Looking for a truly unique piece of vintage jewelry or exotic home decor accent? National Geographic has scoured the globe in search of the best flea and antique markets. Get inspired by something new and be prepared to spend a few hours looking for the perfect piece.

Rose Bowl Flea Market, Pasadena, California
 

 
The Rose Bowl Flea Market, featuring more than 2,500 vendors, is hands down Los Angeles’s largest secondhand marketplace. This is the place to find pop culture artifacts—a Monkees lunch box, Barbie camper, or Wheel of Fortune pillow, perhaps, along with surfboards, record collections, lawn art, and who knows what else.

This huge market opens its doors to VIPs at 5 a.m.; early birds pay $20 admission as opposed to the usual $8 (under 12 free). Layabouts can get in for $15 at 7 a.m. The rest of the crowd can enter at 9 a.m., and the fun continues until 4 p.m. or so. The flea market takes place the second Sunday of every month.

Brimfield Antique Show, Brimfield, Massachusetts
 

 
More than 5,000 antiques and collectibles dealers sprawl across 23 former farm fields at Brimfield’s popular flea market, making it the largest in New England.

You name it, this place has it: furniture, pictures, new and secondhand clothes—all at rock-bottom prices (especially if you’re adept at haggling). There’s a jovial atmosphere, with the aroma of food wafting through the air and people crowding around the stalls in the hopes of picking up a 1970s leather jacket or a rare Louis XV chest of drawers.

Make sure to bring cash, as stallholders seldom accept credit cards, and the nearest available ATM always has a line. The six-day show takes place three times a year, in May, July, and September.

The other world famous flea markets are:

The Silver Vaults, Chancery Lane, London, England.

San Telmo Antiques Fair, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Bermondsey (New Caledonian) Market, Long Lane and Bermondsey Street, London.