Americans may think of Disneyland as the "happiest place on earth," but the real winner of that title is the Kingdom of the Netherlands according to a May 2011 ranking by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Even though it is still officially classed a kingdom, the Netherlands, also known as Holland and the "Low Countries," was one of the first nations to develop a parliamentary system of government that included an elected parliament.
Vacation rentals in the Netherlands allow tourists to explore not just this small country itself, but also the neighboring nations of Belgium and Germany, both of which use the Euro for currency, just as the Netherlands does. Because all three nations are also in the EU Schengen Area, there are no border controls among them and tourists can freely pass back and forth without papers. This is ideal since visitors to the Netherlands may wish to plan day trips into neighboring nations.
Even so, the Netherlands itself has plenty to occupy visitors. The capital and largest city of Amsterdam is a world-class city with museums such as the Anne Frank House, located on the Prinsengracht canal, attracting visitors who wish to learn about wartime resistance to Nazi policies. Art museums are another reason why more than four million tourists visit Amsterdam each year; the city is famed for its collections of pieces by Rembrandt and other masters of the Dutch Renaissance.