What is the best way/route to learn how to play the guitar?

Firstly I don't play the guitar, but I know plenty who do! I've played other instruments. I think it's awesome that you want to at least learn to play some songs, and that would be a good place to start, but I think the BEST place to start would be learning the notes. Once you can read notes and get a feel for what they sound like you can pretty much "play any song." Thats first, then there are SEVERAL tutorials and help videos on youtube. But really learning to read notes is something that you can learn and remember for the rest of your life, then you can actually buy music and play! Good Luck!

try starting at http://guitarmanual.typepad.com it has step by step lessons for learning and shows exactly what to play to get started and get to an advanced level. good luck http://guitarmanual.typepad.com

PluckandPlayGuitar has free video based lessons for absolute beginners and assume you know nothing or close to nothing. It takes you step by step through the basic guitar chords one by one. There's also lessons on guitar scales, techniques and some easy songs to play. http://www.pluckandplayguitar.com/

Jamorama is great. You can start out with free on-line guitar lessons, with videos, etc. This is a non-subscription guitar lesson thing where you can learn to play guitar from scratch. It's got lessons for absolute beginners all the way up to advanced.

The single best way to learn guitar is to find another player who's better than you, willing to put up with you. You'll improve 10 X's as fast playing guitar with another then you will sitting alone in your room practicing. Otherwise...start by learning all the chords...AND at least 2-3 different ways to play each chord. Finally...and this is an absolute must if you're doing this on your own...you MUST have some way to record yourself. Listening back to your recordings can show you your strong points and areas that need work. As all the others have said...there's a wealth of material out there on the internet. Best of luck, and keep practicing till those fingers bleed.