car rental Venice or Florence

If you stay in Florence for a few days after Venice, go by train, stay in Florence without a car, then rent a car in Florence when you leave the city.

If you plan to go outside Florence right away (no Florence city stay) then it's up to you. The train is fast and convenient, but depending on the number of people it might be more expensive than renting right away in Venice and driving directly from there. Just be aware it's a boring 3+ hour freeway driving.

If you decide to take the train from Venice and pick up in Florence, pick up the car downtown instead of the airport. Hertz is next to the Florence station on Via Alamanni, Europcar and Avis are just 5 to 10 min walk on Borgo Ognissanti. Going to the airport to pick up will add substantial cost to your rental because of airport rental fees, in addition to the 25-30 euro for the taxi fare.

Pick up the car at rental locations near Florence station
No need to go to airport-also wrong direction as you are headed to Tuscany

All drivers must have an IDP which you get at your local aaa
Be sure you read up on driving in Italy-ZTLs, speed cameras, parking etc

We always book our cars thru AutoEurope.com

If dropping in Chiusi you’ll have to rent from Avis-Budget, as you may have already discovered.

Unless you enjoy driving I’d suggest picking up the car closer to your first destination that needs the car. Train fares are relatively cheap; also might save you a rental day by picking up later in the day.

@Christine, We are planning to pick up a rental car in Florence and then tour Tuscany, Venice, Dolomites and Cinque Terre before returning the car in Florence. Which station in Florence would I select when making the rental?

Rental car offices are all near the Florence Santa Maria Novella station, which is Florence's main station.