TiO2 nanotubes loaded NiO nanoparticles were prepared by hydrothermal method, which diameter and length are 10~15 nm and 10~300 nm, respectively. The nanotubes were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and uv-visible diffuse reflection spectrum. The photocatalytic activities of the nanotubes were evaluated according to their photodegradation behavior on methyl orange. The results show that TiO2 and NiO grains are well integrated and form the p-n junction, promote the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. NiO/TiO2 nanotubes have good absorption performance in the visible light region result from the strong visible light absorption of NiO. The above two factors lead to a significant increase in photocatalytic performance of NiO/TiO2 nanotubes under visible light. Thereby, the 1 h photocatalytic degradation rate of methyl orange increased from 7.0% of pure TiO2 nanotubes to 95.6% of NiO/TiO2 nanotubes after calcination at 500℃.