Vornado Capital Partners Real Estate Fund (the "Fund") (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012 Investments	Dec. 31, 2011 Investments	Dec. 31, 2010	Feb. 28, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012 Operating Income [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Operating Income [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Operating Income [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Realized Gain [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Realized Gain [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Realized Gain [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Unrealized Gain From Mark To Market [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Unrealized Gain From Mark To Market [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Unrealized Gain From Mark To Market [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Real Estate Funds [Member] Y	Dec. 31, 2011 Real Estate Funds [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Real Estate Funds [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Vornado Realty Trust [Member]	Feb. 28, 2011 Vornado Realty Trust [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 NY 501 Broadway [Member] Retail Units [Member] Real Estate Funds [Member]	Aug. 20, 2012 NY 501 Broadway [Member] Retail Units [Member] Real Estate Funds [Member] sqft	Nov. 30, 2012 CA Culver City 800 Corporate Pointe [Member] Office Building [Member] Real Estate Funds [Member] sqft	Dec. 31, 2012 FL Miami Beach Lincoln Road 1100 [Member] Retail Units [Member] Real Estate Funds [Member]	Jul. 02, 2012 FL Miami Beach Lincoln Road 1100 [Member] Retail Units [Member] Real Estate Funds [Member] sqft	Dec. 31, 2012 CA 520 Broadway [Member] Office Building [Member] Real Estate Funds [Member]	Apr. 26, 2012 CA 520 Broadway [Member] Office Building [Member] Real Estate Funds [Member] sqft
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Capital Commitments For Real Estate Fund				$ 800,000,000														$ 200,000,000
Term of the Fund, years														8
Investment period for commitments of the Fund, years														3
Number Of Investments Held By The Fund	9	5
Unfunded Commitments Of Fund														217,676,000			54,419,000
Real Estate Fund Nondepreciable Real Estate	600,786,000	346,650,000
Real Estate Fund Investment Details [Abstract]
Square Footage Of Real Estate Property																				9,000	243,000		167,000		112,000
Business Acquisition Cost Of Acquired Entity Purchase Price																				31,000,000	95,700,000		132,000,000		61,000,000
Business Acquisition Cost Of Acquired Entity Cash Paid																				11,000,000			66,000,000
Business Acquisition Cost Of Acquired Entity Liabilities Incurred																				20,000,000			66,000,000
Notes And Loans Payable	8,768,182,000	8,072,880,000																							30,000,000
Spread Over LIBOR																			2.75%			2.75%		2.25%
LIBOR Floor																			3.50%
Details Of Income From Real Estate Funds [Abstract]
Income from Real Estate Fund	63,936,000	22,886,000	(303,000)		8,575,000	5,500,000	(303,000)	0	5,391,000	0	55,361,000	11,995,000	0
Consolidated subsidiaries	(32,018,000)	(21,786,000)	(4,920,000)											39,332,000	13,598,000	(806,000)
Income From Real Estate Fund Attributable To Parent Company	24,604,000	9,288,000	503,000
Fee And Other Income	$ 144,549,000	$ 149,749,000	$ 146,955,000											$ 2,780,000	$ 2,695,000	$ 248,000