Hobbiton: The Best Day for Lord of the Rings Fans

If you love The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, a trip to the Hobbiton Movie Set is the ultimate dream. I knew when I booked my trip to the North Island of New Zealand that visiting was non-negotiable, and honestly, it was perfect.

Hobbiton is the original filming location and set for The Shire during The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) and Hobbit films, built on the Alexander Family Farm in Matamata, New Zealand. The LOTR set was torn down after filming but rebuilt even bigger as permanent structures for the Hobbit franchise.

After the movies were finished, the Alexanders requested that the set be left up, and it is now a major tourist attraction for fans to visit and experience the movie magic. The family still lives on the property, so some areas are private and off-limits to guests.

The best way to get to the set is to rent a car. This gives you the most flexibility for your day. Please note that New Zealanders drive on the left side of the road.

Another option would be a transfer, which can be booked through the Hobbiton website along with a tour. This nearly doubles the per-person cost, but if you’d prefer not to drive and don’t mind the extra fee, it’s a good alternative.

Another option is to book on DiDi (ride service) and choose the Travel service. It’s essentially paying for a long-distance taxi. The one person I spoke to who did this said it was about $200 NZD one-way from Auckland.

Booking a tour is the only option to visit the set. You cannot walk around on your own. They do, however, offer quite a few to choose from! Personally, I booked the Hobbiton Movie Set Tour and Lunch Combo. It wasn’t much more than the regular tour, and we got a great selection, plenty of food, and dessert! This tour cost me $170 USD (as of July 2026).

If you’re not worried about lunch, they also offer a regular Hobbiton Movie Set Signature Tour, Hobbiton Movie Set Signature Tour from Matamata Information Centre, and a Signature Tour available in Mandarin.

For those who want a bit more, there’s also the Behind the Scenes Tour, which includes the signature tour, lunch, access to the art department, and self-guided access to an unwandered part of the film set. I won’t lie, I regret not booking this one. It is, however, pretty pricey at $290 USD (as of July 2026).

The Evening Banquet and Second Breakfast Tours add extra pizazz to the signature tour, and they also host special events throughout the year, such as International Hobbit Day and the Hobbiton Beer Festival.

Unless you choose to be picked up from the Matamata Information Centre, all tours start from The Shire’s Rest. This is where you’ll check in and get your tickets. Upstairs are a cafe and toilets. Line up about 5-10 minutes before your tour is set to depart. Your tour guide will check your ticket, and you’ll be loaded onto a Hobbiton Bus and driven to the set. My tour guide was James, and he said he also went by 007. An absolute hoot. The man deserves a raise.

If the weather is icky, they do provide umbrellas!

During the ride, which takes about 10 minutes, your guide will talk to you about the history of how the set was found and built, the hush-hush during filming, etc. Once you walk into The Shire, it’s honestly incredible. Maybe I’m just a big baby, but I get overwhelmingly emotional when I fulfil dreams like this, so I nearly cried. A few times.

Your guide will take you to each section, give you some information, and then give you a few minutes to ponder and take photos before moving on. You slowly work your way up to Bag End, where Bilbo lived, then down to Bag Shot Row, where you can go inside a real Hobbit hole!

Finally, you’re off to The Green Dragon Inn, where you’ll have a brief rest and a complimentary drink. If you didn’t book lunch, that’s the end of your tour, and you’re taken back to The Shire’s Rest, where you can reminisce and go through the gift shop.

If you did book lunch, you’ll get an hour at the buffet to sit, eat, relax, and chat with your fellow tour mates. Afterwards, you’ll be taken back.

During the return ride, you get to watch clips from the films showing the set and a video of Peter Jackson thanking you for visiting. Got me a little teary-eyed again…..

On the top floor is a cafe where you can get coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and other cafe foods! Before the tour, I got a mince and cheese pie and coffee. Both were great and turned off the hunger just long enough before lunch.

This is the buffet available with the lunch tour! It’s a great, easy option if you don’t want to worry about finding lunch later or are not interested in the cafe selections. There’s a ton to pick from, so there should be something available for everyone. I really enjoyed the beef rump, lamb casserole, pesto pasta, seasonal vegetables, herb-roasted gourmet potatoes, and garden-fresh green salad. For dessert, the baked apple crumble with cream on top was lovely! You can view the whole menu on their website at the bottom of the tour page.

Only accessible during a tour, you can purchase pastries here if you’d like a light snack, along with your complimentary drink. If you’ve booked the buffet, though, I would skip it so you have maximum space for the meal you’ve already paid for that immediately follows.

As someone who grew up with her dad taking her to see these films in theatres, this was a childhood dream come true. I do wish I had done the Behind the Scenes Tour, but even without it, it’s a very satisfying, fun, and memorable day. Frankly, I don’t think it’s the last they’ll see of me.

You really should go if you like these movies. Is it cheap? No. But god damn, is it worth it.