Genoa for 5 nights??

What are the things you wish to do in the area? I can see a city lover wanting to stay in Genoa versus a small village, but of course it just depends. Share the rest of the itinerary and what you want out of this part.

Some discussion points for you both to consider together:

Where exactly are the activities you want to do?

How long will it take to get between your lodging and the activity each day? Count up the hours.
How much time are you “willing to waste” waiting for a train, sitting on a train, etc.?
How much are you spending on this entire trip? Is the monetary difference in the lodging you’re considering worth the time not being actively doing something?

If you’re on a 2-week trip compared to a month long trip, your solution may be different.

Genoa does have its champions, but the city didn't do much for me, personally. I visited only for a few hours as a day trip. The old town quarter was very interesting, but a lot of the city feels sprawling and a little ugly. I guess one benefit might be that it isn't going to get mobs of tourists like other cities listed in Rick's books. (Genoa is not in his Italy book last i checked.)

This is a matter of personal preference for me...but I love the small Italian Riviera towns south of Genoa like Camogli, and I'd much prefer to stay in one of them and day trip to Genoa (easy by train!) if there were specific things I wanted to see up there.

We love the Wolfsonian in South Beach Miami and there's a branch in Genoa.

https://www.museidigenova.it/en/wolfsonian-museum

For us (other think differently, I'm sure) we'd probably only spend 5 days in a major city (or a place to use as a hub).

We're likely to do Genoa / Wolfsonian as a long day trip from Turin.

Ira

I did a day trip from Milan to Genoa a few years ago, and that was plenty for me. Maybe max 2 nights would give you time to see all the sights comfortably. The other 3 nights could be spent in plenty of other much more interesting towns/cities not far from Genoa. Depending on your interests and time of year, Cinque Terre, Turin, Parma or Milan would be a better use of 3 nights than remaining in Genoa.

I would live in Genoa but not sure I'd stay more then 2 nights there on vacation. It's not really a tourist place. If you like aquariums - they have a nice one.

Genoa is a fascinating city and it does take a bit of time to see beyond the gritty surface and the industrial surroundings.
This being said, 5 nights there is a bit much. Perhaps 3, plus 2 in Santa Maria Ligure to properly enjoy the Portofino area?

We would go back to Genoa tomorrow just to eat. Some of the best food we've had in all of Italy. We stayed in an apartment in the old town for 5 nights, then during a week staying in Camogli took the train back to Genoa to visit the monumental cemetery. I don't remember anything "gritty" about Genoa, but maybe it's because we were there in November. But, yeah, you would be able to travel to other towns on the coast more quickly and efficiently if you did not stay in Genoa. Camogli was great, but I know it's pretty crowded in the summer.

I agree that 5 nights in Genoa sounds like too many, but it depends on what you want to do there.

We spent 4 nights in Camogli and took the train to Genoa for a day (42 minutes on the train.) That worked well for us. Camogli is a nice smaller city on the coast with good restaurants, rail connections to villages nearby, and hiking options.

Never liked Genoa. My choice would be to stay 'zero' nights in Genoa.
There are a few things of interest some people might wish to see, but I would choose another place to stay and commute to Genoa for a day to see those.
Moneglia, Sestri, Santa Margherita, Camogli, just to name a few, would be some of the places I would choose. From those towns you can reach Genoa in 45 to 90 min by train.

Santa Margherita was our base when we visited that part of Italy. It worked for us. We stayed in a nice agriturismo

We have gone to Santa Margherita Ligure twice and Camogli once. Beautiful places to visit! Spend a few days in Genoa if you wish then transfer to one of these cities.