A visit to Hobbiton is an essential part of New Zealand for any Lord of the Rings fan! 

If you’re a fan, you will be pleased to know that the whole trilogy was filmed in New Zealand and you can go to visit the actual shire itself as well as many of the actual filming locations which is really cool! If you want to full immerse yourself in the LOTR world, then Hobbiton is a good start. 

A trip to the shire will set you back fair bit, the tickets range from $89 upwards. But, we knew we wanted to go when we decided to visit NZ, so worked this into our budget. If you have a bigger budget, the ticket options with a Lunch Banquet, Evening Banquet or Second Breakfast Tour would definitely be something to consider. We did debate the Evening Banquet, but it was just too much for our backpackers budget. However, I would say we still got a full experience just going on the standard ticket. It felt like we really had been transported there which was quite magical.

The Standard Movie Set Tour takes you around and through the shire, ending up at The Green Dragon Inn for a drink before heading back. Throughout the tour, the guide will let you know lots of interesting facts about the filming and movie process, funny things that happened and more! All the tour guides are super knowledgeable so definitely make sure that you have your questions at the ready. 

We had a mixture of rain and sunshine throughout our tour, and the ground can get quite muddy so come prepared with decent shoes. The ground can be fairly uneven and most of the paths are quite narrow and fairly hilly in places so I was glad we wore trainers. We had waterproofs, and don’t worry if it does rain (PSA it is entirely outside) the team will have umbrellas ready to hand to you to stop you from getting too wet. If it’s glorious sunshine, then definitely have suncream and a hat to hand because the tour last a good couple of hours. 

Throughout the tour, you’ll have the chance to take lots of photos within the shire! We of course, had to get a few. If you’re heading to the shire after 1st December 2023, you’ll have a whole new experience as well. The set is being extended to include the inside of a fully decorated interior of a hobbit hole on Bagshot Row! This will also increase the tour time to 2.5 hours so you get a chance to experience it all without rushing. We are hoping to go back to New Zealand and I just know that another trip to Hobbiton will be on the list! 

The only 2 minor disappointments we thought at the end of the tour are that didn’t have a chance to finish our complimentary drinks in The Green Dragon Inn. I think we were slightly slow on the tour going round which isn’t a criticism of the guide, but it would have been nice to have a little longer to enjoy ourselves relaxing in the inn. We were also a little disappointed by the souvenirs. We were ready to be facing some tough decisions between what we wanted to buy and what we could actually carry in our backpacks, but there actually wasn’t that many nice souvenirs. Of course this is another very minor feature, but we just expected so much more from the shop as we love collecting a little souvenir from here and there. 

Anyway, not wanting to finish on a sour note as we did really enjoy ourselves and we learnt lots of facts we didn’t know about the world of LOTR! Hopefully if you’re thinking about going to Hobbiton this has given you some insight to help you make your mind up.