If you’ve ever wanted to literally step into the enchanting universe of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved masterpieces, “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings”, this is your chance.
Tucked right into the picturesque countryside of New Zealand’s North Island, this iconic film location is one of the most beautiful immersive experiences out there!
With these top Hobbiton movie set tours, you’ll be transported right into the midst of it all with behind-the-scenes looks at the magic.
Each one includes an expert guide to share all kinds of anecdotes and insider trivia while you wander the Hobbiton pathways. Let’s jump right in!
Best Hobbiton Movie Set Tours
| Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Glowworm Caves Guided Day Trip from Auckland | Hobbiton™ Movie Set Walking Tour from Shires Rest | Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Small Group Tour from Auckland | |
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| Location: | Hotel pickup and drop-off included | Hobbiton Movie Set, 501 Buckland Road Matamata, Hinuera | 72 Victoria Street West, Auckland or hotel pickup |
| Start: | 6:30 AM | 8:40, 9:40 or 10:40 AM | 6:00 AM |
| Duration: | 11 hours | 2.5 hours | 12 hours |
| Includes: | Small-group tour (11-16), Light Kiwi café-style lunch, Local driver/guide | Driver/guide, professional guide, shuttle services n the grounds, alcoholic beverages | Small Group and Fully Guided Tour, Bottled water, Snacks, Entry Tickets |
Quick Answer: The 5 Best Rated Hobbiton Movie Set Tours For 2024
- Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Glowworm Caves Guided Day Trip from Auckland
- Hobbiton™ Movie Set Walking Tour from Shires Rest
- Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Small Group Tour from Auckland
- Hobbiton Movie Set Day Tour From Auckland
- Waitomo & Hobbiton Guided Tour Departing Auckland
Hobbiton Movie Set Tour Reviews
1. Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Glowworm Caves Guided Day Trip from Auckland
- Duration: 11 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup and drop-off included
- Departure Time: 6:30 AM
- Includes: Small-group tour (11-16), Light Kiwi café-style lunch, Local driver/guide
If you have the entire day free, I can’t recommend this first tour enough if you’re looking to see some of the most breathtaking scenery along with the Hobbiton movie set!
The Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Glowworm Caves Guided Day Trip from Auckland is a small group experience limited to just 14 people so a personalized experience is guaranteed.
With professional guides who are attentive, knowledgeable, and entertaining, you’ll be able to benefit from insider info and be able to share all kinds of fun facts with your friends next time you sit down for a movie marathon!
This tour starts off early in the morning to take full advantage of the day, with a convenient hotel pickup so you don’t have to worry about arriving to any meeting places on time.
Our guide was also our driver, who did a great job at maneuvering safely while telling us all kinds of cool stories about the surrounding area and films. The Bombay Hills and Hauraki Plains were gorgeous, and the beautiful scenery seemed to make the trip out to “the Shire” quite fast!
Once we arrived to the Shire, we took a guided tour of the movie set, where they pointed out all kinds of notable scenes from LOTR and The Hobbit films, learning how they created Middle-earth.
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The Hobbit Holes, the Mill, and the Green Dragon Inn were so cool to see (and so much fun enjoying a drink at the latter!). We then relaxed and enjoyed a delicious Kiwi-style lunch with the rest of our small group before heading underground to the renowned Waitomo Glowworm Caves.
The caves really feel like you’ve entered another planet, with an eerie blue glow illuminating the path as we glided through the cave by boat while learning about the geology and cultural history from a guide.
We then got out and were able to venture around Cathedral Cave, which had fascinating acoustic qualities and was a great opportunity to take photos.
Combine all that sightseeing with great stories from our guides, and it was a super memorable experience that I’d love to do again!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
2.Hobbiton™ Movie Set Walking Tour from Shires Rest
- Duration: 2.5 hours
- Departure: Hobbiton Movie Set, 501 Buckland Road Matamata, Hinuera
- Departure Time: 8:40, 9:40 or 10:40 AM
- Includes: Driver/guide, professional guide, shuttle services n the grounds, alcoholic beverages
The Waikato region of New Zealand is known for both its overground and underground natural wonders, but did you know that in its very center is where Middle-earth comes to life?
The Shire always seemed like such a cozy, charming place, and I had no idea you could actually visit it on a tour like this one! The Hobbiton Movie Set Walking Tour from Shires Rest is just the ticket, taking you right into the lush pastures that we all know and fell in love with through the screen!
This is undoubtedly the best tour to take if you don’t have much time and need to cram a tour into your busy schedule!
Clocking in at around 2 hours and 30 minutes, it was shocking to me just how much we were able to see and learn in this brief excursion! To further help save some time, instead of offering hotel pickup and drop-off, everyone is in charge of arriving at the meeting point beforehand.
Due to the shorter tour time along with the captivating personalities and stories told by the guides, I’d highly recommend this one for the entire family.
The kids on our tour seemed to have just as much fun as us, and with the contagious enthusiasm within our group it was easy to see why.
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Upon arrival to the massive 12-acre movie set, we received a briefing and our guide took us through Hobbit Holes, the Mill, and the infamous Green Dragon Inn!
At the Green Dragon Inn, we were given an included Hobbit Southfarthing drink which was a great way to compliment the already-amazing tour.
If all you want to do is go to the legendary movie set and see the different locations, this is the tour for you. It’s concise and to the point, but it definitely doesn’t go easy on fun, excitement, and learning opportunities!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
3. Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Small Group Tour from Auckland
- Duration: 12 hours
- Departure: 72 Victoria Street West, Auckland CBD, Auckland or hotel pickup and drop-off
- Departure Time: 6:00 AM
- Includes: Small Group and Fully Guided Tour, Bottled water, Snacks, Entry Tickets
If you’d like to knock two of the most popular attractions in New Zealand off your list in one go, do I have an adventure for you!
The Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Small Group Tour from Auckland is a recipe for an unforgettable journey that seamlessly melds both manmade and natural beauty.
From lush farmland to hidden underground caverns, this may be an all-day tour but there’s not even a moment to think about being bored.
For this tour, you’ll have the option of either utilizing the meetup point or opting for your guide to pick you and your party up from your hotel. I always prefer the latter – especially in New Zealand, as the weather can be quite fickle and can change rapidly depending on the environment.
Once we were picked up, we headed straight into the picturesque countryside, catching glimpses of rural life and incredible natural scenery along the route.
Once we arrived to the Hobbiton movie set, it really felt like the movies were being brought to life before our very eyes with the attention to detail and knowledgeable guides.
We learned all kinds of interesting behind-the-scenes stories and insights into the making of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film trilogies.
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Our small group size made it easy to ask our guides questions and interact more with them, further enriching the experience.
After Hobbiton, the adventure doesn’t stop as we continued on to the Waitomo Caves, known around the world for their incredible limestone formations and bioluminescent glowworms.
We hopped on a guided boat tour through the labyrinthine caves, which felt like some sort of Disney ride come to life with the blue illumination and eerie silence.
It sure is a lot of learning and sightseeing, but if you’re on the hunt for a unique and thrilling time, this is one of the best out there.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
4. Hobbiton Movie Set Day Tour From Auckland
- Duration: 8 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup and drop-off included
- Departure Time: 6:00 AM
- Includes: All taxes, fees and handling charges, Professional driver/guide, Transport by air-conditioned minivan, WiFi on board, GST (Goods and Services Tax)
Despite this tour lasting 8 hours, I felt like thanks to the fun, the different scenery, and professional guides, this tour just flew by!
The Hobbiton Movie Set Day Tour from Auckland is perfect if you don’t want to go on one of the longer tours on this guide, but still want to explore a bit more than what the shortest ones offer.
This 8-hour tour is a real treat for any fan of the LOTR or The Hobbit trilogies – and really anyone who’d like to learn more about New Zealand’s natural scenery!
I loved that the hotel pickup and drop-off was included, as I wanted to bring along some more comfortable walking shoes and warmer clothing. I was able to do so much easier, as I could just leave everything on the bus without worrying about something happening to it.
Our driver was super professional and did a great job telling us cool facts and funny anecdotes as we cruised along in our comfortable, air-conditioned minivan with wi-fi on board.
As our van approached the charming farmland, they turned on videos and music from the movies, which really did feel like such a magical moment.
This tour really stood out to me in particular, due to the evident attention to detail each staff member placed on ensuring we had a memorable time.
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When we hopped off the van, we got to take a look around the Hobbiton Gift Shop or grab some food at the Shire’s Rest Cafe (their coffee is also splendid) before starting our guided tour of the Hobbiton film set.
As we ventured through the set, we strolled around the village while listening to the exciting behind the scenes stories, on-set mishaps, and so much more.
Aside from seeing the Mill, Double-Arched Bridge, and Hobbit Holes, we even got to check out the newly-furnished rooms, which was a pleasant surprise! There was no better way to follow all that up than with a delicious drink at the Green Dragon Inn!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
5. Waitomo & Hobbiton Guided Tour Departing Auckland
- Duration: 12 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup and drop-off included
- Departure Time: 7:45 AM
- Includes: Transport by luxury coach, lunch, Air-conditioned vehicle
Last, but certainly not least, is the Waitomo & Hobbiton Guided Tour departing Auckland, which is one of the longest of any on this guide. It’s also one of the most convenient, with seemingly everything you can ever think of included in this package.
If you’re looking for one of the most “complete” Hobbiton and New Zealand wilderness adventures, look no further than right here!
The tour starts off early in the morning with a complimentary hotel pickup with a luxury coach complete with wi-fi, big windows for prime viewing, and lots of leg room.
As we drove along the winding roads and watched the beautiful scenery pass by, our guide regaled us with some fun anecdotes, interesting stories about the local landscapes, history, and much more.
I was already super excited, but it went through the roof when I finally saw we were pulling up to the movie set!
The lush, rural farmland is breathtaking, and I can absolutely see why the directors and producers decided on this hidden place near the town of Matamata.
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It was incredible just how much detail was put into each film location, and the guided tour offered even more insight into everything required to pull it off. We got to see Hobbit Holes, the Mill, and the Green Dragon Inn, taking photos at each!
After that, we hopped back on the coach for a short ride over to the famous Waitomo Glowworm Caves, where we went on a 45-minute guided tour through the amazing underground cave system!
We learned all about stalactites and stalagmites (and the differences between the two) along with the bioluminescent glowworms, and so much more! While I was definitely tired by the time I got back to my hotel, it was more than worth it!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
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The Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Glowworm Caves Guided Day Trip from Auckland is our Editors Choice for the best Hobbiton Movie Set tour
