Vornado Capital Partners Real Estate Fund (the "Fund") (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended				3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended			0 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012 Vornado Realty Trust Excluding Real Estate Fund [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Real Estate Fund [Member] Investments	Sep. 30, 2011 Real Estate Fund [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Real Estate Fund [Member] Investments	Sep. 30, 2011 Real Estate Fund [Member]	Feb. 28, 2011 Real Estate Fund [Member]	Apr. 26, 2012 Real Estate Fund [Member] Broadway 520 [Member] Office Building [Member] Extensions sqft	Jul. 02, 2012 Real Estate Fund [Member] Lincoln Road 1100 [Member] Retail Units [Member] Extensions sqft	Aug. 20, 2012 Real Estate Fund [Member] NY 501 Broadway [Member] Retail Units [Member] sqft Extensions	Sep. 30, 2012 Real Estate Fund [Member] Operating Income [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Real Estate Fund [Member] Operating Income [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Real Estate Fund [Member] Operating Income [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Real Estate Fund [Member] Operating Income [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Real Estate Fund [Member] Realized Gain [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Real Estate Fund [Member] Realized Gain [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Real Estate Fund [Member] Realized Gain [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Real Estate Fund [Member] Realized Gain [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Real Estate Fund [Member] Unrealized Gain From Mark To Market [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Real Estate Fund [Member] Unrealized Gain From Mark To Market [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Real Estate Fund [Member] Unrealized Gain From Mark To Market [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Real Estate Fund [Member] Unrealized Gain From Mark To Market [Member]	Feb. 28, 2011 Vornado Realty Trust [Member]
Capital Commitments For Real Estate Fund											$ 800,000,000																$ 200,000,000
Term of the Fund, years							8 years		8 years
Number Of Investments Made By Fund							8		8
Investment period for commitments of the Fund, years							3 years		3 years
Real Estate Fund Nondepreciable Real Estate	482,442,000		482,442,000		346,650,000		482,442,000		482,442,000
Unrealized Gain Loss On Real Estate Fund Investments	45,818,000		45,818,000				45,818,000		45,818,000
Unfunded Commitments Of Fund						78,592,750	314,371,000		314,371,000
Real Estate Fund Investments Detail [Abstract]
Square Footage Of Real Estate Property												112,000	167,000	9,000
Business Acquisition Cost Of Acquired Entity Purchase Price												59,650,000	132,000,000	31,000,000
Business Acquisition Cost Of Acquired Entity Cash Paid													66,000,000	11,000,000
Business Acquisition Cost Of Acquired Entity Liabilities Incurred													66,000,000	20,000,000
Notes And Loans Payable	7,852,657,000		7,852,657,000		8,065,576,000							30,000,000
Debt Term												3 years	3 years	3 years
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate												2.25%	2.75%	2.75%
Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis												LIBOR	LIBOR	LIBOR
Number Of Extensions Available												2	2	2
LIBOR Floor														3.50%
Details of Income From Vornado Capital Partners Real Estate Fund [Abstract]
Income from Real Estate Fund	5,509,000	5,353,000	37,572,000	25,491,000											(49,000)	(286,000)	4,035,000	3,197,000	0	0	0	3,085,000	5,558,000	5,639,000	33,537,000	19,209,000
Less net income attributable to noncontrolling interests in: Consolidated subsidiaries	(6,610,000)	(5,636,000)	(30,928,000)	(20,643,000)			(4,787,000)	(3,675,000)	(25,026,000)	(15,703,000)
Income From Real Estate Fund Attributable To Parent Company							722,000	1,678,000	12,546,000	9,788,000
Fee and Other Income							$ 681,000	$ 638,000	$ 2,025,000	$ 1,803,000