Stock Option and Incentive Plan Stock and Units (Narrative) (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2023 USD ($) days $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2022 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2021 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Feb. 07, 2023 USD ($)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares issued | shares	157,019,766	156,836,767
Stock based compensation expense | $	$ 50,200	$ 50,700	$ 49,700
Common Stock, Value, Issued | $	$ 1,569	$ 1,568
Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares issued | shares	73,762	41,818	57,383
LTIP Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Value Of LTIP Units Issued | $	$ 29,900	$ 28,900	$ 23,800
Weighted average price (per unit) | $ / shares	$ 69.29	$ 103.06	$ 84.43
Expected life assumed to calculate per unit fair value per LTIP unit (in years)	5 years 8 months 12 days	5 years 8 months 12 days	5 years 8 months 12 days
Risk-free rate	3.67%	1.71%	0.65%
Expected price volatility	32.00%	31.00%	30.00%
Employee Stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares issued | shares	18,552	9,813	9,846
Weighted Average Price of Shares Purchased | $ / shares	$ 51.93	$ 87.30	$ 89.73
Number of Business Days, Average Closing Price | days	10
MYLTIP 2023
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Value of MYLTIP Awards | $				$ 13,100
Boston Properties Limited Partnership | LTIP Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares issued | shares	430,824	280,616	281,640
Boston Properties Limited Partnership | MYLTIP 2023
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares issued | shares	322,053
Boston Properties Limited Partnership | MYLTIP 2022
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares issued | shares		254,061
Boston Properties Limited Partnership | MYLTIP 2021
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares issued | shares			352,021
Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Employee and director payment per share (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 0.01
Common Stock, Value, Issued | $	$ 5,400	$ 4,700	$ 5,800
Common Stock Weighted Average Price (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 72.57	$ 111.47	$ 100.60
LTIP and MYLTIP Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Employee and director payment per share (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 0.25
Ltips (including vested MYLTIPS) And Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation expenses | $	$ 20,700
Unvested MYLTIP Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation expenses | $	$ 300
Weighted-average period (years)	2 years 6 months