what is the difference between a city to city ticket and an individual ticket?
adam,
I'm not sure I understand the question? Could you be a bit more specific on the circumstances.
on the ssb.ch website i was trying to research the approximate cost between cities for me, and whether or not it would be worth it to buy a swiss pass. when i typed in my departures and destinations, options for "city to city" tickets came up and "individual" tickets. curious as to what the difference is.
These will probably be the same. Push on through, if this is how you want to do your research, and note that the first price the SBB shows you is half-price, since most residents have a half-fare travel card. For a quicker overview of regular 2nd-class fares, see our map at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes.