Paris, the No. 1 on the list of most visited WHS on this website and truly a wonderful city. And it is one of those WHS that I have visited most frequently. At the end of the 1990s and early 2000s, I had an annual scientific meeting in Paris in late March, a perfect opportunity to extend a business meeting to a long weekend trip. Moreover, I visited Paris twice on private trips, most recently in September 2015 at the end of our tour to northern France. So I had plenty of opportunities to visit all the major tourist sights over the years.

All the monuments and museums along the banks of the Seine are well known, well described and - crowded. So, just a few comments.

Notre Dame - A perfect starting point to explore the city and to get a feel for the crowds of tourists. Ile de la Cité is the oldest part of the city and somehow still its centre.

The Towers of Notre Dame - Long queues. Climbing church towers is very often not worth the effort, mostly the views are less exciting than expected. So it is with Notre Dame. But it is so popular because you can have a close look at the quirky statues that watch over Paris (photo).
By the way: You have the best view over Paris from the top of Arc de Triomphe: unobstructed views in all directions. Or for free from the roofs of the department stores Galeries Lafayette or Printemps.

Sainte Chapelle - Long queues. A nice Gothic chapel, but overrated in my opinion.

The Louvre - I could spend a whole week in there, absolutely great, often considered the best museum in the world and I would not contradict. Mona Lisa - clearly overrated, there are better paintings by Leonardo just in the next room. You cannot view it well because of the barrier and the crowds, but go there, you can take nice pictures of people taking pictures of the Mona Lisa.

The Tuileries - On a sunny day, try to grab one of the chairs around the basin, eat a baguette, enjoy the sun and watch the tourists.

Musée d’Orsay - Another world class museum in a wonderful location. But if you have a fondness for Expressionism, visit the Musée de l’Orangerie, the Water Lilies paintings by Monet are marvellous.

Grand Palais - A masterpiece of steel and glass. Built for the Worlds’s Fair of 1900, only open for special events. I visited the Grand Palais many years ago, I can not remember the exhibition, the construction was much more impressive.

Tomb of Napoleon - Kitschy and nationalistic, would not visit again.

Eiffel Tower - I had exactly the same thoughts and feelings as Ian describes in his review below. If you see it, you will like it, an impressive construction. I was never at the top level, you will have to book well in advance. But I climbed twice the stairs to the second level, once at night (open until 11 pm), a very special atmosphere.

If you like to visit several museums and monuments, a museum pass may be an option (available for 2, 4 or 6 consecutive days). You get free entry to a long list of sites in and around Paris as often as you wish, without queuing. But be aware, that there is no privileged access to the Towers of Notre Dame and the Sainte Chapelle. For the Louvre, you can also preorder tickets online, nevertheless you should come early because there is also a queue for prebooked tickets.