But can buying crypto for fiat be safe? It seems to me that this is the riskiest way to exchange, because you will have to go to the exchange in person, which puts at risk not only your money. P2P seems to me not the best way, because you never know who is on the other side of the "account with a positive reputation" or when (and for what amount) this person will want to "tarnish their reputation".

Neither method will be convenient, since you will have to personally deliver and transfer the money for the exchange. You hardly want your money to be taken from your home. Which, I believe, is, in principle, possible (for an additional fee), if you exchange using exchangers (various options on the exchanger aggregator, like bestchange).