Investments in Partially Owned Entities (Parentheticals) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
Oct. 31, 2008 Lexington Realty Trust [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Other equity method investments [Member] Verde Realty Operating Partnership [Member]
Prior Period Non Cash Impairment Charges	$ 107,882
Impairment loss		$ 4,936

The charge against earnings resulting from the aggregate write down of all assets from their carrying value to their fair value recorded in prior periods.

No definition available.

Name:	vno_PriorPeriodNonCashImpairmentCharges
Namespace Prefix:	vno_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration