Sociedade de Amigos das Adjacências da Rua da Alfândega, better known as SAARA, is a collection of over 600 stores encompassing Andradas, Passos, Alfândega and Buenos Aires streets, in addition to Praça da República. At this wonderfully vibrant market, frequented mostly by locals, one can find all manner of things at extremely reasonable rates. For a unique shopping experience in Rio, SAARA is the place to check out.

If you find yourself in Rio on the first Saturday of the month and don't fancy the beach, there are few better ways to while away an afternoon than by strolling through the amassed piles of antiques and oddities that line Rua Lavradio at this monthly fair. Watch as all the shops fling open their shutters and display their often beautiful, often crumbly old furniture. You can pick up black and white photographs, antique bottles or arte naife, and try some wonderful food from any of the hundreds of stalls. Several good restaurants also line the far end of the road, offering the perfect pit stop if you're feeling a tad shopped out.

The first residential street to be built in Rio de Janeiro, Rua do Lavradio is a long cobbled road flanked by tall and handsome colonial buildings. Many of these have been transformed into bars and restaurants, while others are now, fittingly, antiques stores. It is in Rua do Lavradio that you will find the excellent Feira do Rio Antigo, a bustling clothes, arts, and antique fair held on the first Saturday of each month. The bars and restaurants all have pavement tables and chairs, making this a wonderful spot to enjoy a cold drink and a bite to eat as you watch the world go by.

If you are a jazz fan, then you should definitely check this place out. It has an enormous collection of old jazz records, that have been preserved surprisingly well. The shop also caters to music fanatics who like modern electronic mixes and most other types of contemporary music. The shop also has a tattoo place where you can get yourself inked. Yes! You read it right. A tattoo parlor within a CD shop! The passion of music here is extraordinary. This is visible in the weekly DJ nights that they have. However, they don't happen every week. So just check out their website and stay updated on the latest events.