Hi,
First time traveler to Europe...

We are traveling to Venice and plan to go to Florence then Rome.
Flights in and out of Venice are the same as into Venice and out of Rome.
In the US it can be really expensive to rent a car in city A (Venice) and drop off in city B (Rome).

Is this the same in Italy? Its only a 5 hour drive, would it be better to pick up the car in Venice and then drive back after seeing Rome to Venice to drop the car off so that its the same pickup/drop off location?

Also, what website, or where online should I reserve the car?

Look on autoeurope.
Or with the major companies - Europcar hertz Avis sixt.
Most of these rentals have nearly no drop off charges. Some have.
You dont want a car in Rome and in Venice your car needs to float.

You would only pick up the car leaving Venice and drop it off when arriving in Rome (which has fairly large pedestrian only zones so you need to make sure you don't enter one). The car is also useless IN Florence which has the same pedestrian zones.

So it;s really only useful if driving around the countryside in between the 3 cities. If spending several days doing that, then it makes sense. If yo are just staying in those 3 cities the car is a nonsense - since you would be using it for a few hours in between each city (just as easily doable by train) and would have to pay the rental for the days you aren't using it as well as 40 euros per night or more for parking it (very few hotels have attached parking and for those that do it is not free, except in the deep countryside.

There should be no drop off between these cities. And flying open jaws should be much more convenient and no more expensive.

You can always just rent a car for a day or two for day trips in the country side.

Did you choose to drive after looking at alternatives or did you just do it because that is what you do at home?

You are not in the U.S. anymore.

If your are using a car in the U.S. sense between these cities, you will be spending more time and more money - can be breathtakingly more through ZTL fines.

Regarding ZTL fines, read this carefully:

http://driventoit.blogspot.com.au/

A general recommendation: trains between major cities, cars in the countryside.

In a word: DON'T.

Take the train between Venice and Florence and Rome, especially if you will be staying in, and IMO as a first-timer you'll have plenty to see and do, those three cities.

That isn't even the same in the US, I've rented cars lots of times in one city and dropped in another and never had an expensive fee added on.

It sounds like you are only visiting Venice/Florence/Rome . . . If so a car is the LAST thing you want. Take trains -- cheaper, faster, and a lot easier.

Now, <i>if</i> you are planning on several days in the countryside and not just the cities you probably could use a car . . . Say you could take a train from Venice to Florence, then hire a car for a few days to tour Tuscany, drop the car somewhere and train to Rome. But not for just Venice/Florence/Rome.

I'm sorry, but as far as I have ever rented a car IN the US there has always been a charge added to the cost for a drop elsewhere unless it was somewhere like Florida. Companies have wised up now and no longer call it a "drop charge." They simply increase the daily rate for the rental.

Christina: >>I've rented cars lots of times in one city and dropped in another and never had an expensive fee added on.<<

I have no idea where you've rented, but one way drop offs have been pretty common in the States for years. Not for every city pair or situation -- but more often than not there are drop off fees.

Thanks guys!
I left out we wanted to do a few days in the country side, so the advice makes sense....
I will rent a car just for that leg. Does Italy have uber?

On a side note, last month I tried renting a car Texas to Indiana and was going to be charged a $400 drop fee. Not sure why it's not consistent...

>>Not sure why it's not consistent…<<

Partly for profit but also partly for fleet management. For example - rental agencies need more cars at places like LAX or SFO or Dallas . . . and fewer at places like Evansville Indiana or Bakersfield CA/ So a one way from say Bakersfield to SFO possibly won't have additional fees, whereas SFO to Bakersfield probably will.

That happens where I live. A one-way to the largest big city/airport - no drop off. One-way back home - a pretty hefty fee.