Bare TiO2 (T), La-doped TiO2 (LT), Y-doped TiO2 (YT), La, Y co-doped TiO2 (LYT) were successfully prepared by facile ultrasonic assisted sol-gel synthesis using Ti(OC4H9)4 as the precursor. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The photocatalytic activities of anatase samples, with the average particle diameters ranging from 14 nm to 21 nm, were evaluated for photodegradation of methyl orange (MO). The XPS results indicated that Y atoms were incorporated into titania lattice, while La atoms existed on the crystal surface. Due to doping, the optical absorption edges of LT, YT, and LYT shifted to the visible light region by 21 nm, 29 nm and 35 nm, respectively. The photocatalytic performances of the doped samples, such as LT, YT and LYT, were much higher than that of bare TiO2 under UV-visible light irradiation. And the photoreactivity efficiency of the LYT was the highest. It indicated that a strong La-Y synergistic interaction appeared to play a decisive role in driving the excellent photocatalytic performance of titania.