No, they don’t close entirely. You’ll certainly find the museums etc. open as normal. But if you want to experience real Paris, it’s the wrong time to be in town.
I once visited Paris in August, and practically everything was open, yet not as crowded as other months; it was wonderful. On the other hand, I was there in May of '03, and there was a general strike, so everything was closed, including transportation.
Three years ago, I was a 22-year-old Canadian who did practically the same trip you’re planning (although I had an extra month to lose myself, and never went to the U.K.). So here’s some random advice, in bullet form, because I rarely get the chance to use bullets and they’re neat:
[ul]
[li]It will be hot. HOT. Face-melting hot, especially in Italy. Whatever your current budget is for gelati, double it.[/li][li]If you have time in Prague, catch a day train to either Cesky Krumlov - a small medieval town about an hour away with a really cool castle (and bears!) - or the ossuary at Kunta Hora - a church with an interior fashioned largely of human bone.[/li][li]The Heineken tour in Amsterdam may be somewhat cheesy, but you (a) get 1.5 pints of beer for five euro, and (b) a Heineken glass, which is not only a neat souvenir but can be very handy when backpacking.[/li][li]“Guten tag” is “hello” in Germany but not in Austria; there, it’s “Grosse gutt,” I think. Vienna has a great museum called something like the Kunsthistoriches - it’s gigantic, and when I was there they had a bunch of excavated Etruscan friezes and statues, a giant exhibit on medieval European weaponry and armour, and the history of music from prehistoric times up to Prince.[/li][li]Take ziploc bags. Again, amazingly useful. So is a swiss army knife.[/li][li]If you’re going to Germany, and are debating between Munich and Berlin, go with the latter. Accomodations in the former East Berlin can be fairly inexpensive, and the city feels much more “real” than the Munich, which feels a bit like Deutschdisney at times.[/li][li]Make an agreement with your travelling partner that it’s okay if either of you need to spend a day just by yourself, and that there won’t be any hurt feelings. [/li][li]And finally, nothing puts the finishing touch on a backpacking trip through Europe than kissing a random Aussie boy (or girl) after too many beers in the hostel pub. ;)[/li][/ul]
Man, this has got me excited about my tentative Czech Republic - Hungary - Romania - Bulgaria - Turkey trip for 2006.
Oh, before I forget: do you still need a visa to get into the Czech Republic? I did when I went - so you might want to check with your travel agent, if you don’t have one, if that’s still the case.