Net Income Per Share (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013		Sep. 30, 2012		Sep. 30, 2013		Sep. 30, 2012
Numerator [Abstract]
Net income attributable to PartnerRe Ltd.	$ 333,423		$ 486,706		$ 392,221		$ 1,022,994
Dividends on preferred shares	(14,184)		(15,405)		(43,678)		(46,216)
Loss on redemption of preferred shares	0		0		9,135		0
Net income available to PartnerRe Ltd. common shareholders	$ 319,239		$ 471,301		$ 339,408		$ 976,778
Denominator [Abstract]
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding	53,671,245		61,837,328		56,176,260		63,679,114
Share options and other	953,906	[1]	769,433	[1]	1,041,301	[1]	605,011	[1]
Weighted average number of common shares and common share equivalents outstanding	54,625,151		62,606,761		57,217,561		64,284,125
Basic net income	$ 5.95		$ 7.62		$ 6.04		$ 15.34
Diluted net income	$ 5.84		$ 7.53		$ 5.93		$ 15.19
Share options excluded from computation of weighted average number of common share and common share equivalents outstanding					140,500		1,233,300

[1] At September 30, 2013 and 2012, share based awards to purchase 140.5 thousand and 1,233.3 thousand common shares, respectively, were excluded from the calculation of diluted weighted average number of common shares and common share equivalents outstanding because their exercise prices were greater than the average market price of the common shares.