Europe - need suggestions on car lease buy back or train etc

15 of your 16 nights are in Rome, Paris, and Venice. I can't recall (in several years) anyone on this forum recommending having a car in Rome, Paris, or Venice. Horrendous traffic in Rome, Paris traffic only slight less horrendous, and overnight parking in both Rome and Paris is very expensive and difficult to find.And of course in Venice the car just sits in a parking garage for 5 days. Another of your questions: "if we need to get around the cities are taxis reasonable?"Answer: Paris has excellent public transportation (primarily the Metro). Rome has adequate public transportation but taxis sometimes come in handy there. And of course there are no taxis in Venice, except water taxis.Your other question: "Or Is it better to do a traditional car rental from Paris to Frankfurt just for the travel across and then bus or train?"Answer: The sequence of your itinerary was not clear from your post. If you could clarify that, we could answer this last question.

We are flying into Rome, then traveling to Venice then to Paris and flying out of Frankfurt. We are only traveling to Frankfurt for 1 night (only to fly out). I have priced the train from Rome to Venice. It is $336 USD, from Venice to Paris it is $407 and from Paris to Frankfurt it is $346 for a total of $1089. My concern is that we don't have any transportation to do any day trips away from the cities, but i guess with everything to do in each of the cities we probably won't go anywhere else. So I guess the other alternative is to take buses between the cities. Except from Paris to Frankfurt i think i would want to take a train. Otherwise too long a bus trip.

Janice: Thanks for the follow up, which clarified your itinerary. Your situation is more complicated than I first thought. Your first 5 days are in Rome, a car there would be a useless headache, overnight parking is expensive and difficult to even find. If you did a car lease but don't pick it up until day 5 or 6, as you're leaving Rome, it only leaves you with 11-12 days with the leased car. Advice generally given here and in Rick's books is that a car lease (technically, buying it and selling it back) starts to make sense financially only when you have the car more than about 17 days, and you'd only have it for 11 or 12 days.However, because there are 4 of you, it might make financial sense to do a traditional car rental, to avoid 4 train fares for each leg of your itinerary. But I'm not sure--here's how that would work:You pick up the rental car on your way out of Rome on day 6. Then you drive to Venice, leave the car in the parking garage there for 5 days. Maybe you'd use it once or twice for a day trip out of Venice, but day trips from Venice are easy by train, it's what most here do.Then you drive to Paris, but it's a long drive, go to Google Maps to determine how long. Regular fuel is $6.50/gallon in Europe and going up, diesel is about $5.50/gallon--fuel cost will add up.Ok, now you're in Paris with the car. Overnight parking in Paris is expensive and not plentiful. The car sits in overnight parking in Paris for 5 days. Unlike Venice, with 5 days in Paris you won't need to do any day trips, so the car just sits there.Then the drive to Frankfurt, again, go to Google Maps to know your driving time--you don't want to take a chance on missing your flight.Some people fly from Venice to Paris, but 4 airfares can add up, as can 4 train fares. It's not clear to me what your best option is. Fuel cost for the rental car could really add up, at $5.50 to $6.50/gal (and looks like it's going up).

In addition to fuel costs, consider tolls and--especially for that long Venice-to-Paris haul--time.

Of course, if you plan to stop along the way--in Switzerland, or Provence, or Burgundy--the "time" case is less critical. But if all you want to do is to get to Paris, a multi-day drive entails food and lodging costs, and of course your time is worth something too.

Also consider any drop-off fees (which might make a lease look better, even for only 12 days).

Don't forget insurance and one or two tickets especially for the dreaded local drive zones. Given your plans for staying in major cities, I don't think it makes a lot of economic sense. But I understand you question if Scottsdale is that you know for getting around major cities. For most of the sightseeing activity in those cities local transportation and walking covers nearly everything. With the exception of Venice, local taxis generally are more cost effective for four people than four fares on public transit. Will this be your first experience with Europe?

Any combination of planes and trains would be your best move.