  The current status of the experimental searches for rare alpha and beta
decays is reviewed. Several interesting observations of alpha and beta decays,
previously unseen due to their large half-lives ($10^{15} - 10^{20}$ yr), have
been achieved during the last years thanks to the improvements in the
experimental techniques and to the underground locations of experiments that
allows to suppress backgrounds. In particular, the list includes first
observations of alpha decays of $^{151}$Eu, $^{180}$W (both to the ground state
of the daughter nuclei), $^{190}$Pt (to excited state of the daughter nucleus),
$^{209}$Bi (to the ground and excited states of the daughter nucleus). The
isotope $^{209}$Bi has the longest known half-life of $T_{1/2} \approx 10^{19}$
yr relatively to alpha decay. The beta decay of $^{115}$In to the first excited
state of $^{115}$Sn (E$_{exc} = 497.334$ keV), recently observed for the first
time, has the $Q_\beta$ value of only $(147 \pm 10)$ eV, which is the lowest
$Q_\beta$ value known to-date. Searches and investigations of other rare alpha
and beta decays ($^{48}$Ca, $^{50}$V, $^{96}$Zr, $^{113}$Cd, $^{123}$Te,
$^{178m2}$Hf, $^{180m}$Ta and others) are also discussed.
