Document And Entity Information - USD ($) $ in Billions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Jan. 31, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Entity Registrant Name	WEINGARTEN REALTY INVESTORS /TX/
Entity Central Index Key	0000828916
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		128,456,753
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Public Float			$ 3.6
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes