Condensed Consolidating Financial Information (Balance Sheets) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 312,638	$ 584,581
Investment securities at fair value	134,652	131,569
Accounts receivable - trade, net	36,440	34,246
Intercompany receivables	0	0
Inventories	101,977	90,997
Income taxes receivable, net	0	0
Restricted assets	5,412	4,477
Other current assets	36,242	26,351
Total current assets	627,361	872,221
Property, plant and equipment, net	85,641	86,736
Investments in real estate, net	26,777	26,220
Long-term investments (of which $54,202 and $54,628 were carried at fair value)	66,768	66,259
Investments in real estate ventures	138,393	141,105
Operating lease right of use assets	124,723
Investments in consolidated subsidiaries	0	0
Restricted assets	6,316	6,306
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net	266,065	266,611
Prepaid pension costs	24,179	23,869
Other assets	62,933	60,177
Total assets	1,429,156	1,549,504
Current liabilities:
Current portion of notes payable and long-term debt	41,080	256,134
Current portion of fair value of derivatives embedded within convertible debt	0	6,635
Current portion of employee benefits	875	875
Intercompany payables	0	0
Income taxes payable, net	9,701	5,252
Litigation accruals and current payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	77,213	36,871
Current operating lease liability	20,414
Other current liabilities	153,334	179,153
Total current liabilities	302,617	484,920
Notes payable, long-term debt and other obligations, less current portion	1,387,945	1,386,697
Fair value of derivatives embedded within convertible debt	21,075	24,789
Non-current employee benefits	61,684	61,288
Deferred income taxes, net	39,823	37,411
Non-current operating lease liability	128,999
Other liabilities, primarily litigation accruals and payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	77,114	101,765
Total liabilities	2,019,257	2,096,870
Commitments and contingencies
Total Vector Group Ltd. stockholders' deficiency	(590,589)	(548,059)
Non-controlling interest	488	693
Total stockholders' deficiency	(590,101)	(547,366)	$ (394,219)	$ (331,760)
Total liabilities and stockholders' deficiency	1,429,156	1,549,504
Consolidating Adjustments
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Investment securities at fair value	0	0
Accounts receivable - trade, net	0	0
Intercompany receivables	(39,561)	(38,391)
Inventories	0	0
Income taxes receivable, net	(5,036)	(1,268)
Restricted assets	0	0
Other current assets	0	0
Total current assets	(44,597)	(39,659)
Property, plant and equipment, net	0	0
Investments in real estate, net	0	0
Long-term investments (of which $54,202 and $54,628 were carried at fair value)	0	0
Investments in real estate ventures	0	0
Operating lease right of use assets	0
Investments in consolidated subsidiaries	(643,155)	(683,401)
Restricted assets	0	0
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net	0	0
Prepaid pension costs	0	0
Other assets	0	0
Total assets	(687,752)	(723,060)
Current liabilities:
Current portion of notes payable and long-term debt	(2,500)	0
Current portion of fair value of derivatives embedded within convertible debt		0
Current portion of employee benefits	0	0
Intercompany payables	(39,561)	(38,391)
Income taxes payable, net	(5,036)	(1,268)
Litigation accruals and current payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	0	0
Current operating lease liability	0
Other current liabilities	(224)	0
Total current liabilities	(47,321)	(39,659)
Notes payable, long-term debt and other obligations, less current portion	(27,500)	0
Fair value of derivatives embedded within convertible debt	0	0
Non-current employee benefits	0	0
Deferred income taxes, net	0	0
Non-current operating lease liability	0
Other liabilities, primarily litigation accruals and payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	0	0
Total liabilities	(74,821)	(39,659)
Commitments and contingencies
Total Vector Group Ltd. stockholders' deficiency	(612,931)	(683,401)
Non-controlling interest	0	0
Total stockholders' deficiency	(612,931)	(683,401)
Total liabilities and stockholders' deficiency	(687,752)	(723,060)
Parent/Issuer | Reportable Legal Entities
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	203,828	474,880
Investment securities at fair value	134,652	131,569
Accounts receivable - trade, net	0	0
Intercompany receivables	39,561	38,391
Inventories	0	0
Income taxes receivable, net	0	0
Restricted assets	0	0
Other current assets	4,923	1,500
Total current assets	382,964	646,340
Property, plant and equipment, net	453	506
Investments in real estate, net	0	0
Long-term investments (of which $54,202 and $54,628 were carried at fair value)	66,768	66,259
Investments in real estate ventures	0	0
Operating lease right of use assets	7,882
Investments in consolidated subsidiaries	412,964	431,288
Restricted assets	1,502	1,495
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net	0	0
Prepaid pension costs	0	0
Other assets	13,083	13,121
Total assets	885,616	1,159,009
Current liabilities:
Current portion of notes payable and long-term debt	0	226,343
Current portion of fair value of derivatives embedded within convertible debt		6,635
Current portion of employee benefits	0	0
Intercompany payables	0	0
Income taxes payable, net	11,524	5,257
Litigation accruals and current payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	0	0
Current operating lease liability	991
Other current liabilities	39,649	55,915
Total current liabilities	52,164	294,150
Notes payable, long-term debt and other obligations, less current portion	1,360,242	1,354,219
Fair value of derivatives embedded within convertible debt	21,075	24,789
Non-current employee benefits	46,118	45,615
Deferred income taxes, net	(11,596)	(13,084)
Non-current operating lease liability	7,808
Other liabilities, primarily litigation accruals and payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	394	1,379
Total liabilities	1,476,205	1,707,068
Commitments and contingencies
Total Vector Group Ltd. stockholders' deficiency	(590,589)	(548,059)
Non-controlling interest	0	0
Total stockholders' deficiency	(590,589)	(548,059)
Total liabilities and stockholders' deficiency	885,616	1,159,009
Subsidiary Guarantors | Reportable Legal Entities
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	47,903	23,308
Investment securities at fair value	0	0
Accounts receivable - trade, net	15,034	15,440
Intercompany receivables	0	0
Inventories	101,977	90,997
Income taxes receivable, net	0	0
Restricted assets	1,124	1,124
Other current assets	7,400	6,475
Total current assets	173,438	137,344
Property, plant and equipment, net	37,695	38,562
Investments in real estate, net	0	0
Long-term investments (of which $54,202 and $54,628 were carried at fair value)	0	0
Investments in real estate ventures	0	0
Operating lease right of use assets	5,684
Investments in consolidated subsidiaries	230,191	252,113
Restricted assets	904	901
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net	107,511	107,511
Prepaid pension costs	24,179	23,869
Other assets	13,624	13,384
Total assets	593,226	573,684
Current liabilities:
Current portion of notes payable and long-term debt	40,798	29,480
Current portion of fair value of derivatives embedded within convertible debt		0
Current portion of employee benefits	875	875
Intercompany payables	84	479
Income taxes payable, net	3,213	1,263
Litigation accruals and current payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	77,213	36,871
Current operating lease liability	1,817
Other current liabilities	58,995	72,094
Total current liabilities	182,995	141,062
Notes payable, long-term debt and other obligations, less current portion	27,639	2,349
Fair value of derivatives embedded within convertible debt	0	0
Non-current employee benefits	15,566	15,673
Deferred income taxes, net	18,307	17,732
Non-current operating lease liability	4,346
Other liabilities, primarily litigation accruals and payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	35,413	38,179
Total liabilities	284,266	214,995
Commitments and contingencies
Total Vector Group Ltd. stockholders' deficiency	308,960	358,689
Non-controlling interest	0	0
Total stockholders' deficiency	308,960	358,689
Total liabilities and stockholders' deficiency	593,226	573,684
Subsidiary Non-Guarantors | Reportable Legal Entities
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	60,907	86,393
Investment securities at fair value	0	0
Accounts receivable - trade, net	21,406	18,806
Intercompany receivables	0	0
Inventories	0	0
Income taxes receivable, net	5,036	1,268
Restricted assets	4,288	3,353
Other current assets	23,919	18,376
Total current assets	115,556	128,196
Property, plant and equipment, net	47,493	47,668
Investments in real estate, net	26,777	26,220
Long-term investments (of which $54,202 and $54,628 were carried at fair value)	0	0
Investments in real estate ventures	138,393	141,105
Operating lease right of use assets	111,157
Investments in consolidated subsidiaries	0	0
Restricted assets	3,910	3,910
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net	158,554	159,100
Prepaid pension costs	0	0
Other assets	36,226	33,672
Total assets	638,066	539,871
Current liabilities:
Current portion of notes payable and long-term debt	2,782	311
Current portion of fair value of derivatives embedded within convertible debt		0
Current portion of employee benefits	0	0
Intercompany payables	39,477	37,912
Income taxes payable, net	0	0
Litigation accruals and current payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	0	0
Current operating lease liability	17,606
Other current liabilities	54,914	51,144
Total current liabilities	114,779	89,367
Notes payable, long-term debt and other obligations, less current portion	27,564	30,129
Fair value of derivatives embedded within convertible debt	0	0
Non-current employee benefits	0	0
Deferred income taxes, net	33,112	32,763
Non-current operating lease liability	116,845
Other liabilities, primarily litigation accruals and payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	41,307	62,207
Total liabilities	333,607	214,466
Commitments and contingencies
Total Vector Group Ltd. stockholders' deficiency	303,971	324,712
Non-controlling interest	488	693
Total stockholders' deficiency	304,459	325,405
Total liabilities and stockholders' deficiency	$ 638,066	$ 539,871