The luminescence properties of Ce3+, Tb3+, Sm3+ and energy transfer from Ce3+ to Tb3+ were studied in two modifications of Y2SiO5 (low temperature X(1) type and high temperature X(2) type). The Ce3+ cation shows lower emission energy and larger Stokes shift in X(1)-Y2SiO5 than in X(2)-Y2SiO5, and the emission intensities of Ce3+, Tb3+, Sm3+ in the former are weaker than those in the latter. There exists an energy transfer from Ce3+ to Tb3+ in both types of Y2SiO5, and the transfer efficiency in X(2) type is higher than that in X(1) type. All of these results are discussed in relation to the crystal structure of Y2SiO5.