Ok first off - ignore dodgy packages like MS Frontpage and any suggested freebies. If you want to seriously learn how to web design you need to use the stuff that the professionals do...ie Macromedia Dreamweaver.
But before you do that you need to learn a little HTML and CSS. If you google either you will see that there are thousands upon thousands of websites offering free tutorials...none of them are really any better than the rest, but you can help yourself by trying places like:
http://www.webmonkey.com/
which is were even the pros go for help.
Additionally if you want to do animations, you will need to learn Flash (and actionscript for the really funky stuff)...and another necessity is Adobe Photoshop, the tool of choice for the pro designer.
When you've got that all under your belt (just take your time, like anything it can be slow going at first), you may want to consider buying yourself a web domain name and hosting package so that you can start to show off your work.
However, all of the above said, if you reaaaaaally want to get into web design properly there is no substitute for experience. Look around at job sites such as:
http://www.cwjobs.com
for "Junior Web Designer" positions. A lot of them only want you to have a basic understanding of whats going on, so that they can mold and shape you to their own techniques. Every web agency does things differently, so its always best to start at the bottom and work your way up.
But above all - avoid dodgy "do it yourself" freebie packages and stay the hell away from MS Frontpage!
Best of luck