If you are in Europe, I think it is safe to say that you can get an account on Bitstamp. They are one of the oldest exchanges on the planet and sometimes used as a reference point. They mostly trade bitcoin and fiat, something like only a dozen trade pairs, but that's really all you need to get started.

At least with an exchange, you don't have the problem of dealing with potential scammers. You do however, most likely, need to provide KYC info to them.