I will have my 14yo daughter with me this summer. Does anyone have any good ideas for places to visit/see for this difficult-to-please age?
Not sure if she’s the typical 14-year-old, but Taipei is loaded with shopping options. Malls, more malls, street markets, entire streets devoted to particular items (shoes, computers, cameras, etc). Ximendeng is the first place we brought my friend’s 15-year-old daughter and it was like dropping the kid off at school. “See ya! Meet you back here at 10:00 p.m.” She wasn’t interested in anything other than shopping. Completely nonplussed by all the other stuff like the 101 Observatory. Oh, except for the selfies.
All the main spots to see are listed in every travel guide (101, Yangmingshan, Danshui, etc) and I suppose it could go either way.
If she’s into the outdoors, so many hiking and biking options. It might help if you listed some of her interests so people can chime in with suggestions.
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Ximending, definitely (there are tattoo parlors too… 
). East District, lots of department stores and hang-out places around the ViewShow Cinema complex. Beach-wise, Fulong and Wai’ao? Does she like DIY? Here are some options: play.niceday.tw/category/13 (sorry, only in Chinese).
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Get her into a part-time Chinese Mandarin language course with others her own age to keep her partially busy and maybe meet some people.
Check websites like the American school and European School for summertime activities that she may be able to join. Some of them may not be just for the students but might be a good idea of something to do.
Thanks for some great ideas. I think a part-time language school is excellent. She’s been resistant to learning her whole life. I’ve been thinking about what she’s into and what she isn’t and I brainstormed some good ideas to lookup. Skateparks? Mother-daughter matching tatoos… hahaha
I’d like to curb the shopping as I’m quitting my dayjob to become a digital nomad. I see that she isn’t legal to work until she turns 15. What she needs is a JOB!
Def beaches.
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Let the kid learn for herself? Maybe ask her what she might want to do?
Also look into Mandarin Daily News on Roosevelt Blvd between Guting and CKS Memorial Hall MRTs. They do summer programs specifically for children with foreign passports.
You can also start looking into summer day camps for her as well. Others have mentioned the European and American school, those are good places to start if you want to find her a more English speaking program. However, if you want her to learn a little Chinese, try to throw her in the mix with the locals.
Ximending and shopping can only go as far as one or two weeks. What you going to have her do for the rest of the time there? Send her off to class for a few hours of the day so you can digital nomad away!
If she likes skateboarding, there’s a skate park right next to the Huashan Cultural Park (which is next to Guang Hua Digital Plaza)…near Zhongxiao Xinshen MRT.
thanks ranlee, I’m looking into getting the newspaper here in Texas. I love that it is also in bopomo. It looks like we aren’t going until October now, so the summer classes will have to be here 
Do you have friends or relatives here with teenagers? She may want to hang around with kids her age and make friends. Maybe there are clubs or outings for teenagers.
Mandarin Daily News is still there and may have classes all year round, except they may be smaller. Still worth a look!
The handful of people I knew there have all moved away. BUT since we have so much time, maybe she can find a penpal that she could meet after we arrive. Thanks for triggering that idea.
Tagging along here, on behalf of a friend. She’s got 3 teenagers coming to Taiwan for two weeks, and with her own kid that makes four. Four teenagers sounds like herding cats to me.
I mean Ximending works one or two days. Then what? I have had all kinds of visitors with varied success rates but this one beats me. No idea where to start.
The skating ring at Taipei Arena? Boat ride in Tamsui? Museum,mmm, maybe the Ocean one in Keelung? How does that sound?
Can’t ask em, if you guys haven’t noticed this generation is stuck to the phones and communicates by grunts. And they are usually connected to a totally different frequency.
Why not just set them free?
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Hell no. This is a different generation. They seem pretty competent but I do not trust anyone who stares at a microwave as it held the secrets of Atlantis.
And the parents would object.
Plus I bet them kids would have an anxiety attack or something.
I don’t know, take them to sun moon lake or something?
Day-trip to Jiu-Fen.
Can even take direct bus there from Ximenting or train then bus.
Those alleyways, food, nick-nack items. Do it during the week when less crowds.
Then day-trip to Tamsui. Boat ride to Bali.
Day-trip to Keelung and its night market and temple on the hill.
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Wulai, sneak down to the river and don’t tell them about the warm water, let them dip their feet, take the scenic train
Jiufen - the tea place, very instagrammable
Raole Street market, again, instagrammable “culture”, include the temple there too
Tamsui is suggested and I agree it is nice, but it’s kind of boring for teenagers.
Xinyi for some shopping, elephant mountain if they are athletic teenagers, otherwise just mcdonalds in the food court if they are not.
Dadaocheng area, for “life” and “buzz”, same with Shulin street market
You could then do a couple of days away at Hualien or through Taroko Gorge if you have transport available.
If they don’t like any of that, then Jingmei Detention Center. Drop them off and leave them there 
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Thanks man! Solid suggestions 
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They also might like to see that bit, I feel like it might be towards Zhongshan in the Taipei City mall, with all the mirrors, where the groups go to dance. The public dancing (if that is still a thing) is a delight to see for people not used to it.
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I did this, I didn’t think Bali was that nice, had some nice doughnuts off the street, otherwise I don’t really get what is there?