In this paper, gold-platinum (Au-Pt) bimetallic nanotubes with different Au/Pt ratio are successfully synthesized through a simple wet-chemical reduction route in which tellurium (Te) nanowires serve as both sacrificial template and reducing agent. The hollow nanostructure of Au-Pt nanotubes is formed due to Kirkendall effect. The as-prepared Au-Pt nanotubes can be applied as catalyst for methanol oxidation reaction, and the results indicate that the Au-Pt nanotubes with an Au/Pt ratio of 1:1 show the best electrochemical catalytic performances. Furthermore, the catalytic activity of the Au-Pt nanotubes is also better than Pt nanotubes and commercial Pt/C catalyst. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.