BERLIN — I had read the buzz about Berlin: young and dynamic, art lovers’ heaven, awesome new architecture, cutting-edge trendy. On a recent trip in Germany, I altered my itinerary to see the capital for myself.

With only a day and a half to visit, I hoped to squeeze in as much as possible. But where to start? I’m generally tour-bus-averse, a.k.a. a travel snob, but that seemed the best way to get an overview of a city of 3.5 million people.