The invention relates to a method for preparing 3-amino-1-adamantane alcohol. The method comprises the following steps of: adding amantadine hydrochloride into a nitrating agent in batches, performing reaction for 1 to 2 hours in an ice-water bath and performing reaction for 1 to 30 hours at room temperature to obtain yellowish liquid; pouring the yellowish liquid into ice, continuously reacting for 0.5 to 2 hours with stirring to obtain blue-green liquid; and adding solid base into solution obtained by the step 2 with stirring, keeping temperature below 80 DEG C, regulating pH to be between 10 and 12, performing reaction for 30 minutes with stirring, leaching, extracting reaction liquid by using dichloromethane, drying the obtained product with anhydrous sodium sulfate, steaming off the dichloromethane and performing recrystallization by using ethyl acetate to obtain white solid. The preparation method has the advantages of readily available starting raw materials, simple reaction operation, short route, environmental friendliness, easy industrial production and good application prospect, and also reduces cost for the synthesis of Vildagliptin serving as a medicament for treatingdiabetes; and the yield of products reaches 75 percent.