Accessibility

Hobbiton Movie Set is only accessible via a guided tour experience.
A 2.5 tour of Hobbiton Movie Set comprises of:
- A short bus ride from your departure location to the Movie Set
- A 1 hour 30 minute guided walking tour including approximately 15 minutes inside Bagshot Row our interior Hobbit Hole
-A ~20 minute visit to The Green Dragon Inn including a complimentary beverage
- At the end of your experience, you will make your way with your guide back to the bus and take another short bus ride back to your departure location.

These times are approximate only and may differ for your tour experience.

Tours that include a meal (like the Evening Banquet Tour, Second Breakfast Tour and Tour and Lunch combo) begin with a guided tour as detailed above as well as additional time for dining.

All experiences except our Private Tour are a shared group service, meaning you will be joining a larger group of other visitors while on tour with us. For our Hobbiton Movie Set Tour and Tour + Lunch Combo experiences, the maximum group size is 41. For our Evening Banquet Tour the maximum group size is 48. For our Second Breakfast Tour the maximum group size is 28.

The paths on the movie set are mostly compacted dirt/clay tracks with uneven cobblestone areas throughout. There is a hill up to Bag End which is a steep incline and includes around 10 steps. If you get to this part of the tour and don’t think you are able make your way up this incline to Bag End, please talk to your tour guide. Your tour guide will be able to offer alternative view points where you can see Bag End from afar, you will not be able to visit the gate at Bag End.

During the walking tour there are a few spots with bench seats where you can rest if needed.

The total distance covered for the full walking tour route is around 2kms. If you are unsure or unable to do the walking tour, please find additional options below.

As the Movie Set was not originally constructed to become a tourism attraction, there are some limitations we face with accessibility on the Movie Set.

We offer a 2 and a half hour guided walking tour, with the actual walking distance around 2km. You will be on your feet for just under two hours in total. If you are able to walk this distance including the steep incline detailed above without assistance at a leisurely pace and can stand unaided when boarding and disembarking our bus, you should be able to complete our standard walking tour experience. 

If you have a walking frame, you are welcome to bring this on tour with you as long as it is collapsible and can be stored in the undercarriage of our bus when transporting to and from the Movie Set. Please note if you choose to bring a walking frame with you on tour, you will need to carry it with you for the duration of the tour including through our interior Hobbit Hole. Please see details of what to expect from the paths and terrain of the Movie Set above. 

For visitors not able to complete the walking tour, we do offer a Mobility Restriction Golf Cart option. This includes the use of a Golf Cart where you take an altered route around the Movie Set with the assistance of an additional Hobbiton Movie Set staff member who will drive the golf cart. Please note, our Mobility Restriction Golf Carts can seat two passengers only, with a combined maximum weight of 200kgs. Our Golf Carts are available on a needs and availability basis. In order to use one of our Golf Carts, guests must be able to transfer independently onto the Golf Cart and sit un-supported.

We are only able to offer one Mobility Restriction Golf Cart within an hour period due to the alternate path that the Golf Cart needs to take.

If we have multiple requests for a Mobility Restriction Golf Cart for the same tour departure time, guests may be asked to share this service with another party, please note that our Golf Carts can only seat a maximum of two customers with a combined maximum weight of 200kgs and we can only book one Golf Cart within an hour period due to the alternate path that the Golf Cart needs to take.

Golf Carts must be pre-arranged at least 72 hours in advance and are subject to availability due to the additional staffing requirements. If you request a Golf Cart within 72 hours of your preferred travel date we cannot guarantee one will be available for your tour. Weight restrictions also apply as stated above. Please only request a Mobility Restriction Golf Cart if you require it and include as much detail in your request as possible.

Please note if you miss your confirmed tour departure time we may be unable to reschedule your tour with the golf cart addition due to other bookings.

To request a Golf Cart please get in touch.

For Wheelchair users, please see below. 

If our Mobility Restriction Golf Cart is not suitable for your needs, we can look at offering an alternative tour route for wheelchair users and offer a price reduction where appropriate. If you are visiting using a wheelchair, please contact us at least 72 hours before your preferred travel date, so that our reservations team can assist prior to your booking.

Please see above for a detailed description of the paths and terrain around the Movie Set. The route that most wheelchairs can access is limited to some lower levels of the Movie Set. Your tour guide will be able to offer alternative view points where possible, where you can see Bag End from afar, though you will not be able to visit the gate at Bag End. Due to health and safety concerns, it is not advised that wheelchairs attempt the incline to Bag End.

Manual wheelchairs must be collapsible so they can be stored in the undercarriage of our bus when transporting to and from the Movie Set. If your manual chair is not collapsible, or you are using an electric wheelchair, these can not be transported by our buses to and from the Movie Set. In this case, you are welcome to follow the bus to the tour entry using your own accessible vehicle. Where possible it is recommended that visitors use a wheelchair with large wheels that are able to travel over uneven surfaces including cobblestoned areas. See below for additional information. Please ensure you have a person in your party who is able to assist with your manual chair where needed - if this person is a carer, they are also eligible for a discounted rate.

If you are using a wheelchair for your tour, you will depart at the same times as our regular scheduled tour times, so any family and/or friends in your group can choose to do the wheelchair alternative route, or join the wider walking tour then meet at the interior of the Bagshot Row Hobbit Holes and then at The Green Dragon. The Movie Set terrain can be difficult to manoeuvre some chairs around due to the landscape and pathways. Please see above for a detailed description of the paths and terrain.

See more information about wheelchair accessibility in Our Venues below.

If you will be using a wheelchair for your tour, please contact us at least 72 hours before your preferred travel date.

Our Interior Hobbit Holes on Bagshot Row are wheelchair friendly and accessible for most wheelchairs. Please note that the entry gates to enter Bagshot Row are 850mm wide.

The doors inside the interior Hobbit Holes are wider than 850mm wide however there are some narrow and confined areas that have limited wheelchair access.  In these areas, wheelchairs may be more difficult to manoeuvre. 

For customers using a mobility scooter, there are wheelchairs at Bagshot Row that can be used to access the interior Hobbit Holes, please note that the wheelchairs have a weight restriction of 110kgs. If you will be using a mobility scooter we highly recommend contacting our team in advance so we can ensure that the wheelchair is available for your preferred tour time.

The Shire’s Rest is our tour departure base and home to our Ticketing Centre, Gift Shop and Café and is a converted woolshed. The Ticketing Centre and Gift Shop are on ground level and are fully accessible with ramps and double doors.

The Shire’s Rest Café is located on the first floor of the building and is accessible by stairs or a stairlift. We do have seating on ground level where we can serve you for a meal if you prefer. We have printed menus available that we can provide.

Please see accessibility information about our Interior Hobbit Hole Bagshot Row above.

The Green Dragon Inn is accessible and features wide door frames.

The top level of The Millhouse is fully accessible however the bathrooms are located on a lower level and are only accessible via a pathway outside.

There are unisex accessible bathroom facilities at The Shire’s Rest, at the beginning of the tour on the Movie Set and at The Green Dragon Inn. Please note that there are no bathroom facilities at Bagshot Row, our interior Hobbit Hole.

Our tour experiences begin and end with a short 10 minute bus ride from The Shire’s Rest down to the movie set. We do not currently have any Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles in our fleet. All our buses have one stairwell at the front of the bus with a few steps. If you are not able to board or disembark our vehicles unassisted, or require a wheelchair that is not collapsible, you are welcome to use your own vehicle to follow your tour to and from the Movie Set. Please notify our team if this is required. 

Carers travelling with guests requiring assistance are eligible for a discounted rate. Please contact our team for rates and to make a booking.

Certified service dogs are welcome to join our tours under the following conditions:

• The dog must be on a leash at all times and wear an identification tag with the owner's name, address and telephone number
• If asked, you must be able to provide proof that the dog is a certified service dog from an organisation recognised by the NZ Dog Control Act.

We provide a printed English souvenir map for all visitors. We have a companion app STQRY that has key written information in 16 different languages. You can find more information here.

If you have visual or hearing impairment, you are eligible for a discounted rate for our tours. Please contact our team to make a booking.

We offer a discounted rate for guests with intellectual disabilities. Please contact our team to make a booking.

Kimberly who runs the Grab Your Wheels and Go blog visited us for a tour with her family. You can read her blog about her experience here.