To investigate the effects and the underlying mechanisms of salidroside on diabetic cardiomyopathy, diabetes was induced in mice by a long-term high-fat diet and a low-dose injection of streptozocin. Measurements of cardiac function, biochemical analysis, and histopathological examinations were conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effects of salidroside. In this study, we found that diabetic mice exhibited decreased cardiac systolic function and impaired mitochondrial ultrastructure. Pre-treatment with salidroside protected mice against myocardial dysfunction, reduced blood glucose, improved insulin resistance, and induced mitochondrial biogenesis. Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were cultured to explore the mechanisms of salidroside in vitro. Salidroside alleviated decreased expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1 alpha), mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) via phosphorylation of 5 ' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which may be associated with mitochondrial biogenesis. Salidroside also increased sirtuin-3 (SIRT3) expression in cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, salidroside promoted the translocation of SIRT3 from cytoplasm to mitochondria and increased the deacetylation of mitochondrial proteins such as manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). In Conclusion, salidroside not only improved diabetes, but also ameliorated diabetic cardiomyopathy, which was at least partly associated with the activation of mitochondrial SIRT3, AMPK/Akt, and PGC-1 alpha/TFAM and subsequent improving mitochondrial function.