A variable capacity rotary compressor includes a hermetic casing, a housing installed in the hermetic casing to define therein first and second compression chambers having different capacities, and a compressing unit placed in the first and second compression chambers and operated to execute a compression operation in either the first or second compression chamber according to a rotating direction of a rotating shaft which drives the compressing unit. The compressor further includes a suction path controller, a high-pressure pipe, and a high-pressure path controller. The suction path controller controls a refrigerant suction path so that a refrigerant is delivered into an inlet port of the first or second compression chamber where the compression operation is executed. The high-pressure pipe couples an outlet side of the compressor to the suction path controller. The high-pressure path controller is provided at a predetermined portion of the suction path controller, and controls a high-pressure path so that the high-pressure pipe communicates with the inlet port of the first or second compression chamber where an idle operation is executed, according to variance of temperature when the refrigerant suction path is controlled by the suction path controller.