If you want to take all the way down to the root level, the best tool for design is Photoshop. You can usually build a site with CSS from an original Photoshop mockup
The low level design (PSD) and the most important part of the site is done with photoshop. Then use dreamweaver to splice the psd of the file as well as fireworks. Dreamweaver will use xhtml and css for design and use the grid in order to get the best results and understand the location of boxes on the page.
Yep, Photoshop & Dreamweaver are the way to go, but if you're on a budget you could use some free alternatives like Gimp and any free WYSIWYG editor
desing = designing? Photoshop & Dreamweaver for beginners. Once you learn to code better I suggest you do it with notepad or something.
I use good old paint, and a notepad. Most people seem to prefer Photoshop but I think it is too expensive for a beginner. You can always use free stock photos, so you really don't need it to get started.
I would recommend using Photoshop & Illustrator to make the design, then Fireworks and Dreamweaver to put it together. Photoshop allows you to create the final visual, however it can be tricky replicating it in the coding and construction. Use DIVs instead of tables and CSS instead of old HTML tags.