In this study, bismuth tungstate (Bi₂WO₆) nanoparticles were synthesized via precipitation and hydrothermal methods, and their photocatalytic performance toward the degradation of tetracycline and ciprofloxacin under visible-light irradiation was investigated. The structural, morphological, and optical properties of the synthesized samples were characterized using XRD, FESEM/EDS, UV–Vis, and PL analyses. The XRD results confirmed the successful formation of pure orthorhombic Bi₂WO₆ in both samples and revealed that the precipitation-derived photocatalyst possessed smaller crystallite sizes with a higher density of structural defects and grain boundaries. Moreover, FESEM images revealed a more porous morphology comprising smaller and more uniformly distributed clustered nanoparticles in the precipitated Bi₂WO₆ sample. Optical characterization indicated stronger visible-light absorption and a significantly lower PL emission intensity for the precipitated sample compared with the hydrothermal counterpart. Photocatalytic performance evaluation showed that the precipitated Bi₂WO₆ exhibited superior removal efficiencies for both pharmaceutical pollutants. Under visible-light irradiation, the removal efficiencies of tetracycline and ciprofloxacin reached 83.8% and 73%, respectively, for the precipitated sample, whereas the corresponding values for the hydrothermal sample were 74.4% and 44.8%. These findings indicate that precipitation synthesis, through the formation of a porous nanoparticulate structure, reduction of the band gap, enhanced visible-light absorption, and improved charge-carrier separation, plays a significant role in enhancing the photocatalytic activity of Bi₂WO₆. Accordingly, the precipitation-synthesized Bi₂WO₆ represents a promising photocatalyst for the removal of recalcitrant pharmaceutical contaminants from aqueous environments under visible-light irradiation.