Signal Hill National Historic Site rises steeply above the Narrows — the narrow channel connecting St. John's harbour to the open Atlantic. The view from the summit is one of the best in Newfoundland: the city spread below to one side, the harbour and the ocean extending to the other. Cabot Tower, a Victorian stone building completed in 1900 to mark the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's landing, stands at the top.
The site is rich in military history as well as Marconi's achievement: Signal Hill was fortified at various points from the 17th century onward and was the site of the last battle of the Seven Years' War in North America in 1762. Parks Canada maintains excellent interpretive displays inside Cabot Tower covering both the military history and the Marconi transmission. The hill is accessible by road or on foot via several hiking trails from the Battery neighbourhood.