Hobbiton needs no introduction.

Hobbiton is New Zealand’s third-largest tourist attraction, attracting approximately 17 percent of international visitors (source). These visitors help inject ~$78m into the Matamata-Piako district annually. 17 percent seems low to me, but that’s still 3500 a day during the summer and there’s the potential for more in the future.

But is Hobbiton worth it?

You can read my Hobbiton Movie Set Review here which I only went to after reading the responses below (that’s a hint).

I’m sure there are some of you reading this who are going to go regardless. If that’s you go read another post 🙂

For the rest of you who aren’t 100% sure visiting the Hobbiton Movie Set is worth it, there are plenty of tips including:

• when to visit
• how to visit, and
• what to expect.

These will help you make an informed decision.

If you’re unsure if Hobbitong is worth visiting, the reasons are likely one (or more) of these:

• It’s relatively expensive.
• It’s not in a tourist hub.
• You need to go on a group tour.
• The place is super touristy.
• You haven’t read/watched the movies and/or books.

By the end of this post, you’ll be well on your way to committing one way or the other (there are two contributions from two Hobbiton staff members included). Alternatively,

Speaking of, there are three parts to this post:


How this post came to be | The Responses | Conclusion & Tips

HOW THIS POST CAME TO BE

I haven’t been to Hobbiton yet (update: I have now…it’s worth it) but have been to Hobbitenango in Guatemala. The main reasons being I’m not a big movie person and group tours give me the heeby-jeebies (I’m getting over it, slowly).

So to help you decide whether to go or not, I reached out to people on Instagram who recently tagged a photo of themselves with #hobbitmovieset. Specifically, I sent the message below (with slight variations) via DM.

RELATED POST: CHECK OUT #7 IN THIS LIST OF AIRBNBS – STAY IN A HOBBIT HOLE



IS HOBBITON WORTH IT? 32 ANSWERS



Photo via Stephen Colebourne via Flickr

Below are the responses I received (slightly edited for flow and grammar).

I really loved tet place. I went by car with a friend and only paid for the ticket ($84). I think it’s a bit expensive but definitely worth visiting Hobbiton. If I have the opportunity to go again in the future, I will. My tour took approximately 2 hours and I had a glass of beer at the end of my tour. I just wanted to have some pics at Frodo and Bilbo’s house. I got a bit disappointed when they weren’t allowed me to take pics insides their house, it was the main point of the tour for me. @rodrigomatosbhz

It’s perfect in every way. Time, money, everything…there is nothing I don’t like.
@anth0nyskitchen

Yes, it’s worth it. It was cool to see everything there, and they explained things pretty good! The thing I liked the most was when they told us how and when they use different things in the movie from the Hobbiton set. @isabellangseth

So I’ll be honest with you, my all-time favorite movie is The Lord of the Rings. We booked the regular tour $84 and it was really beautiful but I didn’t appreciate it enough because they were always rushing us. You couldn’t actually take the time to take it all in, this is the only thing that really saddened and disappointed me! @saraorsomeone

Yes of course. This is obviously a very touristy and expensive place, but we think that going to New Zealand without seeing this would be a mistake. The Lord of the Rings is indeed a big part of the country’s history. We did the classical tour (around $80 NZD) without the eating part. We enjoyed the tour but preferred the Weta Studios in Wellington. Less expensive, more technical and interesting, with fewer people.

Quick tips: Do the first or the last tour of the day. For good pictures without anybody in it stay at the back of the group! @foxcaptures

Well, to be honest, it was kinda touristy and expensive 😁 Hobbiton itself was a wonderful place but I can understand the concern. One thing I enjoyed was the build-up prior to Hobbiton. I was on a road trip from Wellington-Rotorua-Matamata-Auckland and the scenery was lovely. The fact that I was spending couple of days in Rotorua is a plus point. It was a beautiful place with great natures. I reckon I might not enjoy it so much if I depart from (say) Auckland directly to Hobbiton and going back after. I didn’t recall knowing about tour in advance. I went online and bought the ticket through its website. Drove there by myself. I read a suggestion to take the very first tour somewhere, so I took the advice and got the advantage. @raissaalmanda

Of course it’s worth visiting. Even though it’s a little crowded it’s very well-coordinated and looked after. It’s an appropriate price considering how much it takes to upkeep the place year-round. And the tour people know exactly what they are talking about. I’d highly recommend it as it’s becoming a Kiwi thing to do. @lthompsonnz

Yes it was really good. But yes, expensive and quick because of a lot of people. We were there in early winter so it was not too busy compared to what it could have been. @Baroudeurfrancais

I organised my tour with Hobbiton themselves and it was very easily done. The price was on the high side but I didn’t mind paying it. I kinda felt because I was in New Zealand I had to go. It was a bit touristy but I kinda knew it was going to be so when it was I wasn’t disappointed as such. The only thing that annoyed me was that is was a guided tour and I didn’t get to walk around myself and enjoy the set, but understand why as well. @Dman_1249

I definitely thought that it was worth visiting, especially if you’re a fan of the books/movies. The guide and the bus driver were fun, the set was gorgeous, plus you got a free alcoholic drink at the pub at the end of the tour.

It is touristy, but I think that an attraction like Hobbiton has to be. The price is a bit expensive, but again this is New Zealand and holidaying here isn’t cheap. I think that Hobbiton is enough of an icon and a super well-known place on the North Island that people definitely enjoy. I booked my trip from Viator & I did the Waitomo Glowworm Caves earlier in the day.

Personally, I thought that Hobbiton was definitely worth it, and a lot of people I know from back home were pretty jealous. @expatawesome

I mean u can’t visit New Zealand without visiting the ever famous Hobbiton Movie set tour right? It may be pricey but definitely worth going to experience on what’s behind the scene. It’s NZ$84 to experience the heart of New Zealand where you can step into the lush pastures of the Shire with a useful guided tour of Hobbiton, as featured in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. Just remember to bring your passport and you’re good to enjoy their alcoholic drinks as well! @especially_shirley

I pretty much planned my day around that particular visit 😊 Love the series of the movies and read all the books related to that too. In my opnion, it’s worth a whole lot! @matahari_teh

Well, we absolutely loved it. It is worthy of visiting. My parents are coming in August to visit New Zealand, and we are going back there to show them. Definitely, a must-do. Beautiful landscape and wildlife to be seen closely. Highly recommended. @sresralopes

So I did a tour with Flexi Tours which included Hobbiton, Te Puia (with buffet lunch there) and the Glowworm Caves. All in all, I paid about $380. That was a lot of money but for all three spots, lunch and the tour on a mini-coach more than worth it. It was well organised, the staff everywhere friendly and we really enjoyed the tour.

I personally have not watched either The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, I just enjoyed the great landscape and thought it was great, that everybody in the world knows this location. I also think that it is a place to have been at as they will do more filming for a series there, so that’s great!

So I am no fan and was impressed, so I assume that real fans need to go there when in NZ. This is a big chance to discover something great. Of course, the price is really high, but this is something you do in your life probably only once and it would be stupid to be in NZ and not going there because of the money. Besides, the guide there was really cool, it included a drink at the end and we were allowed to take as many photos as possible.

So to come to an end: I recommend Hobbiton, especially for people who have watched the movies it is a big must to go there. @jan.is.not.at.home

The excursion I hired was a bit expensive for the time I was in Hobbiton, but considering that in Auckland there is not much to visit and see, I think it is worth visiting Hobbiton. @kate_calop

Is Hobbiton worth visiting? The only one things I could tell you is for me it was a great experience. It’s a place to go in New Zealand, it was very interesting. Maybe a bit expensive as you said but I don’t regret my visit. @dollykittenmarion

So I’m a big fan of Tolkien and this is my second visit. This time I brought the whole family. We went with our own vehicle both times. Yes, it’s a bit expensive, but the guides are enthusiastic and the whole atmosphere is magical. I would say that for big fans, it’s the place to go. @nathjinkoski

it’s worth it if you are hardcore fans of the movie. The road to there is quite far and in there you only see the movie set mostly outside view of the hobbit’s home, that’s about it. @davidthekiller

We took the Intercity ticket that came out and returned from Rotorua because we don’t have a car. Anyway it is a bit expensive, the visit should be more than 2 hours (maybe 3 is fine). There are many people and we had no option for a Spanish guide. So i have to translate everything to my mate. Besides all that, place is very nice to visit. @cynthia.romina

So I visited through an agency and paid for a whole package with Waitomo Caves so I’m not even sure of the individual price for that. It was rather expensive overall I guess though. But that’s normal for NZ? It was a super rainy day so the set wasn’t too busy but there were still quite a few groups.

Overall I enjoyed the experience and it’s worth it if you are into the movies I guess! I am not, I was just dragged along by my friends 🤣 but it’s a lovely place and the guides are very friendly and funny 🤗.

The only thing which I think would be relevant for you to know is that if you wanted to stay a little longer in one specific spot to take photos and walk around the guides would push you to go faster and move on because of the following group. And it wasn’t even a busy day so I guess that could be quite annoying during peak season! @_miss_adler

In my opinion, it is worth to visit because the place is on my bucket list. So, it’s okay if it’s touristy since I enjoy all my time there. I arranged my trip there on my own and took the onsite tour. Tips to go there, I think the first trip (morning) or the last trip would be better. At the time, I took the last trip. @ristri

It cost my and my husband $89 for the full guided tour and complimentary drink at the end, both my kids were free! We absolutely loved it and all the staff was extremely friendly. Cheap in my opinion. @the.wild.diaries

We come from South Island (Timaru) and in my opinion, our trip to Hobbiton was worth it considering the fact that wintertime could welcome us with all sorts of weather from a rainstorm to hail and snow etc. according to our tour guide.

We thought it would rain but miraculously it was sunny during our tour (consider ourselves lucky!) at 2.40 pm which meant that we can view the whole place with much delight (warmer) especially with our little 4-month-old baby. And the photos looked fantastic.

We haven’t seen the movie nor read the book but we really enjoyed the 2-hour guided tour. Best to book early and probably check the weather forecast prior to visiting. Also, bring a front pack rather than a pram if travelling with babies. @sheena_tampus

It was so beautiful! I booked a tour with Auckland Scenic Tours, via the Get Your Guide website. I spent $520 (2 adults) on this tour. The tour includes Hobbiton in the first tour of the day. It is very good to be the first one on-site because there is nobody in pictures and it is very calm and quiet. We had lunch at the Shire Rest, included in the tour.

After, we went to visit Waitomo Caves. It was amazing! Lots of glow-worms, like stars in the sky. Very beautiful!

To conclude, for me, the tour was not too expensive for what we have done and also, the guide was very nice and knowledgeable.

For Hobbiton, I recommend to everyone who wants to visit, to go on the first visit of the day. Maybe the Hobbiton visit alone is very expensive, compared to what we are able to see, but included in this day tour, it was not so. The Hobbiton visit takes two hours, so it’s fast and we cannot focus on details (which are very impressive). This is a bit bad but it is a highly touristic site so it’s normal, visitors cannot think it would be different. @chloe_vahine

Hey, I really liked it there and yes it’s expensive, especially for backpackers but for us it was really worth it as we love the movies and it was so special to see this in real life! @janinasell

In my opinion it is too expensive. We had the cheapest tour, it was around about 75 minutes, then half an hour or something to drink in a bar and 15 minutes in the souvenir shop. But I live in Germany and if I had not done it, I would have been angry afterward. @sunny_liz_

I am a big fan of Lord of the Rings, so visiting Hobbiton was something that I wanted to visit. Would I do it again, probably not? It is a once-off for me. It is definitely worth visiting for die-hard LOTR fans. Is it expensive? I would say yes – but to be able to maintain the place the way it is I don’t mind spending the money.

The tour guides were absolute superstars and knew their stuff. Although I didn’t quite listen to what our guide was saying, as we do the listening and taking pictures at the same time. If you miss out, you MISS out as one can’t go back again. Given my love for photography, I focussed on that 🤪

Tips – We went on the tour early in the day, I think we were on the 2nd or 3rd group – so there were fewer people in our group which meant that we were not interrupting one another’s pictures or were waiting for 20 other people to finish their turn with the pictures in front of those cute little houses. We went in Winter, so can’t really comment what’s it like in Summer. @himanaidu

We loved visiting Hobbiton. No we didn’t think that it was too expensive for the experience that we got. It is a touristy thing to do which attracts people who enjoyed the movie and books. So it attracts a specific crowd. Having said that. My husband is a fan of the books and movies, I haven’t read them and have seen bits and pieces of the movie. Even for me it was enjoyable. It reminded me of Disneyland the ride storybook land ride. @weliketovacation

It’s touristy but if you’re a fan of nature or somehow interested in cinema it worths A LOT! I had an amazing time and it is a good value for money because you get to spend two hours more or less.
We were on the 11 o’clock tour with Sonny, who was very friendly. @carol_tickles

For me, it was totally worth the visit. I love the movies and it seemed like such a unique opportunity to see the place in person. I went with my best friend who’s not really a huge fan of the movies but she really enjoyed it, too. She loved hearing the stories of how it came to be and the insight they were able to offer on the set.

I’m not one for crowds so I made sure to book ahead and get the first tour of the day – it means you’re the first group to depart and can get photos before it’s too overrun with people. I’ve had friends go for the last tour, with the same effect and beautiful twilight photos but I guess it’s all down to personal preference. For us, the cost was somewhat negated by how informative the tour is, how great the guides are, and how well cared for the grounds are. @nancytawalo

A note from Jub: The last two quotes are from Hobbiton employees. They were lovely in their response, and I love the added insight. Both are 100% personal opinions.

I’m actually a senior staff member at Hobbiton, so perhaps my views are going to be biased. Whilst I will not comment on behalf of the company, I can say as a Tolkien fan that I have experienced and/or delivered all of the tour products, and I do think that it is definitely worth paying a visit. Fans of the books and films get to enjoy seeing the realisation of an iconic location with their own eyes (for some it is a life goal), and non-fans who are simply curious to see what the fuss is about are able to appreciate what it took to create such a detailed movie set, and hear the incredible story behind it.

Regarding value for money? Many visitors are not aware of the intense amount of maintenance that the movie set is subject to every day of the year; from constant gardening and landscaping to props-making and work from the art department, plus the hospitality and catering service at The Green Dragon. That’s where it all goes. @bushcraftluke

Thanks, I love my job. Spring and autumn are my favorite seasons to be at Hobbiton, from the perspective of work and as a tourist. You can usually get a nice day weather-wise, and fewer people than in summer. But we’ve had some stellar weather this winter, too! Early morning or late afternoon tours are great because the lighting is really soft and there are generally fewer people on the set. But really, it’s cool no matter what 😁 @Emily.r.beasley

CONCLUSIONS & TIPS FOR VISITING



Well, that was an overwhelmingly positive response across the board!

Sure it might appear to be expensive, but while you’re there, take a moment to think about all the work that goes into keeping the place looking spectacular for every single guest. In a country where four seasons in one day isn’t unheard of.

And the tour might be short, but there’s a balancing act the Hobbiton team needs to make. Imagine if everyone had free reign, the queues for some of the popular photo opportunities would be ridiculous.

A few tips based on what I’ve learned:

• Book in advance for the first or last tour of the day (for the photo opportunities).
• Set your expectations low. Know what you’re getting into!
• You don’t have to have watched the movies or read the books to enjoy the place.

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So, is the Hobbiton Tour worth it?

I think it’s clear if you’ve read this far. Hobbiton is a must-visit New Zealand destination. It would seem that this is a common theme, as it seemed that both Fergburger and Milford Sound was worth visiting too.




Jub
Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.