In this study, a direct diffusion bonding method is designed to bond tungsten (W) and copper (Cu) without using an interlayer metal at a temperature close to the melting point of copper (TmCu). The results show that the direct diffusion bonding method is feasible and the key point to a successful connection is that bonding temperatures should be controlled in an effective temperature range 0.81TmCu–0.97TmCu. The most appropriate bonding parameters are that the bonding temperature is 980°C, the bonding time is 180min and the bonding pressure is 106MPa. The maximum tensile and bending strengths of the as-obtained W/Cu joints are ~172 and ~232MPa, respectively, which reach a very high level compared to pure copper. The corresponding fractures are ductile. The micro-tests for the W/Cu joint show that diffusion occurs between W and Cu and the thickness of the W/Cu diffusion layer is ~22nm. Through the diffusion, a metallurgical bonding interface has been successfully constructed, which is the essential reason for the high strengths of the W/Cu joint. The diffusion between W and Cu when the bonding temperature is close to TmCu may be induced by the high-temperature structure of Cu, which needs further investigation.