Sobra is where the ferry from Dubrovnik arrives and most first-time visitors to Mljet land, but few stay long. The village is a working port rather than a tourist destination — a small harbour, a handful of houses, a café or two, and a bus stop. For travellers based in Soline or the national park end of the island, Sobra is primarily a ferry connection, but it's also the gateway to Mljet's less-visited eastern half, which lacks the national park designation and the organised tourism that comes with it.
The eastern end of the island around Sobra sees a fraction of the visitors the national park does. The villages are quieter, the restaurants fewer and aimed more at locals, and the pace slower. If you have a bike or a car, an afternoon exploring the road east from Sobra toward Babino Polje — the island's largest village — gives a different picture of Mljet from the polished lake-and-monastery circuit. The coast near Sobra is rockier and less immediately dramatic than the national park lakes, but the underwater clarity is the same and the coves are easier to have to yourself.