Eu3+:Gd2O3 nanorods were prepared by a hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the resulting samples. Emission and excitation spectra were studied using xenon excited spectroscopic experiments at 10 K. Energy transfer from Gd3+ to Eu3+, from the band gap of the host to Eu3+, and from Eu3+ (S6) to Eu3+ (C2) was observed. The energy levels of Eu3+ at the C2 site of cubic Gd2O3 were experimentally determined according to the fluorescence spectra at 10 K, and fit well with the theoretical values. The standard deviation for the optimal fit was 12.9 cm(-1). The fluorescent lifetime of 5D0 (2.3 ms at 295 K) was unusually longer than that of the bulk counterparts (0.94 ms), indicating a small filling factor (0.55) for the nanorod volume. However the lifetime of 5D1 was much shorter than that of the bulk counterparts, 65 micros at 10 K, 37 micros at 295 K.