It's not huge, but it is certainly large enough to qualify as a “big city.” And it is the only big city I've ever been in, certainly in North America, where I didn't feel like I had to be street smart and occasionally look over my shoulder.
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First of all, Montreal looks like a hybrid of an old European city and a modern city—or, maybe, it looks like a city, and we just haven't retained many of them in North America. What Americans think of as “old towns” or “historic districts” are, in fact, cities. They are the cities that were spared urban renewal.
If you prefer a “real-life city” vs. a tourist-focused destination, Montreal should be your city of choice. Montreal is a major city, so of course, there is going to be more to do, restaurants to try, shops to wander in, a livelier night scene, etc. Quebec City could easily be a romantic getaway.
Most of Quebec's English-speaking population resides in the Montreal region on the Island of Montreal. The population is concentrated in the West Island and in the western half of Montreal's urban core, where there is a large network of English-language educational, social, cultural, economic, and medical institutions.
Discover the magic of Quebec City on a guided day trip by bus from Montreal. Be charmed by narrow streets, steep hills and historic treasures, and see a waterfall 1.5 times bigger than Niagara.