Condensed Consolidating Financial Information (Balance Sheets) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 396,060	$ 393,530	$ 445,874	$ 240,368
Investment securities available for sale	154,645	156,903
Accounts receivable - trade, net	18,055	18,801
Intercompany receivables	0	0
Inventories	84,587	89,834
Income taxes receivable, net	0	16,110
Restricted assets	11,518	7,330
Other current assets	35,067	22,955
Total current assets	699,932	705,463
Property, plant and equipment, net	83,594	80,448
Investments in real estate, net	23,742	23,640
Long-term investments	74,476	53,197
Investments in real estate ventures	210,089	221,258
Investments in consolidated subsidiaries	0	0
Restricted assets	3,483	3,986
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net	268,179	261,918
Prepaid pension costs	23,186	22,273
Other assets	23,223	31,852
Total assets	1,409,904	1,404,035
Current liabilities:
Current portion of notes payable and long-term debt	8,432	39,508
Current portion of employee benefits	937	937
Intercompany payables	0	0
Income taxes payable, net	12,163	0
Litigation accruals and current payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	118,834	19,851
Other current liabilities	127,836	135,852
Total current liabilities	268,202	196,148
Notes payable, long-term debt and other obligations, less current portion	1,175,910	1,132,943
Fair value of derivatives embedded within convertible debt	86,190	112,332
Non-current employee benefits	59,600	58,958
Deferred income taxes, net	71,783	93,085
Other liabilities, primarily litigation accruals and payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	66,393	63,841
Total liabilities	1,728,078	1,657,307
Commitments and contingencies (Note 7)
Total Vector Group Ltd. stockholders' deficiency	(402,720)	(332,000)
Non-controlling interest	84,546	78,728
Total stockholders' deficiency	(318,174)	(253,272)
Total liabilities and stockholders' deficiency	1,409,904	1,404,035
Consolidating Adjustments [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Investment securities available for sale	0	0
Accounts receivable - trade, net	0	0
Intercompany receivables	(21,027)	(22,789)
Inventories	0	0
Income taxes receivable, net	(3,437)	(2,277)
Restricted assets	0	0
Other current assets	0	0
Total current assets	(24,464)	(25,066)
Property, plant and equipment, net	0	0
Investments in real estate, net	0	0
Long-term investments	0	0
Investments in real estate ventures	0	0
Investments in consolidated subsidiaries	(496,729)	(501,659)
Restricted assets	0	0
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net	0	0
Prepaid pension costs	0	0
Other assets	0	0
Total assets	(521,193)	(526,725)
Current liabilities:
Current portion of notes payable and long-term debt	0	0
Current portion of employee benefits	0	0
Intercompany payables	(21,027)	(22,789)
Income taxes payable, net	(3,437)	(2,277)
Litigation accruals and current payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	0	0
Other current liabilities	0	0
Total current liabilities	(24,464)	(25,066)
Notes payable, long-term debt and other obligations, less current portion	0	0
Fair value of derivatives embedded within convertible debt	0	0
Non-current employee benefits	0	0
Deferred income taxes, net	0	0
Other liabilities, primarily litigation accruals and payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	0	0
Total liabilities	(24,464)	(25,066)
Commitments and contingencies (Note 7)
Total Vector Group Ltd. stockholders' deficiency	(496,729)	(501,659)
Non-controlling interest	0	0
Total stockholders' deficiency	(496,729)	(501,659)
Total liabilities and stockholders' deficiency	(521,193)	(526,725)
Parent/Issuer [Member] | Reportable Legal Entities [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	205,577	279,815	287,097	111,470
Investment securities available for sale	122,007	121,016
Accounts receivable - trade, net	0	0
Intercompany receivables	21,027	22,789
Inventories	0	0
Income taxes receivable, net	3,437	18,387
Restricted assets	0	0
Other current assets	577	517
Total current assets	352,625	442,524
Property, plant and equipment, net	752	1,134
Investments in real estate, net	0	0
Long-term investments	74,476	52,308
Investments in real estate ventures	0	0
Investments in consolidated subsidiaries	496,729	501,659
Restricted assets	1,497	1,728
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net	0	0
Prepaid pension costs	0	0
Other assets	7,896	7,534
Total assets	933,975	1,006,887
Current liabilities:
Current portion of notes payable and long-term debt	0	0
Current portion of employee benefits	0	0
Intercompany payables	0	0
Income taxes payable, net	0	0
Litigation accruals and current payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	0	0
Other current liabilities	31,835	47,968
Total current liabilities	31,835	47,968
Notes payable, long-term debt and other obligations, less current portion	1,171,509	1,127,180
Fair value of derivatives embedded within convertible debt	86,190	112,332
Non-current employee benefits	44,130	42,818
Deferred income taxes, net	1,655	7,420
Other liabilities, primarily litigation accruals and payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	1,376	1,169
Total liabilities	1,336,695	1,338,887
Commitments and contingencies (Note 7)
Total Vector Group Ltd. stockholders' deficiency	(402,720)	(332,000)
Non-controlling interest	0	0
Total stockholders' deficiency	(402,720)	(332,000)
Total liabilities and stockholders' deficiency	933,975	1,006,887
Subsidiary Guarantors [Member] | Reportable Legal Entities [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	88,245	14,798	44,934	12,375
Investment securities available for sale	32,638	35,887
Accounts receivable - trade, net	10,080	11,775
Intercompany receivables	0	0
Inventories	84,587	89,834
Income taxes receivable, net	0	0
Restricted assets	4,309	6,416
Other current assets	3,389	4,428
Total current assets	223,248	163,138
Property, plant and equipment, net	43,663	48,314
Investments in real estate, net	0	0
Long-term investments	0	388
Investments in real estate ventures	0	0
Investments in consolidated subsidiaries	0	0
Restricted assets	1,986	2,258
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net	107,511	107,511
Prepaid pension costs	23,186	22,273
Other assets	12,362	12,118
Total assets	411,956	356,000
Current liabilities:
Current portion of notes payable and long-term debt	8,001	39,333
Current portion of employee benefits	937	937
Intercompany payables	754	24
Income taxes payable, net	14,068	1,089
Litigation accruals and current payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	118,834	19,851
Other current liabilities	53,232	49,492
Total current liabilities	195,826	110,726
Notes payable, long-term debt and other obligations, less current portion	3,891	5,372
Fair value of derivatives embedded within convertible debt	0	0
Non-current employee benefits	15,470	16,140
Deferred income taxes, net	32,704	40,136
Other liabilities, primarily litigation accruals and payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	44,717	49,861
Total liabilities	292,608	222,235
Commitments and contingencies (Note 7)
Total Vector Group Ltd. stockholders' deficiency	119,348	133,765
Non-controlling interest	0	0
Total stockholders' deficiency	119,348	133,765
Total liabilities and stockholders' deficiency	411,956	356,000
Subsidiary Non-Guarantors [Member] | Reportable Legal Entities [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	102,238	98,917	$ 113,843	$ 116,523
Investment securities available for sale	0	0
Accounts receivable - trade, net	7,975	7,026
Intercompany receivables	0	0
Inventories	0	0
Income taxes receivable, net	0	0
Restricted assets	7,209	914
Other current assets	31,101	18,010
Total current assets	148,523	124,867
Property, plant and equipment, net	39,179	31,000
Investments in real estate, net	23,742	23,640
Long-term investments	0	501
Investments in real estate ventures	210,089	221,258
Investments in consolidated subsidiaries	0	0
Restricted assets	0	0
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net	160,668	154,407
Prepaid pension costs	0	0
Other assets	2,965	12,200
Total assets	585,166	567,873
Current liabilities:
Current portion of notes payable and long-term debt	431	175
Current portion of employee benefits	0	0
Intercompany payables	20,273	22,765
Income taxes payable, net	1,532	1,188
Litigation accruals and current payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	0	0
Other current liabilities	42,769	38,392
Total current liabilities	65,005	62,520
Notes payable, long-term debt and other obligations, less current portion	510	391
Fair value of derivatives embedded within convertible debt	0	0
Non-current employee benefits	0	0
Deferred income taxes, net	37,424	45,529
Other liabilities, primarily litigation accruals and payments due under the Master Settlement Agreement	20,300	12,811
Total liabilities	123,239	121,251
Commitments and contingencies (Note 7)
Total Vector Group Ltd. stockholders' deficiency	377,381	367,894
Non-controlling interest	84,546	78,728
Total stockholders' deficiency	461,927	446,622
Total liabilities and stockholders' deficiency	$ 585,166	$ 567,873