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Your best bet is visiting a local amateur astronomy club. Look through a few scopes until you find one you like. That way you will have a good idea of what to expect.
The standard suggestion for beginners is to look into a Dobsonian, maybe 20cm (8 inch) or upwards. There are a few companies who make them, depending on your country. These have the most bang for your buck, they're simple and have no electronics. They do have to be pointed manually, which takes some practice to get good at finding objects. If you have shaky hands or mobility problems you should probably consider a motorised telescope instead. You also can't really use them for astrophotography, that is an expensive thing to get into. If you live in a light polluted place you should think about mobility also, fitting it into a car. Getting to darker skies once in a while makes a huge difference.
