be brokering with for you rental.

Look for a Porte d'Orléans agency or just drop the car off at Orly airport.

Why not give the address of the place you need to go to in St Germain, information would be helpful. And why are you willing to take a bus but not the metro? I just don't understnd that, taking a lot of luggage on a bus isn't easier than the metro, it can be more difficult. I gather you won't pay for a taxi because then it really opens up your possibilities, but depending on the address is St Germain, it may not even be that convenient to any bus line (or metro, for that matter).

And the car rental company would help, but in general, there are car rental companies at train stations. If you are driving from Italy, I suspect you are entering on the SE of Paris, probably on the A6, is this correct? If so, Gare Montparnasse might be a possibility.

If one can afford the cross-border drop-off fee, one can afford a taxi.

I've not found driving in Paris different from any other city. It depends on the time of day.

Sometimes it costs more to pick up or drop at an airport. Autoeurope is an agency, so your car may be from any company and that may affect the drop points. Also, be sure to check the office hours - some are very limited.

I agree with Alan... Paris driving is no different from any other big city. Pick a location close to your hotel.

That is probably true, but a lot of people have no experience at all with driving in very large cities, and even if they do a little bit, they may not want to drive into the heart of a huge city where they have never been before.

There usually is a charge for picking up a car at the airport or a train station, but not for dropping the car off at these locations. The person renting the car should read the fine print of the contract.

There is absolutely nothing insane about Paris traffic, and if you have been driving all the way from Italy, there is no reason for you to find anything exceptional about it.

If you are going to Saint Germain-des-Prés, I frankly believe that the best thing would for you to drive to the address, drop off your stuff and then return the car, for example at Gare Montparnasse, which would be a direct metro ride back (so would Gare du Nord for that matter -- they're both on line 4 of the metro). If you prefer to wimp out, coming from the south, just stop at Gare Montparnasse to drop off the car and then struggle with your luggage to get to Saint Germain on the metro or waste money on a taxi.

p.s. The drop off point for the principal rental companies at either Gare Montparnasse or Gare du Nord is located in the main train station car park. Of course, you should verify this first.

We always drop at Charles DE Gaulle, only issue is to be sure and get good directions for refilling the tank, gas stations are not plentiful
From there it is easy to get to Paris via many different options be it taxi, train, bus.

If dropping at a local agency, drop off your stuff wife and kids then head out by yourself. hubby has done this several times, much easier just getting himself back to the apartment than all of us & luggage.

Europcar has been very good in regard to cross border rentals and having plenty of drop locations in our experience

It makes no sense to drop off a car at CDG when coming from the south.

Paris is not like most American cities (I'll list exceptions for anyone interested) in that the streets are not parallel. If missing a turn, one can't just go around the block to return to the point of origin.

What is wrong with Orly?

kerouac, I'm not sure the OP was referring to Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

And I agree - makes no sense at all to return the car to CDG. Orly works, or something on the SE perimeter of the city, if you don't want to drive in Paris.

Well, if he is going to Saint Germain-en-Laye instead, he should not be referring to it as "Paris."

WOW!!!! I have clearly got some great info.
I should have mentioned that we are coming from Italy but we are originally renting the car in Marseille on the leg of our trip before Italy. So hopefully we will avoid the charges for picking up and dropping in different countries.
I realize Autoeurope is a broker and we won't know the company until we book. After reading the replies, maybe it is best to do family/bag drop at the apartment and then drop the car and metro back.
Yes, I was referring to St. Germain des Pres (apt on Rue Mazarine)
Either way, thanks everyone for the suggestions. Always appreciated.

After reading the replies, maybe it is best to do family/bag drop at the apartment and then drop the car and metro back.

Make sure you have a detailed map of how to get there, and from there to the rental agency. One way streets and the lack of streets in a rectangular pattern makes it difficult to correct directional errors.

Anybody who is driving anywhere in France will already know that, in my opinion. We're not talking about the street grid of Manhattan or Los Angeles.

Anybody who is driving anywhere in France will already know that, in my opinion. We're not talking about the street grid of Manhattan or Los Angeles.

It sounds like the OP might not be aware of it, just as s/he might not be aware that the rue Mazarine is in the heart of the city.

From the original post: We do not even want to attempt driving in the heart of the city!

Sorry, kerouac, I had a brain-dead moment, as I was multi-tasking. Obviously, she is headed to Saint-Germaain-de Prés. But yeah, the rue Mazarine is smack in the middle of a busy part of Paris, so maybe she should drop the car on the outskirts and take the métro in. If she doesn't want to drive in the middle of the city, it won't work to drive to the apartment, drop bags off, and then go back to some rental agency.

what about a rental from Hertz and do thedrop off at Carousel du Louvre parking garage and then a short taxi ride to teh apartment (I'd walk it, but not with a bunch of children and bags)

Pull up to apartment, unload passengers and luggage, drive to most convenient drop location.

As has been mentioned, if you have been driving in Marseille, the Rivera and who knows where in Italy, dropping a car in central Paris will be no big deal.

A rental from Hertz these days, as I understand it, involves a drop-off charge even within France. Don't know for sure, as I never rent directly from Hertz.

OK, you are convincing us to drive to the apartment, drop bags and then return the car. We should be experts after 4 weeks in Europe (fingers crossed).
Thanks everyone. So appreciative of your words of wisdom.