Montreal

Since you like history, you'd likely enjoy touring The Citadel in Montreal. We found it interesting.
We had only one day before a Canadian cruise a few years ago, so we did that and an overview tour of Montreal by hop-on-hop-off bus (which was quite good). While we did not spend a lot of time there (due to our time limits), we found the Underground City in Montreal (shopping/restaurants, etc.) fascinating and fun.

Norma who posts here will likely chime in as soon as she sees your post. She was very helpful to us and definitely knows her city.

Leaving for the airport shortly, away for a week. Will try to respond in a day or two. In the meantime I think Frommer has a Montreal guide book. Or is it Fodor? Someone, anyway. Always happy to give precise information.

Hi Bill!
My husband and I just returned from Montreal on Monday. We were so impressed with this beautiful city! We would return in a heartbeat. As for restaurants, Pizza Il Focolaio was a great little Italian/pizza place. We also really enjoyed Schwartz's for a nice smoked meat sandwich. You must also try the bagels in Montreal. They are delicious! I would also suggest Jean-Talon market for a good bite to eat. We really enjoyed simply walking around the different neighborhoods in Montreal. There is also a nice subway/bus system to get you to anywhere that is too far for walking. We visited the botanical gardens and could have stayed there all day. A hike to Mont Royal was also very nice way to spend the afternoon. I could go on and on, but hopefully this is a good start.

One of the highlights of our Montreal trip was a food tour to the Mile End District. The tour was with Local Montreal Food Tours. Our guide was amazing. He was versed in the history and culture of the Mile End area as well as the food and restaurants we visited. The food was superb and very generous. It was one of the best tours we have taken. Check it out: http://localmontrealtours.com/food-tours/mile-end-montreal-food-tour/

I realize you are asking about Montreal but when we decided to visit Montreal and Quebec City the flights were better to/from Montreal. We decided to take the train to/from Quebec. It was easy and relaxing. It is about a 3.25 hour trip. If you haven’t visited Quebec and have a few days that would be lovely. We had a great food tour there too. I’d return in a heartbeat and the currency exchange rate is extremely good now.

Thank you for the suggestions and links, all are excellent. Yes Carole, our cruise will take us to Quebec City for the day. Hoping to attend Mass at the Basilica there. The foodie suggestions sound wonderful. I hear they have what's called a "loose meat sandwich" that is a must. Does it really have gravy on it?

I enjoyed the Atwater Market and Notre-Dame Basilica on a recent trip, and years ago went to St. Joseph Oratory and that was cool.

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts was pretty great. My wife and I also took a cruise from Montreal to Boston in 2014 (on our 1999 honeymoon ship!) and thought this route was great for a cruise (way better than Alaska last year). Considering it's in French-speaking Canada, Montreal felt very American--which surprised me. We stayed 4-5 blocks northeast of the above referenced museum. If your cruise stops at Bar Harbor, Maine, make the most of it! Utterly stunning coastline, rivals California coast or western Ireland.

Bill, I don’t remember a sandwich with gravy. On our food tour we had poutine at a restaurant known for it. All I can say is that it must be an acquired taste!

Bill, I'm pretty sure we had that famous sandwich at Schwartz's when visiting a friend who lived in Montreal for work. I'm not remembering gravy. Maybe they had some au jus, but i'm not recalling gravy. The place was barely big enough to swing a cat in but had a lot of character.

https://schwartzsdeli.com/ca/index.php?route=common/home

Bill: I think the 'loose meat sandwich' you are referring to is pain à la viande.. this is a very traditional French Canadian dish but not foodie/fancy at all. It is most usually served in a hot dog bun. That being said, every time we go back to visit my family, it is the first thing that my husband asks for :) Most 'nice' restaurants will not have them. Usually they are the diners that serve them. In Quebec they are traditional called câsse-croute ( the restaurant that is)

The Botanical gardens in Montreal are gorgeous. If you love history and were looking to arena mass in Quebec City ( my hometown) then I would for sure recommend Notre Dame in Montreal http://www.basiliquenotredame.ca/en/

Food wise, if you love steak, I would highly recommend Gibby'shttp://www.gibbys.com/index.php

Another great one is garde mangerhttp://crownsalts.com/gardemanger/

Enjoy!

I can’t think of what to add, really. If you want to know about hotels you’d best go Trip Advisor or the like. I can then tell you if the location is ok, etc. Old Montreal is interesting for visitors understandably, but I have little tolerance for it. There are things to see there, though, certainly, and world class restaurants.

I have never heard of “loose meat sandwiches” and .i have to say they sound pretty awful. As for poutine, I have never eaten it but many have and have survived.

If you PM me with some specific questions, I will try to be of help.

www.restomontreal.com
www.restoquebec.com

The best smoked meat sandwich (corned beef with extra spice, to be clear) will be found in a restaurant which allows the diner to specify how much fat. As much as possible, for me. Poutine has proved that the humblest of food can become a fad. From fries with cheese curds and hot meat gravy of no specific origin, to an Iron Chef winner that included lobster.
The Quebec City Citadel is the real deal, in North America's only intact walled city, and still home to one of Canada's most celebrated regiments, Les van-doos (in English, the Royal 22nd.) There's a small museum, a tour of old barracks, and wonderful views over the Plains of Abraham, site of one of North America's most important early military battles, and across the river and its harbour. The colours are trooped daily in summer. The Montreal port has some remnants of its citadel, never so grand and mostly pulled down a long time ago.

Thank you all so much for all the input. I will be looking in to all of these helpful suggestions and links.

And yes, it is a "smoked" meat not loose meat sandwich and the poutine was what I was thinking of with gravy. Smoked meat yes, poutine me thinks no.

Years ago in Schwartz’s restaurant, where the best smoked meat sandwiches are to be had, if a customer ordered a “lean” smoked meat sandwich, the waiter would bellow out the order to the meat cutting guy, saying “One impossible”. So be prepared for a certain amount of delicious fat.

Edit: be prepared to line up outside the door for a table to become available. This is not a fancy place but the food and the experience are worth waiting for.